| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | John William Madden | ||
| Date of birth | 11 June 1865 | ||
| Place of birth | Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 17 April 1948 (aged 82) | ||
| Place of death | Prague, Czechoslovakia | ||
| Playing position | Winger | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1887–1888 | Gainsborough Trinity | ||
| – | Celtic | ||
| National team | |||
| 1893–1895 | Scotland | 2 | (5) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1905–1930 | Slavia Prague | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals). |
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John William "Jake" Madden (11 June 1865–17 April 1948) was a Scottish footballer who played for Celtic and the Scotland national team.
He was capped twice by Scotland in 1893 and in 1895, both against Wales. He scored four times in an 8–0 win over Wales in March 1893.
He played for Gainsborough Trinity, Celtic and Scotland.
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John Madden was the first man to ever lead a Celtic forward line. He used to be a riveter in the Glasgow shipyards. An accomplished player, the Dumbarton centre-forward was keenly pursued by Celtic officials who were eager to have this fine attacker in their lineup. Madden was convinced to turn out for the Bhoys in their inaugural match—a 5–1 home defeat of Rangers Swifts—but then returned to Dumbarton. The pull of the ambitious new club proved too much though and Madden joined the Celts again in August 1889. An entertaining player to watch, Madden was skillful and strong and possessed a powerful shot. He loved to trick opponents with dummies and clever flicks. He was also a hard worker and this priceless combination of attributes made him a sought-after player among the professional clubs in England. So much so that to ensure he remained north of the border he was among the highest-earning players at the supposedly amateur Celtic. Madden won championship medals in 1892 and 1893 with Celtic and he scored a total of 49 goals in 118 appearances. A fine servant to the Bhoys, he eventually joined Dundee in 1897 after a brief retirement. Madden later went on to play for Tottenham Hotspur and coach Slavia Prague. He played for Scotland twice and scored five goals, four of them in one game vs Wales. The other game was also vs Wales and he scored in that also.
One of the most interesting yet hardly known characters from Celtic's history, Johnny Madden is a legend in what is now the Czech Republic.
Went on Celtic's tour of Czechoslovakia, and took up the Slavia Prague manager's post on 15 February 1905. His reign is seen as the great era for Slavia, having started when he took over and brought over new tactics and views on football from Scotland.
He was one of the first Scottish players to work as a coach on the European continent, and was said to be a disciplinarian who stopped players smoking and drinking before and after matches, while pushing them to train with gymnastic and athletic exercises—some things that obviously would not have gone down well with many Celtic players from over the years.
He managed to set up an early golden age for the club for a long 25 years, where under Madden, Slavia won an incredible 134 domestic matches from a possible 169, and 304 internationals from 429 between the years 1905 and 1930.
Madden was the first real Slavia manager, where before him there was only team captains who had something like managers' rights.
He won a local cup four times between 1908 and 1912, and more importantly he won the Czechoslovakian league title in 1925, 1929 and 1930. In 1930 he coached the Slavia Prague team in the Coupe Des Nations which was a counterweight tournament held in Switzerland to the World Cup in Uruguay, and got them to the final where alas they lost.
In June 1930 Madden retired from Slavia and professional football at the age of 66, though he remained in Prague for the rest of his life.
Amazingly, he was still coaching teams from his wheelchair at 73.
He remains a hero in Prague, where he stayed until his death having married a local lady.
After his death, a statue of him was erected in Prague. Slavia's subsequent history was blighted by the tendency of the Communist state to use clubs as political pawns, by name changes and stadium switches. Often the priority has been to preserve their identity, but Madden's name lives on.
He is probably most famous for his success as the Slavia Prague coach.
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | March 18, 1893 | The Racecourse, Wrexham | Wales | 1-0 | 8-0 | BHC |
| 2 | March 18, 1893 | The Racecourse, Wrexham | Wales | 2-0 | 8-0 | BHC |
| 3 | March 18, 1893 | The Racecourse, Wrexham | Wales | 6-0 | 8-0 | BHC |
| 4 | March 18, 1893 | The Racecourse, Wrexham | Wales | 8-0 | 8-0 | BHC |
| 5 | March 23, 1895 | The Racecourse, Wrexham | Wales | 1-1 | 2-2 | BHC |
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