George Henry Poyser (6 February 1910 – 30 January 1995) was an English

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

player and

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

. A defender, he enjoyed a lengthy playing career, the tail end of which was interrupted by

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. He played for

Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...

Stourbridge Stourbridge is a market town in the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley in the West Midlands, England, situated on the River Stour. Historically in Worcestershire, it was the centre of British glass making during the Industrial Revolution. The 20 ...

Mansfield Town Mansfield Town Football Club is a professional football club based in the town of Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, England. The team competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Nicknamed 'The Stags', they play in a blue and ...

Port Vale Port Vale Football Club are a professional football club based in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, England, which compete in . Vale are the only English Football League club not to be named after a place; their name being a reference to the valley o ...

Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings whi ...

, and

Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the team are competing in League One, the third tier of English football. They have played at Home Park, ...

. He helped Brentford to win the

Second Division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...

title in 1934–35. He became a

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

and manager after the war, taking charge of

Dover Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...

Notts County Notts County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Nottingham, England. The team participate in the National League (division), National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Founded on the 2 ...

and

Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...

. He took County into the quarter-finals of the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

, though he was better equipped as a

scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement **Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom **Scouts BSA, sectio ...

than as a manager.

Playing career

Poyser played as a defender, and was a strong left-back. Playing for Teversal Colliery, he had an unsuccessful trial at

, before moving on to Stanton Hill Victoria. He enjoyed spells at

and

, before signing with Mansfield Town. He was part of the Mansfield team when they were elected to

the Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

in 1931. In May 1931, he joined

of the

. His debut came on 2 January 1932, in a 2–0 win over

The Old Recreation Ground The Old Recreation Ground was a football stadium located in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent, England, and home to Port Vale F.C. from 1913 to 1950. It was the sixth ground the club used. Structure and facilities The stadium was in rather bad conditio ...

. However, he totalled just six appearances for the "Valiants" in the 1931–32 campaign. He featured 28 times in the 1932–33 season, before establishing himself in the first team with 39 appearances in the 1933–34 campaign. He made 72 league appearances for Port Vale. In June 1934 he

transfer Transfer may refer to: Arts and media * ''Transfer'' (2010 film), a German science-fiction movie directed by Damir Lukacevic and starring Zana Marjanović * ''Transfer'' (1966 film), a short film * ''Transfer'' (journal), in management studies ...

red to

for a fee of £1,550, a club record. In his first season at Brentford, the club won the Second Division championship. The "Bees" finished fifth in the First Division in 1935–36, sixth in 1936–37 and 1937–38, and then 18th in 1938–39. He remained at

Griffin Park Griffin Park was a football ground in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow, England. It was the home ground of Brentford F.C. from its opening in September 1904 to August 2020. The ground is in a predominantly residential area and was ...

for a decade, making 157 appearances, though like many players of his era, the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

shortened his career, though he represented Brentford in the non-competitive wartime competitions. The 36-year-old Poyser joined Plymouth Argyle for a £3,500 fee late in the 1945–46 season, making three Football League South appearances and a further three Second Division appearances. He left

Home Park Home Park is a football stadium in Plymouth, England. The ground has been the home of Football League One club Plymouth Argyle since 1901.

at the end of the 1946–47 season.

Managerial career

Poyser first turned to management with

. He then returned to his old professional clubs in a

ing capacity, becoming the assistant trainer at Brentford and a coach at Wolverhampton Wanderers. His management career gained more recognition at

, whom he managed between October 1953 and January 1957, reaching the

quarter-finals in

1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...

. Former Notts County winger Gordon Wills regards Poyser as the best

he played for. The "Magpies" struggled in the lower half of the Second Division during his four seasons at

Meadow Lane Meadow Lane Stadium is a football stadium in Nottingham, England. It is the home ground of Notts County, who have played there since it opened in 1910. The stadium was also home to Notts County Ladies F.C. from 2014 until 2017. It currently h ...

, though they did reach seventh in the 1954–55 season. In January 1957 Poyser joined

as assistant to

Les McDowall Les McDowall (25 October 1912 – 18 August 1991) was a Scottish football player and manager. He managed Manchester City between 1950 and 1963, and then Oldham Athletic until 1965. McDowall was the longest serving manager in Manchester City's h ...

, with a reputation for being a talented

. Manchester City were

relegated In sports leagues, promotion and relegation is a process where teams are transferred between multiple divisions based on their performance for the completed season. Leagues that use promotion and relegation systems are often called open leagues. ...

to the Second Division in 1963, and McDowall left the club. On 12 July 1963, Poyser was appointed as his replacement. p247-248 He made three key signings in

Derek Kevan Derek Tennyson Kevan (6 March 1935 – 4 January 2013) was an English footballer. He spent the majority of his club career playing as a centre-forward for West Bromwich Albion, where he earned the nickname "The Tank". In 1961–62 he was j ...

, Jimmy Murray, and

Johnny Crossan John Andrew Crossan (born 29 November 1938) is a Northern Irish author, radio sports analyst, entrepreneur, and former footballer. His brother Eddie was also a player. Club career Crossan began his career playing for Derry City, where he playe ...

, whilst promoting home-grown talent in

Alan Oakes Alan Arthur Oakes (born 7 September 1942) is an English former footballer who holds Manchester City's all-time record for appearances. A midfielder, in total he played 776 the Football League matches – the tenth most in history. He is a co ...

and

Glyn Pardoe Glyn Pardoe (1 June 1946 – 26 May 2020) was an English footballer who played for Manchester City between 1962 and 1974. He made his first-team debut against Birmingham City in April 1962. At nearly 16 years of age he became Manchester City's y ...

– both of whom went on to build long careers at the club. In his first season, the club reached the

League Cup In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...

semi-finals, but were well short of promotion in the league, finishing sixth. His second season proved disappointing, and in January 1965 the club reached a low point with their lowest ever league attendance of 8,015 against

Swindon Town Swindon Town Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club has played home matches at ...

. Poyser himself was not at the stadium, as he had elected to perform a scouting mission instead. At Easter Poyser was sacked, and the club finished the season in their then lowest ever position of 11th in the Second Division. His replacement,

Joe Mercer Joseph Mercer, OBE (9 August 1914 – 9 August 1990) was an English football player and manager. Mercer, who played as a defender for Everton and Arsenal in his footballing career, also went on to manage Aston Villa, Manchester City and Engl ...

, went on to great success at

Maine Road Maine Road was a football stadium in Moss Side, Manchester, England, that was home to Manchester City F.C. from 1923 to 2003. It hosted FA Cup semi-finals, the Charity Shield, a League Cup final and England matches. Maine Road's highest atte ...

Career statistics

Managerial statistics

Honours

Brentford *

Football League Second Division The Football League Second Division was the second level division in the English football league system between 1892 and 1992. Following the foundation of the FA Premier League, the Football League divisions were renumbered and the third ti ...

: 1934–35 * London War Cup: 1941–42 Individual * Brentford Hall of Fame

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Poyser, George 1910 births 1995 deaths People from Stanton Hill Footballers from Nottinghamshire English men's footballers Men's association football defenders Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. players Stourbridge F.C. players Mansfield Town F.C. players Port Vale F.C. players Brentford F.C. players Plymouth Argyle F.C. players Dover F.C. players English Football League players English football managers Dover F.C. managers Notts County F.C. managers Manchester City F.C. managers English Football League managers Association football coaches Association football scouts