FOOTBALL WITH A SMILE

TITLE          Football with a Smile: The Authorised Biograpy of Joe Mercer OBE.
AUTHOR         Gary James
PUBLISHER      ACL Colour Print & Polar Publishing (UK) Ltd.
ADDRESS        2 Uxbridge Road,
               Leicester LE4 7ST,
               UK.
               (01533) 610800
ISBN NUMBER    0 9514862 9 2
PRICE          £15.95

This book is another from Gary James, one half of the authors of Pride of Manchester so I knew it was going to be a good book before I even opened it. The book contains 304 pages and innumerable black & white photos; the only colour plates are on the dustcover. It's divided up into 26 chapters which cover every phase of Joe Mercer's colourful life, from his birth in Ellesmere Port through his playing days with Everton and Arsenal and his managerial career with Sheffield Utd, Aston Villa, City, Coventry and England.

This book is really a thorough history of Joe Mercer and not a history of his City days. Many people fail to realise just what a phenomenally successful man he was, both on the field and as a manager. He was such a good player that it's easy to justify the fact that the first 173 pages elapse before he arrives on the doorstep of Maine Road. He started his career with Everton but was robbed (probably) of his prime playing days by the war. Afterwards, he got a very bad injury which affected his performances and led to a 'falling out' with the Everton manager/secretary Theo Kelly. Mercer was rather oddly accused of not trying, and things came to such a pass that he asked for a transfer, was dropped by the club and retreated into his grocery business. He was sold to Arsenal who immediately recognised that his problems were due to the injury. This all took place in 1946 with Mercer aged 31 and, rather like Tony Book 20 years later, his most successful period as a player was to come in his twilight years (from a footballing viewpoint).

Mercer won the FA Cup and was voted Footballer of the Year in 1950. He played on, winning the league title aged 39 in 1953, but broke his leg shortly afterwards, an injury which finally finished him as a player. It's probably safe to say that Arsenal fans would consider him one of their greatest ever players.

His managerial career started with a struggling Sheffield United in 1955 and despite his best efforts they were relegated. He surprised everyone at this time by turning down an approach from Arsenal, almost certainly out of loyalty, and after having read this book, I can easily see that this was a natural decision for him. Shortly afterwards, boardroom manouvering led to increasing interference in the team and Joe eventually left to manage Aston Villa. Here was another struggling team and Joe was relegated once again! His real talent as a manager however, was allowed to shine through and they were eventually promoted and won the first ever League Cup. Joe was by this time suffering under his own exacting workload and his health was seriously affected. He was hospitalised and then rather cruelly dispensed with by Villa.

Despite clear doctor's orders to stay away from the pressures of football, Joe applied for the vacant Manchester City post. On taking up employment, he immediately signed up Allison as coach as he knew he couldn't cope with coaching any longer. The rest of the story is history, with many anecdotes about the team and club during their most successful period. The most interesting part is the break-up of manager and coach. This is a sad episode, but after all is read, you have to say that it was inevitable. It was a partnership which worked brilliantly but it could never have lasted longer than it did. Mercer eventually left for Coventry after being edged out in a manner which many will find shameful.

After this spell, he had his 'Indian summer' as caretaker of England, a period which will be fondly remembered by many of us for the exciting players that he brought into the team. What might have happened if Joe had stayed longer is anybody's guess; just one look at the team has me sighing: McDonald, Weller, Bell, McKenzie, Worthington. The latter two were possibly two of the most talented English players of the postwar period and their short England careers were effectively ended when Joe stepped down.

Joe died in rather sad circumstances, suffering from Alzheimer's. He will however, be remembered as a great footballer, a great manager and amazingly as a great person. This book is very good and I can recommend it without reservation.