Everyone at Watford Football Club is saddened to learn of the passing of Cyril (Sammy) Chung, aged 90.
A pioneering presence in the English game, Sammy Chung was just the second Anglo-Chinese player (after Frank Soo) to appear in league football when he debuted for Reading in 1954.
He arrived at Vicarage Road via Norwich City in summer 1957, and went on to be an integral and versatile part of the team which won Watford’s first promotion in the 1959/60 season - appearing at left-half regularly alongside team-mate Vince McNeice, who also died recently.
Chung’s eight years with Watford were very successful and encompassed him playing in a variety of positions - most notably across the half-back line but also in attack as well when duty called.
By 1962, at the age of just 30 and testament to not only his playing versatility but his eye for the game in general, he’d been appointed player-coach by manager Bill McGarry, and the pair solidified their manager-trainer relationship after Chung’s final league football at Vicarage Road in 1965.
As assistant to McGarry, Chung helped guide Ipswich Town into the top-flight in 1967/68, a feat which earned the pair a move to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
UEFA Cup runners-up to Tottenham Hotspur in 1972, Wolves would lift the Football League Cup in 1974. Chung succeeded McGarry as manager in summer 1976 after the club’s relegation from Division One, and he oversaw an instant return with a Division Two title-winning campaign.
Chung’s coaching experiences included overseas roles in Sweden (in between the Ipswich and Wolves appointments), the UAE and Barbados - such was the reputation he’d established.
At one time profiled as the oldest manager in professional football when at Doncaster Rovers in the mid-1990s, Chung kept involved in the game long past official retirement age.
He died on Sunday at a nursing home in Shropshire, the family confirmed to Watford FC.
He’ll be best remembered by Watford supporters for his on-field dedication and skill across more than 240 appearances, the bulk of which in Football League Division Three after that historic first promotion in 1960.
A minute’s applause in memory of Chung, Tommy Carpenter and Vince McNeice will be held before kick-off for tonight’s Middlesbrough match (August 30, 8pm KO).
