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Joe Smith (football manager)
Encyclopedia
Joseph "Joe" Smith was an English
professional football player and manager. He was manager of Blackpool
for 23 years and guided them to victory in the 1953 FA Cup Final
, the only time they have won the competition since their 1887 inception.
in the West Midlands
, after leaving Crewe Alexandra
Smith spent almost his entire playing career with Bolton Wanderers
, for whom he signed in 1908, either as an inside or centre-forward. During World War I
he guested for Chelsea
and Port Vale
. He helped Bolton to reach two FA Cup
finals, in 1923 and 1926
, as well as playing for England
on five occasions, either side of the war.
With the help of Trotters teammate Ted Vizard
, during the 1920–21 season Smith scored a then club record 38 goals, which put him top of the First Division
goalscoring chart for that season. In his nineteen years with Bolton, Smith scored 277 goals in 492 games (League: 449 appearances; 254 goals). He is currently tenth in the list of England's top-flight goal scorers with 243 league goals to his name.
Upon leaving Wanderers in 1927, Smith signed for Stockport County
and went on to score 61 goals in 70 league games.
Smith went on to play for Darwen
(see "Managerial career" section below) and Manchester Central, before finishing his playing career with Hyde United.
at Belfast
's Windsor Park
in the Home Championship
. The hosts won 2–1, despite being positioned 21 places below England in the ELO Ranking at the time.
His other caps came against Wales
(a 2–0 victory, with Smith scoring the opening goal), Scotland
(a 3–1 loss), Ireland (a 1–1 draw), and Wales (a 2–1 loss).
(see a 1931 team photo with Smith — front row, fourth from left — as captain here). As a player, he scored 42 goals in 51 games. As manager, he guided them to wins in Lancashire Combination Championship (twice), the Combination Cup (twice), the Lancashire Junior Cup, and the Lancashire Challenge Trophy.
outfit Reading
. In his four years at Elm Park
, he led the club to runners-up spot twice and to third and fourth in the other two seasons.
In August 1935, Smith was approached to become the new manager of Blackpool
, in place of the departed Sandy MacFarlane
, an offer he immediately accepted; a love of the seaside apparently being one of the main deciding factors.
In 1936–37, only his second season at Bloomfield Road
, Smith achieved promotion to Division One
after leading the club to second place in the league.
On 10 March 1939, Smith and club director Albert Hindley made the football headlines when they completed the £10,000 record signing of Jock Dodds
from Sheffield United.
The early 1950s "M" forward line of Mortensen
, Matthews
and Mudie
that Smith constructed was responsible for three FA Cup final appearances (two losses, one win – see below) and several challenges for the League Championship. Of his 23 seasons at the seaside, 21 were spent in the top flight.
His most notable achievement was guiding Blackpool to the 1953 FA Cup Final victory over his former club, Bolton.
After 714 Football League games in charge of Blackpool, Smith resigned in 1958, at the age of 68, due to poor health. Blackpool had won 306 (a 42.8% percentage), drawn 164 and lost 244 under his guidance. The Blackpool board rewarded his services by giving him a hefty "golden handshake
" and bought him a house in the town.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
professional football player and manager. He was manager of Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
for 23 years and guided them to victory in the 1953 FA Cup Final
FA Cup Final 1953
The 1953 FA Cup Final, also known as the Matthews Final, was the eighth to be held at Wembley Stadium after the Second World War. The football match was contested between Blackpool and Bolton Wanderers, with Blackpool winning 4-3. The match became famous for the performance of Blackpool winger...
, the only time they have won the competition since their 1887 inception.
Playing career
Born in DudleyDudley
Dudley is a large town in the West Midlands county of England. At the 2001 census , the Dudley Urban Sub Area had a population of 194,919, making it the 26th largest settlement in England, the second largest town in the United Kingdom behind Reading, and the largest settlement in the UK without...
in the West Midlands
West Midlands conurbation
The West Midlands conurbation is the name given to the large conurbation that includes the cities of Birmingham and Wolverhampton and the large towns of Dudley, Walsall, West Bromwich, Solihull, Stourbridge, Halesowen in the English West Midlands....
, after leaving Crewe Alexandra
Crewe Alexandra F.C.
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional football club based in Crewe, Cheshire. Nicknamed The Railwaymen due to the town's links with the rail industry, they currently play in Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football, and are based at the Alexandra Stadium.The club...
Smith spent almost his entire playing career with Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
, for whom he signed in 1908, either as an inside or centre-forward. During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
he guested for Chelsea
Chelsea F.C.
Chelsea Football Club are an English football club based in West London. Founded in 1905, they play in the Premier League and have spent most of their history in the top tier of English football. Chelsea have been English champions four times, FA Cup winners six times and League Cup winners four...
and Port Vale
Port Vale F.C.
Port Vale Football Club is an English football club currently playing in Football League Two. They are based in Burslem, Staffordshire — one of six towns that make up the city of Stoke-on-Trent. The club's traditional rivals in the city are Stoke City, and games between the two clubs are known as...
. He helped Bolton to reach two FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
finals, in 1923 and 1926
1926 FA Cup Final
The 1926 FA Cup Final was a football match between Bolton Wanderers and Manchester City on 24 April 1926 at Wembley Stadium in London. The showpiece match of English football's primary cup competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup , it was the 55th final, and the fourth at Wembley.Each...
, as well as playing for England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
on five occasions, either side of the war.
With the help of Trotters teammate Ted Vizard
Ted vizard
Edward 'Ted' Vizard was a Wales international footballer who became a manager. He spent almost all his playing career at Bolton Wanderers.-Playing career:...
, during the 1920–21 season Smith scored a then club record 38 goals, which put him top of the First Division
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
goalscoring chart for that season. In his nineteen years with Bolton, Smith scored 277 goals in 492 games (League: 449 appearances; 254 goals). He is currently tenth in the list of England's top-flight goal scorers with 243 league goals to his name.
Upon leaving Wanderers in 1927, Smith signed for Stockport County
Stockport County F.C.
Stockport County Football Club is an English football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester. The club formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, shortly afterwards merging with Heaton Norris F.C., and adopted the current name on 24 May 1890 on the creation of the County Borough of Stockport...
and went on to score 61 goals in 70 league games.
Smith went on to play for Darwen
Darwen F.C.
A.F.C. Darwen is a football club from Darwen in Lancashire, North West England. The team, formed in 1870 as Darwen F.C., currently play in the Division One of the North West Counties League. They play their home games at the Anchor Ground.-History:...
(see "Managerial career" section below) and Manchester Central, before finishing his playing career with Hyde United.
International career
The first of Smith's five England caps came on 15 February 1913, against IrelandIreland national football team (IFA)
The Ireland national football team represented Ireland at association football, it was organised by the Irish FA , and is the fourth oldest international team in the world. It mainly played in the British Home Championship against England, Scotland and Wales...
at Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
's Windsor Park
Windsor Park
Windsor Park is a football stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland and the home ground of Linfield F.C. and the Northern Ireland national football team. It is also where the Irish Cup and Irish League Cup finals are played.-History:...
in the Home Championship
British Home Championship
The British Home Championship was an annual football competition contested between the United Kingdom's four national teams, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland from the 1883–84 season until the 1983–84...
. The hosts won 2–1, despite being positioned 21 places below England in the ELO Ranking at the time.
His other caps came against Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
(a 2–0 victory, with Smith scoring the opening goal), Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
(a 3–1 loss), Ireland (a 1–1 draw), and Wales (a 2–1 loss).
Darwen
In 1929, Smith became player-manager of DarwenDarwen F.C.
A.F.C. Darwen is a football club from Darwen in Lancashire, North West England. The team, formed in 1870 as Darwen F.C., currently play in the Division One of the North West Counties League. They play their home games at the Anchor Ground.-History:...
(see a 1931 team photo with Smith — front row, fourth from left — as captain here). As a player, he scored 42 goals in 51 games. As manager, he guided them to wins in Lancashire Combination Championship (twice), the Combination Cup (twice), the Lancashire Junior Cup, and the Lancashire Challenge Trophy.
Reading
Upon hanging up his playing boots in 1931, Smith became manager of Third Division SouthFootball League Third Division South
The Football League Third Division South was a level of English professional football which ran in parallel to Third Division North from 1921 to 1958....
outfit Reading
Reading F.C.
Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...
. In his four years at Elm Park
Elm Park (stadium)
Elm Park was a football stadium in the West Reading district of the English town of Reading. It was the home of Reading Football Club from 1896 until 1998, when they moved to the new Madejski Stadium....
, he led the club to runners-up spot twice and to third and fourth in the other two seasons.
Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
, in place of the departed Sandy MacFarlane
Alex 'Sandy' MacFarlane
Alexander "Sandy" MacFarlane was a Scottish professional football player and manager.-Playing career:A Scotland international inside-forward, he played domestically for Airdrie before moving south to join Woolwich Arsenal in 1896...
, an offer he immediately accepted; a love of the seaside apparently being one of the main deciding factors.
In 1936–37, only his second season at Bloomfield Road
Bloomfield Road
Bloomfield Road is an all-seater football stadium in the English town of Blackpool, Lancashire. It has been the permanent home of Blackpool F.C. since 1901 and is named after the road on which the stadium's main entrance used to stand. The stadium has been in a process of redevelopment since 2000...
, Smith achieved promotion to Division One
Football League First Division
The First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
after leading the club to second place in the league.
On 10 March 1939, Smith and club director Albert Hindley made the football headlines when they completed the £10,000 record signing of Jock Dodds
Jock Dodds
Ephraim "Jock" Dodds was a Scottish professional football player. He played in the 1936 FA Cup Final, and, at the time of his death, he was the oldest surviving player to have played in a final at Wembley Stadium....
from Sheffield United.
The early 1950s "M" forward line of Mortensen
Stan Mortensen
Stanley Harding "Stan" Mortensen was an English professional footballer, most famous for his part in the 1953 FA Cup Final , in which he became the only player ever to score a hat-trick in a Wembley FA Cup Final...
, Matthews
Stanley Matthews
Sir Stanley Matthews, CBE was an English footballer. Often regarded as one of the greatest players of the English game, he is the only player to have been knighted while still playing, as well as being the first winner of both the European Footballer of the Year and the Football Writers'...
and Mudie
Jackie Mudie
John "Jackie" Knight Mudie was a Scottish international footballer who played as a forward. He won seventeen caps for his country, helping the Scots to qualify for the 1958 FIFA World Cup....
that Smith constructed was responsible for three FA Cup final appearances (two losses, one win – see below) and several challenges for the League Championship. Of his 23 seasons at the seaside, 21 were spent in the top flight.
His most notable achievement was guiding Blackpool to the 1953 FA Cup Final victory over his former club, Bolton.
After 714 Football League games in charge of Blackpool, Smith resigned in 1958, at the age of 68, due to poor health. Blackpool had won 306 (a 42.8% percentage), drawn 164 and lost 244 under his guidance. The Blackpool board rewarded his services by giving him a hefty "golden handshake
Golden handshake
A golden handshake is a clause in an executive employment contract that provides the executive with a significant severance package in the case that the executive loses his or her job through firing, restructuring, or even scheduled retirement...
" and bought him a house in the town.
Managerial stats
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| Reading Reading F.C. Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship... |
 |
1 July 1931 | 1 August 1935 | 184 | 92 | 49 | 43 | 50.00 |
| Blackpool Blackpool F.C. Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the... |
|
1 August 1935 | 30 April 1958 | 730 | 317 | 247 | 166 | 43.42 |
| Total | 914 | 409 | 296 | 209 | ||||
As Player
- FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
- Winners: 19231923 FA Cup FinalThe 1923 FA Cup Final was a football match between Bolton Wanderers and West Ham United on 28 April 1923 at the original Wembley Stadium in London. The showpiece match of English football's primary cup competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup , it was the first football match to be...
, 19261926 FA Cup FinalThe 1926 FA Cup Final was a football match between Bolton Wanderers and Manchester City on 24 April 1926 at Wembley Stadium in London. The showpiece match of English football's primary cup competition, the Football Association Challenge Cup , it was the 55th final, and the fourth at Wembley.Each...
- Winners: 1923
- Second DivisionFootball League Second DivisionFrom 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
- Champions: 1908–09
- Third Division (North)Football League Third Division NorthThe Third Division North of The Football League was a tier in the English association football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran parallel to Third Division South with clubs elected to the League or relegated from a higher division allocated to one or the other according to geographical position...
- Runner-up: 1928–29
As Manager
- First DivisionFootball League First DivisionThe First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
- Runners-up: 1955–56
- FA CupFA CupThe Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
- Winners: 1953
- Runners-up: 19481948 FA Cup FinalThe 1948 FA Cup Final was contested by Manchester United and Blackpool at Wembley Stadium on 24 April 1948. United, who had not appeared in an FA Cup Final for 39 years, won 4–2, with two goals from Jack Rowley and one apiece from Stan Pearson and John Anderson. Eddie Shimwell and Stan Mortensen...
, 19511951 FA Cup FinalThe 1951 FA Cup Final was contested by Newcastle United and Blackpool at Wembley on 28 April 1951. Newcastle won 2–0, with both goals scored by Jackie Milburn....
- Second DivisionFootball League Second DivisionFrom 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
- Runners-up: 1936–37
- FA Charity ShieldFA Community ShieldThe Football Association Community Shield is English football's annual match contested between the champions of the previous Premier League season and the holders of the FA Cup at Wembley Stadium. If the Premier League champions also won the FA Cup then the league runners-up provide the opposition...
- Runners-up: 1953