"I don't want skilled ladies, I want strong men, even if they are clumsy. I will make sure that they stop being so." The Englishman Horace Harry Lowe (1886-1967) came to Real Sociedad, as coach, in the 1930-31 season.
Former English footballers were highly valued for their tactical experience in the newly created Spanish League, where Fred Pentland, Robert Firth, Patrick O'Connell, Jack Greenwell, Randolph Galloway... And Lowe was added. On the bench of Real, converted into Donostia FC during the Republic, he started on a very good foot: third place in 1931, tied on points with Athletic Club and Racing de Santander, who occupied the first two places. All three teams had an English coach.
Lowe, who among other teams played for Tottenham (72 games between 1915 and 1927), spent five seasons in San Sebastián. After the initial third place, he placed the San Sebastian team in eighth, sixth and fifth positions, always in leagues with ten teams, and finally in eleventh, now in a league with twelve competitors. It was the 1934-35 season and Donostia lost the category. And Lowe packed his bags.
But before he left three notable records. Firstly, finishing third. La Real did not improve this position until the 1979-80 season, with Alberto Ormaetxea on the bench and outstanding footballers such as Arconada, Perico Alonso, Zamora, López Ufarte, Satrústegui, Celayeta, Kortabarría, Olaizola, Gajate, Diego... All irreplaceable during 34 days of hard fighting with Vujadin Boskov's Real Madrid.
Secondly, Lowe gave his debut, in none other than Les Corts, in February 1934, to Pedro Irastorza, a boy of 15 years and 288 days who still remains among the youngest footballers in the history of the League. Lamine Yamal, for example, has not managed to beat his record since he debuted for Barça at 15 years and 291 days. And finally, Lowe's seemingly insurmountable record: he lined himself up for a league match in Valencia when he was already 48 years and 226 days old. To date, the one who has come closest is the Betic Joaquín, who came to play with 41 and 318.
It happened on March 24, 1935, in Mestalla. Donostia had traveled with just eleven players (there were no substitutions) and a last-minute illness left Harry Lowe facing a dilemma: Should I go out or should we play with ten? Helenio Herrera's revolutionary theories were still unknown and Lowe had no doubt: better with eleven than with ten. And he dressed in shorts, seven years after hanging up his boots. Valencia won 7-1 and Lowe had the consolation of setting up Manuel Olivares for his team's only goal. Irastorza, at that time 31 years younger than Lowe, also lined up that day.
After his Cantabrian period ended, Lowe moved to the Mediterranean and signed for Espanyol. In this case with less history. During the summer of 1935, Espanyol was awaiting the arrival of the new coach, who, on vacation in England, was reporting on his efforts to join the blue and white club accompanied by two English footballers.
First it was announced that he would be accompanied by two backs (defense). Then, with a certain Adams, from Southampton, and an unknown center half. It was later reported that the midfielder was Adams, and that a center forward named Thompson would also arrive. Training began in mid-August, still without Lowe. Until in its edition of August 31, 1935, El Mundo Deportivo placed the most anticipated photograph in Sarrià on the cover: Mr. Lowe had arrived, accompanied by Green, Charlton's center forward, and Clipson, Millwall's left-back. The next day the Catalan Championship began and Lowe was already directing his first match: a 1-1 draw at home against Badalona, with the two Englishmen in the starting eleven.
In summary. Roy Clipson actually came from Bristol and did not last long in Sarrià, nor did he finish the Catalan tournament, which was played before the League. Henry Green – who was Welsh and not English, although that nuance did not matter at the time – was injured early, went to England to recover in November and did not return until the last part of the season, for the end of the League and the Cup tournament. After his debut he was amazed: “In no English field could you see the spectacle of the Badalona players protesting in chorus to the referee. I even asked if he was a debutant and they told me no, that he was international. But here all the teams do that. There the referee's decisions are sacred! And finally, Lowe resisted until the third day of the League and before December he was relieved by Patricio Caicedo. It was explained that personal reasons kept him in England.
From his time in Spanish football, Harry Lowe learned some idioms and used to say “how the defenders crack here”. Perhaps this is why he proclaimed that for his team he did not want young ladies but “strong men.”
