Revie: Portrait of a Footballing Enigma author Andrew Mourant states Smith's influence on Revie: "He drummed into the young, receptive Revie four principles: when not in position, get into position; never beat a man by dribbling if you can beat him more easily with a pass; it is not the man on the ball but the one running into position to take the pass who constitutes the danger; and the aim is to have a man spare in a passing move. Soccer would then become easy." During his final season with the club Leicester reached the 1949 FA Cup final in which Revie missed out on through illness. He was many fans' choice to replace Revie for the final, but this would mean a tactical shift and the moving of star striker Jack Lee to facilitate Smith's inclusion so never happened. He helped aid Johnny Duncan's tactical preparations instead. Smith would end his career on the final fixture of the 1948–49 season, in which Leicester staved off relegation to the Third Division with a dramatic 1–1 draw with Cardiff City (there are still suggestions that the game may have been fixed). Smith retired from the game at the age of 37 after 20 years in the Leicester team. He stayed on as a coach at Leicester, however after Johnny Duncan resigned a few weeks later, Smith's ties with the club were cruelly severed under Duncan's replacement Norman Bullock International career Despite being called up to the national squad on several occasions, Smith played only once for England against Ireland in Belfast in 1935. In the same year, he played in the Jubilee International against Scotland and also for the Football League against the Scottish League. Death Smith died on 28 July 2006 at the age of 94. A minute's silence was held in his honour at Leicester's Championship game with Burnley the Tuesday after his death. At the time of his death, he was the oldest surviving former England international, and the last surviving pre-World War II international. See also One-club men References External links Player profiles 1912 births 2006 deaths Leicester City F.C. players England international footballers People from Whitburn, Tyne and Wear Footballers from Tyne and Wear English footballers English Football League players English Football League representative players Association football wing halves Sep