Joe Mercer Appointed Manager Today 1965
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JGL07
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When George Poyser was clearly on his way out, we were struggling to think who would replace him. I don’t think anyone considered Joe Mercer although I think he was certainly well qualified. The only concern was his health as he had suffered a stroke resulting in him departing from Aston Villa.
The master stroke was bringing in Malcolm Allison as assistant. It was a brilliant combination that was brought prematurely to a halt after Mercer was kicked upstairs to General Manager.
The master stroke was bringing in Malcolm Allison as assistant. It was a brilliant combination that was brought prematurely to a halt after Mercer was kicked upstairs to General Manager.
Vienna_70
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It must have been very enjoyable getting to know Joe and Norah.
Vienna_70
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Joe and Malcolm met on a coaching course a few years earlier.
As Joe was still recovering from his stroke, and wasn’t in the best of health, he knew he’d need a young assistant to help him.
As you said, they made a fantastic team; Big Mal with his innovative coaching and Joe the steadying hand to knit everything together.
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lancs blue
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Wasn't Joe "moved on" at the time of the boardroom split before Swales was appointed as the "compromise" choice?
Although what exactly a bloke who wore Cuban heels and sported a shredded wheat on his head was a compromise between boggles the mind.
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I can’t remember the exact timing of events, but Swales promised Allison the manager's job in exchange for his support in the takeover.
Gary James
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Ian Niven was the key voice in downgrading Mercer and giving Allison the job (as he was when Allison returned too). Eric Alexander was actually the chairman when Mercer left but his hands were tied by the new directors. It's only available for subscribers to my site but I've a detailed article on it all here:
The 1970s: 1971-72 Mistreating Mercer
The series of features/articles covering Manchester City in the 1970s continues with a 4,700 word article on the entire 1971-72 season - a hugely significant season though one that's often neglected. You can read this below. This series of articles and features on Manchester City in the 1970s...
gjfootballarchive.com
On this matter, as with so much else relating to MCFC, you should listen to @Gary James and if he says Niven was the main driving force behind this move, it's true. I think he's also stated that Niven was the prime mover behind bringing Malcolm back in 1979.
I met Ian and found him good to talk to, while he can't be said to be anything other than a highly committed Blue. No doubt he also had many fine qualities as a human being. I believe he was the prime mover behind the development of the Junior Blues, which is very much to his credit. But his obsession with Allison didn't half do a lot of damage to our club.
Swales had joined the board by the point when Mercer left. Old PJS may not have been the person pushing with the greatest vigour for that outcome but, in typical fashion, he wasn't half desperate to get himself in front of the cameras to explain what had happened. The short clip below will show what I mean.