Joseph Mercer (9 August 1914 – 9 August 1990) was an English
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...
and manager. Mercer, who played as a
defender for
Everton and
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
in his footballing career, also went on to manage
Aston Villa
Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...
and
Manchester City
Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
, and was the caretaker manager of the
England national football team
The England national football team have represented England in international Association football, football since the first international match in 1872. It is controlled by the Football Association (FA), the governing body for football in Eng ...
.
Playing career
Mercer was born in
Ellesmere Port
Ellesmere Port ( ) is a port town in the Cheshire West and Chester borough in Cheshire, England. Ellesmere Port is on the south-eastern edge of the Wirral Peninsula, north of Chester, on the bank of the Manchester Ship Canal. In the 2021 Unite ...
,
Cheshire
Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...
, the son of a former
Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest Football Club is a professional association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football.
Founde ...
and
Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers Football Club are a professional association football club based in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The team competes in , the fourth level of the English football league system.
Founded in 1884 as Belmont Football Club, they ...
footballer, also named
Joe. His father died following health problems resulting from a gas attack during the
Great War
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, when Mercer was only 12.
Mercer, a left-half, first played for
Ellesmere Port Town. He was a powerful tackler and good at anticipating an opponent's moves. He joined
Everton in September 1932 at the age of 18 and claimed a regular first team place in the 1935–36 season. Mercer made 186 appearances for Everton, scoring two goals and a winning a
League championship medal in the 1938–39 season. While playing for Everton, he gained five
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
caps between 1938 and 1939.
Like many players of his generation, Mercer lost out on seven seasons of football due to the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. He became a sergeant-major and played in 26 wartime internationals, many of them as captain. The Everton manager
Theo Kelly
Louis Alford Theodore Kelly (17 January 1896 – 30 April 1964) was manager of Everton Football Club from 1939 to 1948.
Biography
Kelly was born in Liverpool on 17 January 1896. His father, Louis Theophilus Kelly, was Manx. His mother, Lilian ...
accused Mercer of not trying in an international against
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
, but in reality, Mercer had sustained a severe cartilage injury. Even after consulting an orthopaedic specialist, the Everton management refused to believe him and Mercer had to pay for the surgery himself. During the war, Mercer guested for
Chester City, making his debut in a 4–1 win over
Halifax Town
FC Halifax Town is a professional association football club based in Halifax, West Yorkshire, England. They currently compete in the National League, the fifth level of English football league system.
They replaced Halifax Town, who went i ...
in September 1942.
Mercer moved in late 1946 for £9,000 (''2022: £471,362'') to
Arsenal
An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...
, commuting from
Liverpool
Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
; Kelly brought Mercer's boots to the transfer negotiations to prevent Mercer having a reason to go back to say goodbye to the other players at Everton. He made his Arsenal debut against
Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers Football Club ( ) is a professional association football, football club based in Horwich, Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in EFL League One, League One, the third level of the Englis ...
on 30 November 1946 and soon after joining Arsenal, Mercer became club captain. As captain, he led Arsenal through their period of success in the late 1940s and early 1950s, helping to haul his side from the lower end of the table to win a League championship title in the
1947–48 season.
Mercer went on to win an
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
winner's medal in 1950 and was voted
FWA Footballer of the Year
The Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year (often called the FWA Footballer of the Year, or in England simply the Footballer of the Year) is an annual award given to the player who is adjudged to have been the best of the season in ...
the same year. He led Arsenal to the
Cup final in 1952, which they lost 1–0 to
Newcastle United
Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...
. The following year, they bounced back to win his third League title with Arsenal winning the
1952–53 League championship on
goal average
A goal or objective is an idea of the future or desired result that a person or a group of people envision, plan, and commit to achieve. People endeavour to reach goals within a finite time by setting deadlines.
A goal is roughly similar to ...
. Mercer initially decided to retire in May 1953, but soon recanted and returned to Arsenal for the
1953–54 season. On 10 April 1954, he broke his leg in two places after a collision with teammate
Joe Wade in a match against
Liverpool
Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
, and finally called time on his footballing career the year after. Mercer played 275 times for Arsenal in all, scoring two goals.
Managerial career
After his playing career ended, Mercer spent a little over a year working as a journalist and a grocer. His wife's family had encouraged him to become involved in grocery during his time at Everton and, while still Arsenal's captain, he ran his grocery business from 105 to 107 Brighton Street,
Wallasey
Wallasey () is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England. It is at the mouth of the River Mersey, on the north-eastern corner of the Wirral Peninsula. It lies within the Historic counties of England, historic county bou ...
.
On 18 August 1955, he returned to football, becoming manager of
Sheffield United
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The club competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football. They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history ...
two days before their first game of the season against
Newcastle United
Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football league system, English football. Since th ...
. Mercer was appointed to replace manager
Reg Freeman
Reginald Fidelas Vincent Freeman (20 December 1893 – 4 August 1955) was an English football player and manager.
Career Player
Freeman played 104 times for Oldham Athletic, making his debut in January 1921 against Bolton Wanderers. Freeman j ...
who had died during the close season. As a manager, he began inauspiciously and his first season ended in relegation.
The rest of his time as manager was spent in 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 ...
and in December 1958, wanting to move to another club, he resigned and moved to
Aston Villa
Aston Villa Football Club (commonly referred to as simply Villa) is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club, founded in 1874, compete in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The team have p ...
who were bottom of the
First Division 1st Division or First Division may refer to:
Military
Airborne divisions
*1st Parachute Division (Germany)
*1st Airborne Division (United Kingdom)
* 1st Airmobile Division (Ukraine)
* 1st Guards Airborne Division
Armoured divisions
*1st Armoure ...
. Although he led them to the FA Cup semi-finals, he was relegated to the Second Division once again. He moulded a talented young side at Villa and his team became known as the "Mercer Minors". He led Villa to victory in the inaugural
League Cup in 1961, but suffered a
stroke
Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...
in 1964 and was then sacked by the Aston Villa board upon his recovery.
Despite this, his health improved and he went on to enjoy great success as a manager with
Manchester City
Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...
between 1965 and 1971. In his first season at
Maine Road
Maine Road was a football stadium in Moss Side, Manchester, England, that was home to Manchester City from 1923 to 2003. It hosted FA Cup semi-finals, the Charity Shield, a League Cup final and England matches. Maine Road's highest attenda ...
, the club won the 1966 Second Division title to regain top-flight status. Two seasons later, Mercer led Manchester City to the
1967–68 First Division championship, and went on to win the
1969 FA Cup, the
1970 League Cup, and the
1970 European Cup Winners' Cup.
In the 1970–71 season, Mercer had a dispute with his assistant
Malcolm Allison
Malcolm Alexander Allison (5 September 1927 – 14 October 2010) was an English football player and manager. Nicknamed "Big Mal", he was one of English football's most flamboyant and intriguing characters because of his panache, fedora a ...
, after the two men became embroiled in Manchester City's takeover battle. Mercer supported the existing board, led by the respected
Albert Alexander Sr.
Albert Edward Burns Alexander Sr. (21 Sep 1867 - 14 Oct 1953) was a figure in early 20th century England, English football (soccer), football who held a number of roles at Manchester City F.C., Manchester City.
Biography
Born in Hulme, Alexande ...
, while Allison supported the rival group led by
Peter Swales
Peter Swales (25 December 1932 – 2 May 1996) was a businessman who served as the chairman of Manchester City F.C. from 1973 until 1993. He held a variety of prominent positions within the game of football, including chairman of The Football ...
after being promised that he would be manager in his own right.
The takeover succeeded, and Mercer was shocked to discover that his car parking space and office were removed. This led to Mercer moving upstairs to become general manager at Manchester City in October 1971, with Allison taking over as team manager. Mercer left Manchester City at the end of the season and became manager of
Coventry City
Coventry City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Coventry, West Midlands. The club plays in the EFL Championship, the second tier of English football. The club is nicknamed The Sky Blues after the sky blue colou ...
, whom he managed from 1972 to 1974. During the same time, Mercer was also
caretaker manager
In association footballing terms, a caretaker manager or interim manager is somebody who takes temporary charge of the management of a football team, usually when the regular manager is dismissed or leaves for a different club. However, a caret ...
of the
England national football team
The England national football team have represented England in international Association football, football since the first international match in 1872. It is controlled by the Football Association (FA), the governing body for football in Eng ...
for a brief period in 1974 after
Sir Alf Ramsey
Sir Alfred Ernest Ramsey (22 January 1920 – 28 April 1999) was an English football player and manager. As a player, he represented the England national team and captained the side, but he is best known for his time as England manager f ...
's resignation. During his time in charge, England shared the
1974 British Home Championship
Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...
title with
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
. In total, Mercer was in charge for seven games, winning three of them, drawing another three and losing one. The
FA was so impressed by these performances that questions arose about the possibility of Mercer taking the job on a longer-term basis, with, as an assistant, his Coventry City protege
Gordon Milne
Gordon Milne (born 29 March 1937) is an English former football player and manager.
Personal life
Gordon Milne was born in Preston, Lancashire, England and is the son of the Scottish former Preston player Jimmy Milne and Jesse Milne.
Club car ...
. Mercer, too, seemed open to persuasion but the FA was working on another plan, putting out feelers to the most successful English club manager available,
Leeds United
Leeds United Football Club is a professional football club based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The team compete in the Premier League, the top tier of the English football league system.
Leeds United have won the League Championship th ...
's
Don Revie
Donald George Revie (10 July 1927 – 26 May 1989) was an English footballer and manager. He is best known for managing Leeds United from 1961 until 1974, winning the Football League First Division twice and the FA Cup once, before being the Eng ...
.
Later life
After quitting as Coventry City boss, he served as a director of the club from 1975 to his retirement in 1981. He was also an active
freemason
Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...
attending Rivacre Lodge No. 5805 at
Ellesmere Port
Ellesmere Port ( ) is a port town in the Cheshire West and Chester borough in Cheshire, England. Ellesmere Port is on the south-eastern edge of the Wirral Peninsula, north of Chester, on the bank of the Manchester Ship Canal. In the 2021 Unite ...
.
Mercer was a subject of the television programme ''
This Is Your Life'' in March 1970, when he was surprised by
Eamonn Andrews
Eamonn Andrews, (19 December 1922 – 5 November 1987) was an Irish radio and television presenter, employed primarily in the United Kingdom from the 1950s to the 1980s. From 1960 to 1964 he chaired the Radio Éireann Authority (now the RTÉ ...
. He was made an Officer of the
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
for services to football in 1976. He suffered with Alzheimer's disease in later life and died, sitting in his favourite armchair, on his
76th birthday in 1990. He was survived by his widow Norah, who remained a keen football follower, and attended Manchester City matches to support City for many years. She died in March 2013 and her funeral was attended by 120-plus mourners, including City legends
Mike Summerbee
Michael George Summerbee (born 15 December 1942) is an English former association football, footballer, who played as a Forward (association football), forward in the successful Manchester City F.C., Manchester City side of the late 1960s and ...
,
Tony Book
Anthony Keith Book (4 September 1934 – 13 January 2025) was an English football player and coach who played as a right-back. Book spent a large part of his career in Non-League football with his home town club Bath City as well as other loca ...
,
Colin Bell Colin Bell may refer to:
* Colin Bell (academic) (1942–2003), English academic
* Colin Bell (footballer, born 1946) (1946–2021), English international footballer
* Colin Bell (footballer, born 1961), English football coach
* Colin Bell (journal ...
and
Joe Corrigan
Joseph Thomas Corrigan (born 18 November 1948) is an English former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper in the Football League for Manchester City, Brighton & Hove Albion, Norwich City and Stoke City as well as the England nati ...
, as well as
Bobby Charlton
Sir Robert Charlton (11 October 1937 – 21 October 2023) was an English professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder, left winger or centre-forward. Widely considered one of the greatest players of all time, he was a member ...
.
He is commemorated by his old club Manchester City with the road Joe Mercer Way at the
City of Manchester Stadium
The City of Manchester Stadium, currently known as Etihad Stadium for sponsorship reasons, and commonly shortened as The Etihad, is the home of Premier League club Manchester City F.C., Manchester City, with a domestic football capacity of 53, ...
being named after him. On the road, there are two mosaics by renowned Manchester artist Mark Kennedy of Mercer; one shows his smiling face lifting the League Championship trophy; the other is a version of a famous photograph showing the back of him as he looks out over the
Maine Road
Maine Road was a football stadium in Moss Side, Manchester, England, that was home to Manchester City from 1923 to 2003. It hosted FA Cup semi-finals, the Charity Shield, a League Cup final and England matches. Maine Road's highest attenda ...
pitch towards the Kippax Stand. His contribution to City was commemorated in the Kippax tribute still sung at the City of Manchester Stadium to the tune of
Auld Lang Syne
"Auld Lang Syne" () is a Scottish song. In the English-speaking world, it is traditionally sung to bid farewell to the old year at the stroke of midnight on Hogmanay/New Year's Eve. It is also often heard at funerals, graduations, and as a far ...
: "The Stretford End cried out aloud: 'It's the end of you Sky Blues.' Joe Mercer came. We played the game. We went to
Rotherham United
Rotherham United Football Club, nicknamed The Millers, is a professional association football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England. The team plays in EFL League One, the third tier of English football, after suffering relegation fr ...
, we won 1–0 and we were back into Division One. We've won the League, we've won the Cup, we've been to Europe too. And when we win the League again we'll sing this song to you: City, City, City."
At Maine Road, a corporate suite, the Joe Mercer Suite, was officially opened by his widow Norah in 1993. A similar facility named after him exists at
Goodison Goodison is a metronymic surname, from the old English personal name Godgifu (God's gift), later simply "Goody". Goodisson is a similar surname. Notable holders of this surname include:
* Sir Alan Goodison (1926–2006), British diplomat, succeeded ...
. In 1993, Mercer's official biography, ''Football with a Smile'', was written by Gary James. This book sold out within six months and was revised and re-published early in 2010. Mercer is also featured upon the mural that surrounds the
Emirates Stadium
The Emirates Stadium (known as Arsenal Stadium for UEFA competitions) is a association football, football stadium in Holloway, London, England. It has been the home stadium of Arsenal F.C., Arsenal Football Club since its completion in 2006. ...
.
Mercer was inducted into the
English Football Hall of Fame
The English Football Hall of Fame is housed at the National Football Museum in Manchester, England. The Hall aims to celebrate and highlight the achievements of the all-time top English footballing talents, as well as non-English players and man ...
at the
National Football Museum
The National Football Museum is England's national museum of Football in England, football. It is based in the Urbis building in Manchester city centre, and preserves, conserves and displays important collections of association football, football ...
in
Preston on 4 July 2009. He was inducted for his managerial success.
Honours
As a player
Everton
*
Football League First Division
The Football League First Division was the top division of the Football League in England from 1888 until the end of the 1991–92 season, when its teams broke away to form the Premier League. From 1992 to 2004, the name First Division was g ...
:
1938–39
Arsenal
*Football League First Division:
1947–48,
1952–53
*
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
:
1949–50; runner-up:
1951–52
*
FA Charity Shield
The Football Association Community Shield (formerly the Charity Shield) is English football's annual match contested at Wembley Stadium between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup. If the Premier ...
:
1948
Events January
* January 1
** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated.
** The current Constitutions of Constitution of Italy, Italy and of Constitution of New Jersey, New Jersey (both later subject to amendment) ...
,
1953
Events
January
* January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma.
* January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a Estonian government-in-exile, government-in-exile in Oslo.
* January 14
** Marshal Josip Broz Tito ...
As a manager
Aston Villa
*
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 tier ...
:
1959–60
*
Football League Cup
The English Football League Cup, often referred to as the League Cup and currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout competition in men's domestic football in England.
Orga ...
:
1960–61
Manchester City
*Football League First Division:
1967–68
*Football League Second Division:
1965–66
*
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...
:
1968–69
*Football League Cup:
1969–70
*FA Charity Shield:
1968
Events January–February
* January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously.
* January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...
*
European Cup Winners' Cup
The UEFA Cup Winners' Cup was a European association football, football club competition contested annually by the winners of domestic cup competitions. The competition's official name was originally the European Cup Winners' Cup; it was renam ...
:
1969–70
England
*
British Home Championship
The British Home Championship (historically known as the British International Championship or simply the International Championship) was an annual football competition contested between the United Kingdom's four national teams: England, Scotlan ...
:
1973–74 (shared)
Individual
*
English Football Hall of Fame
The English Football Hall of Fame is housed at the National Football Museum in Manchester, England. The Hall aims to celebrate and highlight the achievements of the all-time top English footballing talents, as well as non-English players and man ...
: 2009
*
FWA Footballer of the Year
The Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year (often called the FWA Footballer of the Year, or in England simply the Footballer of the Year) is an annual award given to the player who is adjudged to have been the best of the season in ...
: 1949–50
Managerial statistics
See also
*
List of English football championship winning managers
A list is a set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of the list-maker, but ...
References
Bibliography
*
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mercer, Joe
1914 births
1990 deaths
Footballers from Ellesmere Port
English men's footballers
England men's international footballers
England men's wartime international footballers
English Football Hall of Fame inductees
Ellesmere Port Town F.C. players
Everton F.C. players
Arsenal F.C. players
Chester City F.C. wartime guest players
Reading F.C. wartime guest players
Aldershot F.C. wartime guest players
English football managers
England national football team managers
Sheffield United F.C. managers
Aston Villa F.C. managers
Manchester City F.C. managers
Coventry City F.C. managers
English Football League players
Royal Army Physical Training Corps soldiers
British Army personnel of World War II
Military personnel from Cheshire
Officers of the Order of the British Empire
English Football League representative players
Men's association football wing halves
Freemasons of the United Grand Lodge of England