HALL, George William (1932-44)
Position: Inside forward
Height: 5ft 7ins
Weight: 10st 7lbs
Born: Newark, Nottinghamshire, 12 March, 1912
Died: Newark, Nottinghamshire, 22 May, 1967
Signed for Notts County November 1930,
Retired February 1944
Also played for: Ransome & Miles, Notts County, England
Spurs Record:
Debut: 24 December 1932 v Notts County (FL) (a) lost 0-3
Appearances: League 204, FA Cup 20, Others 151
Goals: League 27, FA Cup 2, Others 16
Back in the early 1930s, we had uncovered a schemer of rare talent in George Greenfield. In the dozen matches the inside-forward had played by early December 1932, we had scored an amazing 42 goals, with Greenfield’s promptings behind many of them and his contribution being six. We were well-poised in the promotion battle and at last looked to have a team capable of escaping the Second Division. When Greenfield broke his leg at Fulham that month it was viewed as a disaster.
Manager Percy Smith knew that if the momentum was not to be lost he would have to find an immediate replacement. He wasted no time in swooping for Willie Hall, a 20-year old with Notts County and the one inside-forward rated every bit as exciting a prospect as Greenfield.
Hall fitted in to our pattern of play immediately and at the end of the season we went up as runners-up to Stoke City. Within a year of joining us, Hall had made his England debut, completing a meteoric rise.
A schoolboy star in Nottingham, Hall made his debut for Notts County in the champions’ last Third Division (South) match of 1930-31, spent 18 months with County and six with Spurs in the Second Division and then found himself playing in the First Division. His international debut was in December 1933 against France at White Hart Lane, an outing that meant we had to pay Notts County another £500.
Hall provided the perfect link between defence and attack. Always looking for the ball and quite happy to work back to get it, he dovetailed perfectly with Willie Evans, knowing exactly how and when to release the flying winger and possessing the precision passing Evans thrived upon. He also possessed the ability to dribble his way through a defence as good as any winger and weaved magical patterns in midfield before releasing the killer ball.
In November 1934, we were not having the best of times but things got a lot worse when three Manchester City players went in to tackle Hall at the same time. It left him crumpled on the ground and resulted in a cartilage operation that kept him out of the team for almost five months. By the time he was fit to return to League action, we were all but relegated and while performances and results improved with him back there was nothing he could do to save us.
All told, Hall made 10 full England appearances but the most remarkable was that against Northern Ireland at Old Trafford in November 1938. Hall was never a consistent scorer but against the Irish he combined to devastating effect with Stanley Matthews and scored five goals, including the fastest hat-trick in international football, a record that stood until broken in 2000.
Just when Hall should have been reaching his peak World War Two broke out. He was rejected by the services because of injuries sustained playing football and served in the police war reserve in London which meant he was available to play for our war-time team.
In the early years of the War he was the most regular performer, playing week in, week out in whatever position needed filling, often full-back. However late in 1943 he was struck down by a serious leg disease. It forced him to retire in February 1944 and in later years, to have the lower parts of both legs amputated. Despite the disability, he remained in football for several years as a coach and manager with Clapton Orient, Chelmsford City and Chingford Town. One of the first footballers to be the subject of a ‘This is Your Life’ programme, Hall was never forgotten at White Hart Lane and for many years was vice-President of the Spurs Supporters’ Club.