Eric Fred Brook (27 November 1907 – 29 March 1965) was an English footballer who played in the outside left position. Brook was also an England international. He was a muscular player p231 with 'one of the fiercest shots in pre-war football' p25 and was a good penalty taker. p31 Brook is regarded as one of Manchester City's and England's greatest ever players. He has been described 'as a brilliant roving forward for Manchester City and England' p45 and 'one of the great names of British football'.
Early life Brook was born in the Yorkshire town of Mexborough in 1907. Brook began his football career, as an outside left, playing for local teams including Mexborough and Deame Valley Old Boys. p60 Brook signed for Wath Athletic, who played in the Midland Football League, in 1925.
Club career
Barnsley
Brook began his professional football career with nearby Barnsley in 1926. Brook has been described as an 'unorthodox' outside left 'with a licence to roam'. Brook treated the left wing as 'a home to look in on'. It was stated that Brook had a 'roving commission' and was 'often found in the centre of the field'. Brook would often take 'throw-ins on both sides of the field'. Brook could play anywhere on the pitch if the need required, including in goal. He replaced an injured goalkeeper on at least three occasions over the course of his career. p34 One such game in which he played in goal was when Manchester City played Arsenal in February 1938. The then City goalkeeper Frank Swift claimed that 'before helping to tuck the blankets over me (on the stretcher) Brookie had pulled my jersey off-about two sizes too big for him- and was ready to keep goal'. Brook played 78 times for Barnsley and scored 18 goals. He was part of the Barnsley team that were runner-ups in the Sheffield & Hallamshire County Cup in 1926–27. He quickly became an ever present in the Barnsley team and was described as a young and clever outside-left. In a 1-3 defeat to Fulham in September 1927, Brook was described as 'easily the pick of the Barnsley forwards'. His performances provoked interest from teams in the First Division. In 1927, he was linked with possible moves to Middlesbrough and Newcastle United.
Manchester City
In 1928 Brook and teammate Fred Tilson were transferred to Manchester City for a combined fee of £6,000. p40 Brook was described as 'on the small side' but 'a clever winger'. The pair made their debuts for City on 17 March in a 2–0 victory against Grimsby Town. 140. Brook and Tilson joined a strong forward line at the club that included three England internationals in Tommy Johnson, Billy Austin and Frank Roberts. The team also included the England international centre half Sam Cowan and the Scotland captain Jimmy McMullan. Brook scored his first goal for his new team in a 5–3 victory against Clapton Orient. Frank Roberts scored a hat trick in this game. In his first season for Manchester City, Brook played 12 times and scored two goals, helping the team to earn promotion to the First Division. City defeated already promoted Leeds United 1-0 in April 1928 to secure promotion. City then defeated Southampton 6-1 to take them to the top of the division.
In the 1928–29 football season Brook made 42 appearances and scored 14 times. His teammate, Tommy Johnson, scored a club record of 38 league goals that season. Brook scored once, and Johnson scored five times, in a 6–2 defeat of Everton in September that season. In the 1929–30 football season Brook helped Manchester City to third in the league. The City team had been strengthened by the acquisition of the outside right Ernie Toseland and the wing half Matt Busby. Brook scored a brace in a 6–1 victory against Liverpool in October that season. Brook also scored in a 10–1 victory against Swindon Town in the fourth round of the 1929–30 FA Cup. City were defeated 2-1 by Hull City in the subsequent round. In the 1930–31 football season City bought the prolific Scottish centre forward Dave Halliday from Arsenal as a replacement for Tommy Johnson. Despite this, Brook was the club's top scorer that season with 16 goals, and was also the club's top scorer in 1935–36. He often played in the centre forward position for his club, roaming the pitch, which later drew comparisons with Don Revie and Nándor Hidegkuti in this position. In the 1931–32 season the City team, which now included the Scottish centre forward Alec Herd, managed to reach the semi-final of the FA Cup but were defeated by Arsenal by 1–0 with a goal from Brook's England teammate Cliff Bastin. Brook had scored a brace in a 6–1 demolition of Brentford in the fourth round of that year's competition. Greater success for Manchester City in the FA Cup would follow in subsequent seasons.
FA Cup winners
Brook played in consecutive FA Cup finals in the mid-1930s, collecting a winners medal on the second occasion. In the 1933 FA Cup Final he was part of the Manchester City team that was defeated three goals to nil by Everton, who were captained by his England teammate Dixie Dean. The Everton team also included former City player Tommy Johnson. Brook was in fine form in that year's competition, scoring twice in a 2–0 victory against Walsall in the fourth round and a hat-trick against Bolton Wanderers in a 4–2 victory in the fifth round. Brook also set up Tilson, to score City's fourth goal in the game against Bolton. Following the game against Bolton, Brook was described as 'one of the most dangerous wingers in the country'. Another journalist stated that Brook's hat trick demonstrated that he was the 'live wire in present football'. In the semi-final against Derby County he set up two goals in a 3–2 victory. For the first goal, he 'beat international full-back Cooper and centred for right winger Toseland to score from close range'. p32 He then 'lobbed beautifully for Tilson to run between two defenders and head the second Brook was the first player to wear the number 12 shirt in an FA Cup final as Everton wore 1–11 and City wore 12–22. p66 One journalist contended that 'if Manchester City had had five Eric Brooks in the forward line there might have hem very different story to tell the in the final'. Brook's performances in 1933 led to him being described as 'probably the strongest outside left in contemporary play, for he is as hard as nails'. Brook contended that to succeed at outside left, a player should use 'plenty of tricks' and be 'cunning, deceptive, speedy and accurate'.
In the 1934 FA Cup Final Brook set up the winning goal, which was scored by his friend Fred Tilson, to earn City a 2–1 victory over Portsmouth. City had defeated Blackburn Rovers 3-1 in the third round of that years FA Cup with the 'penetrative raiding and deadly shooting' of Brook (who scored once) and Toseland (who scored twice) key to victory. City defeated Hull City, Sheffield Wednesday and Stoke City in subsequent rounds to reach the final. Brook scored a 'wonder goal' in front of a record crowd of 84,569 against Stoke City in the sixth round of that year's competition. According to Gary James, 'many fans from the 1930s claimed it was the greatest City goal ever scored at Maine Road'. Brook had made 'a speculative lob' from the wing, which seemed to change direction in mid-flight, which curled past Stoke goalkeeper Roy John. Some claimed that Brook's lob was a cross, but those who knew Brook said it was the type of unconventional thing he would try. The FA Cup winning City team included goalkeeper Frank Swift and left half Jackie Bray, who would both emulate Brook by going on to appear for England. Swift fainted from nervous exhaustion just before the City team were about to ascend the steps at Wembley to collect the trophy and their winners medals. Swift elicited no sympathy from Brook who reportedly ordered him to 'Get up! There's a hundred thousand people here, we've just won the cup and you're making us look fools'. Arsenal defeated City to win the 1934 FA Charity Shield.
In the 1934–35 football season Brook scored 17 goals and City finished fourth in the league, ten points behind champions Arsenal. Brook scored a late equaliser in a 1–1 draw with Arsenal in February that season. Billy Meredith stated that 'never has a goal at Maine-road been greeted with more enthusiasm than that which marked Eric Brook's equalising point ten minutes from the finish or a vigorous 1-1 game with the Arsenal'. In the following season, Brook was Manchester City's top scorer with 13 goals. In a 3-0 victory against Sheffield Wednesday in November that season, one journalist commented that 'Brook took on the role of roving forward with a demoralising effect on the Wednesday defence'. Matt Busby and Sam Cowan had left the City team in this season but Sam Barkas had been brought in from Bradford City. City's forwards had had an unsuccessful season and the team finished ninth in the league. Peter Doherty was bought from Blackpool to address the lack of goals, for a then-club record of £10,000. Doherty had an immediate impact on the team. Doherty scored two goals and Brook scored a hat-trick as City defeated Bolton Wanderers 7–0 in March of that season.
League champions and relegation
In the 1936–37 football season Brook was an ever-present in the first Manchester City side to win the League Championship. Brook scored City's only goal in a 1–1 draw with Huddersfield Town in November that season. One journalist stated that Brook 'gave a wonderful exhibition' in the game 'hitting the moving ball with uncanny precision across the Town goal' and that 'no winger makes his centres so quickly, and no winger roams so much and to such good purport'. City went on an unbeaten run after Christmas, winning 14 times and drawing 6 games. Brook scored a hat-trick in a 5–0 victory against Liverpool in March that season (with Herd and Doherty scoring City's other goals). The championship was won at Maine Road with a 4–1 victory over Sheffield Wednesday. Brook scored the first of his two goals in this game with a 'sizzling drive' which was described by one report as 'not so much a goal as a piece of forked lightning'. p36 Brook scored 20 goals in this season and was the club's second highest scorer behind Peter Doherty who scored 30. City's four pronged attack of Brook, Doherty, Herd and Tilson clocked up 80 goals between them that season. p112 Brook was the highest scoring winger in the league that season. City defeated Sunderland 2–0 in the 1937 FA Charity Shield. In May 1937, Manchester City played a German XI and were defeated 3–2, with Brook scoring one of City's goals. Brook was described as having had a 'splendid game, roving all over the field'.