Alec Stock
{{short description|English footballer and manager}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Alec Stock
| image =
| fullname = Alec William Alfred Stock
| birth_date = {{birth date|1917|3|30|df=y}}
| birth_place = Peasedown St John, England
| death_date = {{death date and age|2001|4|16|1917|3|30|df=y}}
| death_place = Wimborne Minster, England
| height = {{height|ft=5|in=9}}
| position = Forward
| years1 = 1936–1938
| clubs1 = Charlton Athletic
| caps1 = 0
| goals1 = 0
| years2 = 1938–1939
| clubs2 = Queens Park Rangers
| caps2 = 30
| goals2 = 0
| years3 = 1945-1946
| clubs3 = Queens Park Rangers (guest)
| caps3 = 19
| goals3 = 6
| manageryears1 = 1946–1949
| managerclubs1 = Yeovil Town
| manageryears2 = 1949–1959
| managerclubs2 = Leyton Orient
| manageryears3 = 1957
| managerclubs3 = AS Roma
| manageryears4 = 1959–1968
| managerclubs4 = Queens Park Rangers
| manageryears5 = 1968–1972
| managerclubs5 = Luton Town
| manageryears6 = 1972–1976
| managerclubs6 = Fulham
| manageryears7 = 1978
| managerclubs7 = Queens Park Rangers (caretaker)
| manageryears8 = 1979–1980
| managerclubs8 = AFC Bournemouth
| years4 = 1946–1949
| clubs4 = Yeovil Town
}}
Alec William Alfred Stock (30 March 1917 – 16 April 2001) was an English footballer and manager. He briefly managed AS Roma, between long spells at Leyton Orient and Queens Park Rangers. At QPR, he won successive promotions, leading the club to the First Division for the first time, and winning the League Cup. Among managers for whom accurate statistics exist, he is the fourth most experienced manager of all time.
Career
Alec Stock was born in Peasedown St John, Somerset, and played as an inside-forward for Charlton Athletic and Queens Park Rangers before World War II and guested for several other clubs during the hostilities. During the war he was a Captain in the Tank Corps and in 1944 was wounded in Normandy. He rejoined Queens Park Rangers in 1945 and later joined Yeovil Town in 1946.
He came to prominence as the player/manager of Yeovil Town during a historic FA Cup run in 1949. They had thrilling victories over Bury and Sunderland, before losing to Manchester United in the fifth round. He later managed Leyton Orient (1949–1959), AS Roma, Queens Park Rangers (1959–1965) (general manager 1965–1968), Luton Town (1968–1972), Fulham (1972–1976) and AFC Bournemouth (1979–1980). He was also the assistant manager of Arsenal for 53 days during the 1955–56 season and was a director of Queens Park Rangers (1977–1979). He was asked to manage the Third Division South team against the North in 1955–56.
It was perhaps Stock's time as manager of Queens Park Rangers where he is most fondly remembered. It was during his spell in the 1960s that coincided with the development of the club with chairman Jim Gregory. The team enjoyed unprecedented success in 1967 and 1968 winning consecutive promotions with the club reaching the First Division for the first time and becoming the first Third Division team to win the Football League Cup in 1967 beating then First Division West Bromwich Albion 3–2 in a come from behind win.{{Cite web |title=History |url=https://www.qpr.co.uk/club/history/ |access-date=2022-10-06 |website=QPR}}{{Cite web |last=Moore |first=Tom |date=2017-02-28 |title=QPR icon reflects on League Cup triumph and where they'd be today |url=http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/qpr-icon-believes-1967-league-12664718 |access-date=2022-10-06 |website=MyLondon}} Stock had a focus on youth bringing many of the team through the club's youth system (including Frank Sibley, Tony Hazell, Roger Morgan, Ian Morgan and Mick Leach) as well as blending characters such as Rodney Marsh and Mark Lazarus into the set up.
With internal pressures mounting in the club following the 1967–68 season however, Stock was absent for three months, suffering from asthma.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2001/apr/18/guardianobituaries.football|title=Alec Stock Obituary|last=Glanville|first=Brian|work=The Guardian|access-date=22 August 2009 | location=London | date=18 April 2001}} In his book A Little Thing Called Pride, Stock tells how Jim Gregory sacked him in 1968 for being ill, just as he thought he was about to return to the helm and save Rangers from relegation.{{cite web|url=http://www.queensparkrangersfc.com/stock.htm |title=Alec Stock R.I.P. |publisher=Queens Park Rangers FC |access-date=22 August 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081025192647/http://www.queensparkrangersfc.com/stock.htm |archive-date=25 October 2008 }} He later had success with Luton Town who he helped to promotion from the Third Division and also with Fulham when he led them to the 1975 FA Cup final. He briefly returned to be a Director at Queens Park Rangers in the 1977/8 season.
Ron Manager, a character in BBC comedy sketch show The Fast Show is based on Stock, told by George Best in his autobiography. This was also confirmed by comedy actor Paul Whitehouse, who played Ron Manager, in the documentary, Suits You Sir – The Inside Leg of the Fast Show.{{Cite web |date=14 December 1999 |title=Call yourself a football fan? – Paul Whitehouse |url=https://www.wsc.co.uk/the-archive/call-yourself-a-football-fan-paul-whitehouse/ |access-date=2022-10-06 |website=wsc.co.uk}}{{cite magazine |last=Simpson |first=Paul |date=1 March 2019 |title=Decline and Fall |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uPAnDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA39 |magazine=The Blizzard |page=39 |access-date=6 October 2022}}
Managerial statistics
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" | ||||
| rowspan=2|Team
!rowspan=2|From !rowspan=2|To !colspan=8|Record{{cite web|url=https://www.soccerbase.com/managers/manager.sd?manager_id=45|title=Managers – Alec Stock|publisher=Racing Post|website=Soccerbase|accessdate=2023-07-03}} | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % |
| align=left|Yeovil Town
|align=left|February 1946 |align-left|September 1949 {{WDL|153|80|32|41}} | ||||
| align=left|Leyton Orient
|align=left|September 1949 |align=left|June 1959 {{WDL|464|181|95|188}} | ||||
| align=left|Roma
|align=left|August 1957 |align=left|November 1957 | ||||
| align=left|Queens Park Rangers
|align=left|June 1959 |align=left|August 1968 {{WDL|459|219|106|134}} | ||||
| align=left|Luton Town
|align=left|August 1968 |align=left|June 1972 {{WDL|178|75|57|46}} | ||||
| align=left|Fulham
|align=left|July 1972 |align=left|July 1976 {{WDL|220|75|73|72}} | ||||
| align=left|Queens Park Rangers (caretaker)
|align=left|July 1978 |align=left|August 1978{{cite web|url=https://leaguemanagers.com/managers/?club_id=46238|title=Manager Profiles – Queens Park Rangers|website=League Managers Association|access-date=2023-07-03}}{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090524140211/http://www.qpr.co.uk/page/History/0%2C%2C10373%2C00.html|url=http://www.qpr.co.uk/page/History/0%2C%2C10373%2C00.html|title=A POTTED HISTORY OF QPR (1882-2009)|accessdate=2023-07-03|date=2009-04-09|archive-date=2009-05-24|publisher=QPR.co.uk}} {{WDL|0|0|0|0}} | ||||
| align=left|AFC Bournemouth
|align=left|January 1979 |align=left|December 1980 {{WDL|99|30|31|38}} | ||||
| colspan="3"|Total
{{WDLtot|1584|664|400|520}} |
References
{{reflist}}
{{EFL Cup winning managers}}
{{Navboxes
| title = Managerial positions
| list1 =
{{Yeovil Town F.C. managers}}
{{Leyton Orient F.C. managers}}
{{A.S. Roma managers}}
{{Queens Park Rangers F.C. managers}}
{{Luton Town F.C. managers}}
{{Fulham F.C. managers}}
{{AFC Bournemouth managers}}
}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stock, Alec}}
Category:English men's footballers
Category:English football managers
Category:English expatriate football managers
Category:People from Bath and North East Somerset
Category:Footballers from Somerset
Category:Charlton Athletic F.C. players
Category:Queens Park Rangers F.C. players
Category:Yeovil Town F.C. players
Category:AFC Bournemouth managers
Category:Leyton Orient F.C. managers
Category:Luton Town F.C. managers
Category:Queens Park Rangers F.C. managers
Category:Yeovil Town F.C. managers
Category:Arsenal F.C. non-playing staff
Category:Expatriate football managers in Italy
Category:English expatriate sportspeople in Italy