joined Newcastle United. Initially, he enjoyed success at the club and steered the club to a pair of solid mid-table finishes, despite an ongoing power struggle between chairman William McKeag (who had installed Mitten and gave him full control over the team) and director and former manager Stan Seymour (who felt the board should be able to veto Mitten's tactics and team selections). Newcastle gained a reputation for free-scoring football under Mitten, but they also proved to be defensively frail, and they ultimately paid the price for this in 1961, when they were relegated after a season in which they scored 86 goals but conceded 109. Mitten was allowed to remain in charge and attempt to steer the club back into the First Division, but instead they found themselves fighting relegation to the Third Division, eventually resulting in Mitten's dismissal a few months into the season. While at Newcastle, he was also involved in the George Eastham affair, which involved another player who challenged the authorities on player's rights. Subsequent to this, he made a brief playing comeback, serving as player-manager at non-league Altrincham before retiring to the sport of greyhound racing, taking up the position of Assistant Racing Manager at White City Stadium in 1977. Personal and family Several of Mitten's brothers also played professional football, and many male members of his extended family, into the next generation or two, were at least semi-professional. Mitten died in January 2002, shortly before his 81st birthday. His nephew Albert Scanlon (1935–2009), signed for Manchester United soon after Mitten's departure in the early 1950s and remained with the club until 1960. He was a survivor of the Munich air disaster. His great-nephew, Andy Mitten, is a football journalist and has been an editor of the Manchester United fanzine United We Stand since the late 1980s, while another great nephew, Sam Mitten, is on the books at Stockport County. Career statistics References 1921 births 2002 deaths Sportspeople from Yangon Association football forwards English footballers English expatriate footballers Manchester United F.C. players Independiente Santa Fe footballers Fulham F.C. players Mansfield Town F.C. players English Football League players London XI players Southampton F.C. wartime guest players Categoría Primera A players Expatriate footballers in Colombia English expatriate sportspeople in Colombia English football managers Mansfield Town F.C. managers Newcastle United F.C. managers Altrincham F.C. managers People in greyhound racing FA Cup Final players Royal Air Force personnel