A new exhibition at Manchester City’s Etihad stadium is celebrating the memory of former manager Joe Mercer.
Mercer, who was one of City’s finest and most successful managers, would have celebrated his 100th birthday on 9 August and the Club have put together a special display of memorabilia to mark the occasion.
He managed Manchester City between 1965 and 1971 having played for Everton and Arsenal . He was nicknamed the Footballing Grocer because he ran a grocery business in north-west England and commuted south for matches when he captained the Gunners to two league titles.
He joined the Blues in July 1965 and decided to bring in a youthful coach and sought out Malcolm Allison, a young former West Ham player he had been impressed with at FA Coaching sessions.
Allison became Mercer’s number two, and the partnership turned City into the most entertaining side of the era.
Promotion in 1966 and a good FA Cup run was followed in 1968 by the League Championship. The following season Mercer’s side won the FA Cup and then eclipsed this by winning both the League Cup and ECWC in 1970. T
He later became the England caretaker manager who took over from World Cup winner Sir Alf Ramsey.
