Joe Mercer was a former footballer, journalist and grocer who became boss of Sheffield United in his first management job. He was relegated as manager and spent the rest of his time as Sheffield United manager in the second tier, unable to win promotion. He left for struggling top division side Aston Villa and again led them to relegation. However, he managed to build a side of promising youngsters and won the league cup with second tier Villa in 1961 but a stroke a few years later caused him to leave football for a while and he was sacked upon his return to health. He then got the job at Manchester City, managing them through their most successful period from 1965-1971. He won the second division title with City, before two years later guiding them to a league title and subsequently an FA cup, league cup and European cup winners' cup. A takeover of the club resulted in Mercer's departure in acrimonious circumstances, before a short spell at Coventry, a period as caretaker England manager and then retirement from the game. He is well-regarded by Manchester City supporters and his record of taking a second tier club to promotion and a very impressive haul of silverware over the following six years bears testament to his talent as a manager, despite two relegations earlier in his career.
British league champions: 1
Foreign league champions: 0
European cup: 0
European cup winners' cup: 1
No comments:
Post a Comment