Joe Mercer facts for kids
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Joe Mercer Memorial outside the City of Manchester Stadium
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Joseph Mercer | ||
| Date of birth | 9 August 1914 | ||
| Place of birth | Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, England | ||
| Date of death | 9 August 1990 (aged 76) | ||
| Place of death | England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in | ||
| Playing position | Left half | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Ellesmere Port Town | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps† | (Gls)† |
| 1932–1946 | Everton | 186 | (2) |
| 1946–1955 | Arsenal | 247 | (2) |
| Total | 433 | (4) | |
| National team | |||
| 1938–1939 | England | 5 | (0) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1955–1958 | Sheffield United | ||
| 1958–1964 | Aston Villa | ||
| 1965–1971 | Manchester City | ||
| 1972–1974 | Coventry City | ||
| 1974 | England (caretaker) | ||
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Joseph Mercer OBE (born 9 August 1914 – died 9 August 1990) was a famous English football player and manager. He played as a defender for big clubs like Everton and Arsenal. After his playing days, he became a manager for teams such as Aston Villa and Manchester City. He even briefly managed the England national football team.
Contents
Playing Football: Joe's Early Career
Joe Mercer was born in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire. His father was also a footballer who played for Nottingham Forest. Sadly, Joe's father passed away when Joe was only 12 years old due to health issues from the Great War.
Joe played as a "left-half," which is a type of midfielder. He was known for being a strong tackler and good at guessing what his opponents would do. He started his career at Ellesmere Port Town.
In September 1932, when he was 18, Joe joined Everton. By the 1935–36 season, he was a regular player. He played 186 games for Everton and scored two goals. He helped Everton win the League championship in the 1938–39 season. During his time at Everton, he also played five games for the England national team.
World War II and Moving to Arsenal
Like many footballers of his time, Joe Mercer's career was interrupted by the Second World War. He missed seven seasons of professional football. During the war, he became a sergeant-major and played in 26 wartime international matches, often as captain.
After the war, in late 1946, Joe moved to Arsenal for £9,000. He made his first appearance for Arsenal on 30 November 1946. Soon after joining, he became the club captain. As captain, he led Arsenal to great success in the late 1940s and early 1950s. He helped them win the League championship in the 1947–48 season.
Winning Trophies and Retirement
Joe Mercer continued to achieve success with Arsenal. He won the FA Cup in 1950. In the same year, he was voted the FWA Footballer of the Year, which is a big award for the best player.
He led Arsenal to the FA Cup final in 1952, but they lost to Newcastle United. The next year, they bounced back and won his third League title in the 1952–53 season.
Joe first thought about retiring in May 1953, but he decided to play one more season. On 10 April 1954, he broke his leg in two places during a game against Liverpool. This serious injury led him to finally end his playing career the following year. Joe played 275 games for Arsenal in total, scoring two goals.
Becoming a Manager: New Challenges
After retiring as a player, Joe Mercer worked as a journalist and ran a grocery business for a short time. But he soon returned to football.
On 18 August 1955, he became the manager of Sheffield United. His first season as a manager was tough, and the team was relegated to a lower division. He spent the rest of his time there in the Second Division.
In December 1958, Joe moved to manage Aston Villa. They were at the bottom of the First Division. Even though he led them to the FA Cup semi-finals, the team was relegated again. He built a talented young team at Villa, and they were known as the "Mercer Minors." He led Villa to win the first-ever League Cup in 1961. However, he had a stroke in 1964 and was later let go by the club.
Great Success with Manchester City
Despite his health setback, Joe Mercer recovered and went on to have huge success as manager of Manchester City from 1965 to 1971.
In his first season at Manchester City, the club won the 1966 Second Division title. This brought them back to the top league. Two seasons later, Joe led Manchester City to win the First Division championship in 1967–68. He then guided them to win the FA Cup in 1969, the League Cup in 1970, and the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1970.
During the 1970–71 season, Joe had a disagreement with his assistant, Malcolm Allison. This happened during a time when Manchester City was going through changes in its ownership. Joe supported the existing club leaders, while Allison supported a new group. The new group took over, and Joe felt pushed aside. He then moved to a general manager role in October 1971, with Allison becoming the team manager.
Final Managerial Roles and England
Joe Mercer left Manchester City at the end of that season. He then became the manager of Coventry City, from 1972 to 1974.
During this time, Joe also briefly became the caretaker manager for the England national football team in 1974. This was after Sir Alf Ramsey resigned. Under Joe's leadership, England won the 1974 British Home Championship title, which they shared with Scotland. He was in charge for seven games, winning three of them.
Later Life and Legacy
After leaving Coventry City, Joe Mercer served as a director for the club until he retired in 1981.
He was honored with an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) award in 1976 for his contributions to football. Later in life, he suffered from Alzheimer's disease. He passed away on his 76th birthday in 1990.
Joe Mercer is still remembered by his old club, Manchester City. A road near the City of Manchester Stadium is named Joe Mercer Way. There are also two mosaics by artist Mark Kennedy on this road that show Joe. One shows him smiling and holding the League Championship trophy. The other shows him looking out over the old Maine Road pitch. His impact on the club is even remembered in a song sung by fans at the stadium.
A special area at Manchester City's old stadium, Maine Road, was named the Joe Mercer Suite in 1993. There is also a similar facility named after him at Goodison, Everton's stadium. In 1993, a book about his life, Football with a Smile, was written by Gary James.
In 2009, Joe Mercer was added to the English Football Hall of Fame at the National Football Museum. He was recognized for his amazing success as a manager.
Honours
As a player
Everton
- Football League First Division: 1938–39
Arsenal
- Football League First Division: 1947–48, 1952–53
- FA Cup: 1949–50; runner-up: 1951–52
- FA Charity Shield: 1948, 1953
As a manager
Aston Villa
- Football League Second Division: 1959–60
- Football League Cup: 1960–61
Manchester City
- Football League First Division: 1967–68
- Football League Second Division: 1965–66
- FA Cup: 1968–69
- Football League Cup: 1969–70
- FA Charity Shield: 1968
- European Cup Winners' Cup: 1969–70
England
- British Home Championship: 1973–74 (shared)
Individual
- English Football Hall of Fame: 2009
- FWA Footballer of the Year: 1949–50
Managerial Statistics
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| Sheffield United |  |
August 1955 | December 1958 | 156 | 64 | 35 | 57 | 41.0 |
| Aston Villa | |
December 1958 | July 1964 | 282 | 120 | 63 | 99 | 42.6 |
| Manchester City | |
July 1965 | October 1971 | 292 | 124 | 82 | 86 | 42.5 |
| Coventry City | |
June 1972 | May 1974 | 90 | 29 | 22 | 39 | 32.2 |
| England (caretaker) | |
May 1974 | June 1974 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 42.9 |
See also
- List of English football championship winning managers
