Jackie Blanchflower - Personal Life

Personal Life

The callous attitude of Manchester United towards Blanchflower after injury forced the end of his playing career was revealed by journalist David Conn in a 2000 article in The Independent:

Jackie Blanchflower, who like most of the players, lived in a house owned by the club, had to vacate it. "It was made pretty clear we had to leave," says Jean, his wife. "United were very cold, very harsh, after the crash." By January 1959, Blanchflower was on the dole. Louis Edwards offered him a job in his meat factory, loading pies on to lorries, but he declined, working in a succession of jobs until he later had some success as an after-dinner speaker.

He and Jean married in 1956

After retiring from football, Jackie Blanchflower tried various jobs in the Manchester area, but misfortune dogged him:

• He ran a sweets and newspaper shop: a supermarket opened round the corner.
• He worked for a bookmaker: a hard winter with the land under snow for several weeks hit horse racing so hard that he lost the job.
• He took on a pub: two weeks later the breathalyser was introduced.
• He became a printer: he was made redundant in 1976.

He eventually pursued studies in finance and began a career as an accountant. He later became an after-dinner speaker and was a regular on the after-dinner circuits until his death from cancer on 2 September 1998. He was 65 years old.

He is survived by his three children; John senior (born 1961), Helen (born 1964) and Andrew (born 1966). He had been a widower since the death of his wife Jean in 1990.