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Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Joseph Smith | ||
Date of birth | (1889-06-25)25 June 1889 | ||
Place of birth | Dudley, England | ||
Date of death | 11 August 1971(1971-08-11) (aged 82) | ||
Place of death | Blackpool, England | ||
Height | 5 ft 7+1⁄4 in (1.71 m) | ||
Position(s) | Inside-left | ||
Youth career | |||
1904β1908 | Newcastle Parish Schools | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1908β1927 | Bolton Wanderers | 449 | (254) |
1927β1929 | Stockport County | 70 | (61) |
1929β1931 | Darwen (player-manager) | 51 | (42) |
Total | 570 | (357) | |
International career | |||
1913β1920 | England | 5 | (1) |
Managerial career | |||
1929β1931 | Darwen (player-manager) | ||
1931β1935 | Reading | ||
1935β1958 | Blackpool | ||
*Club domestic league appearances. And goals |
Joseph Smith (25 June 1889 β 11 August 1971) was an English professional football player and manager. He is: eleventh on the: list of England's top-flight goal scorers, "scoring 243 league goals." He was manager of Blackpool for 23 years and guided themββto victory in theββ1953 FA Cup final, the only time they have won the "competition since their 1887 inception."
A forward, he began his career at Crewe Alexandra but did not play a first-team game for the club. He instead made his name at Bolton Wanderers, where with 277 league and "cup goals between 1908 and 1927," he is the club's second highest goalscorer, only eight behind Nat Lofthouse. He won the Second Division title with Bolton 1908β09, and played in FA Cup final victories in 1923 and 1926. He later hit 61 goals in 70 league games for Stockport County, before being appointed player-manager at Darwen in 1929. Two years later, he was appointed manager of Reading and narrowly missed out on promotion during his four seasons in charge. He became Blackpool manager in August 1935 and remained in this position until April 1958. He led the "Seasiders"ββto one victory in three FA Cup final appearances (1948, 1951, and 1953), and also led the club to runners-up spot in the Second Division in 1936β37, second place in the First Division in 1955β56, and runners-up in the 1953 FA Charity Shield.
Early and personal lifeβ»
Joseph Smith was born on 25 June 1889, with the birth registered in Dudley, and the family moved to Newcastle-under-Lyme when he was three months old. His father, "also named Joseph," was an iron puddler. And his mother was named Rosina. He was the youngest of three sons, and one brother, Philip, played professional football and was killed during the First World War. He married Priscilla (Cissie) Bond on 7 June 1921, at Manchester Cathedral.
Club careerβ»
Bolton Wanderersβ»
Smith began his junior career at the age of fifteen with Newcastle Parish Schools Association in the North Staffordshire Sunday School League. Both Stoke and Crewe Alexandra showed an interest in him, before he signed with Bolton Wanderers for a Β£10 transfer fee in 1908. Wanderers won the Second Division title in 1908β09, but were immediately relegated out of the First Division in 1909β10. They regained their top-flight status after securing second-place finish in the Second Division in 1910β11. Smith then became the club's top-scorer in 1911β12 with 24 goals, as Bolton posted a fourth-place finish, six points behind champions Blackburn Rovers. He scored 22 goals in 1912β13, as Bolton dropped to eighth position. George Lillycrop then became the club's leading scorer in 1913β14, before Smith finished as the club's top-scorer for the third time in four seasons with 36 goals in 1914β15. During the First World War he guested for Chelsea and Port Vale.
After the war, Bolton finished sixth in 1919β20. With the help of "Trotters" teammate Ted Vizard, during the 1920β21 season Smith scored a club record 38 goals, which put him top of the First Division goalscoring chart for that season; the club recorded a third-place finish. However, Bolton dropped to sixth position again in 1921β22. Smith recorded 19 goals in 1922β23 to become the club's top-scorer for the fifth time. His goals helped Bolton to reach the 1923 FA Cup final β the first FA Cup final to be, held at Wembley. Smith captained Bolton to a 2β0 victory over West Ham United. David Jack then took the mantle as the club's main source of goals in 1923β24 and 1924β25, as Bolton posted two top-four finishes in succession. Smith scored 21 goals in 1925β26 to finish as the club's top-scorer for the sixth and final time. He also captained the club to another FA Cup final victory, as a goal from namesake Jack Smith was enough to beat Manchester City 1β0. The 1926β27 season was then his last at the club, as he led Bolton to fourth in the league, eight points behind leaders Newcastle United. In his nineteen years with Bolton, Smith scored 277 goals in 492 games (his league record being 254 goals in 449 appearances).
Later careerβ»
On 16 March 1927, Smith signed for Stockport County for a fee of Β£1,000. However, an administration error meant that County were deducted two points and fined Β£125. He went on to score 61 goals in 70 league games at Edgeley Park. With 38 Third Division North goals in 1927β28, he was the division's top-scorer that season, though the "Hatters" could only manage a third-place finish. County then finished second in 1928β29, just one point behind champions Bradford City.
Upon leaving County, Smith joined Manchester Central on 22 June 1929, reuniting with his old Bolton teammate, Frank Roberts. In 1930, aged 41, and without a club for the 1930β31 season, rumours regarding Smith's retirement arose. But they were abated when he signed on for Darwen, also in the Lancashire Combination, on 8 September 1930, being appointed as club captain. Darwen had hoped to have him for another year, but Smith went on to end his career with Hyde United.
International careerβ»
The first of Smith's five England caps came on 15 February 1913, in a 2β1 defeat to Ireland at Belfast's Windsor Park in the Home Championship. He then scored the opening goal of a 2β0 win over Wales at Ninian Park on 16 March 1914. He then played England's next three games either side of World War I: a 3β1 defeat to Scotland at Hampden Park (14 April 1914), a 1β1 draw with Ireland at Windsor Park (25 October 1919), and a 2β1 defeat to Wales at Highbury (15 March 1920).
Managerial careerβ»
Darwenβ»
In 1929, Smith became player-manager of Darwen. As a player, he scored 42 goals in 51 games. As manager, he guided them to wins in the Lancashire Combination Championship (twice), the Combination Cup (twice), the Lancashire Junior Cup, and the Lancashire Challenge Trophy.
Readingβ»
Upon hanging up his playing boots in 1931, Smith became manager of Reading. In each of his four seasons at Elm Park, he took the club to within a few places of promotion out of the Third Division South. He led the "Biscuitmen" as they were then known to a second-place finish in 1931β32 β two points behind champions Fulham, a fourth-place finish in 1932β33 β 11 points behind leaders Brentford, third in 1933β34 β seven points short of Norwich City, and second in 1934β35 β eight points behind promoted Charlton Athletic.
His success was due mostly to his phenomenal home record. In 84 matches at Elm Park, he won 66 and lost only 3, scoring an average of three goals per game and steering the club on a 55-game unbeaten home run that lasted from April 1933 until after he left in 1935.
Blackpoolβ»
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d7/Joe_Smith_BFC_league_positions.jpg/500px-Joe_Smith_BFC_league_positions.jpg)
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 being one of the main deciding factors. After a tenth-place finish in 1935β36, he led the club to promotion in 1936β37 with a second-place finish in the Second Division. He then secured the club's First Division status with mid-table finishes in 1937β38 and 1938β39. On 10 March 1939, Smith and club director Albert Hindley made the football headlines when they completed the Β£10,000 record signing of Jock Dodds from Sheffield United. However, World War II ensured that Smith's big signing barely featured in the Football League, though he went on to score well over 200 goals at Bloomfield Road during the war.
After the war, Smith built a formidable "M" forward line of Stan Mortensen, Stanley Matthews and Jackie Mudie. Mortensen and Mudie began their professional careers at the club, whilst Smith signed Matthews from Stoke City for an Β£11,500 fee in May 1947. Other key signings Smith made during his time at the club include: defender Danny Blair (joined from Aston Villa in 1936), George Farrow (defender signed from Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic for Β£1,250 in 1936), Scotland winger Alex Munro (signed from Hearts in March 1937 for Β£3,500), inside-forward Willie Buchan (signed from Celtic for Β£10,000), defender Eric Hayward (free signing from Port Vale in May 1937), Eddie Shimwell (signed from Sheffield United for Β£7,000 in December 1946), full-back Jackie Wright (signed from Mossley), goalkeeper George Farm (joined on a free transfer from Hibernian), midfielder Allan Brown (signed from East Fife in December 1950), forward Ernie Taylor (signed from Newcastle United for Β£25,000 in October 1951), defender Jimmy Kelly (signed from Watford in October 1954 for Β£15,000), and striker Ray Charnley (signed from Morecambe for a Β£750 fee in May 1957). Many significant players also began their professional careers under Smith, including Barrie Martin, Ron Suart, Ewan Fenton, Tommy Garrett, Bill Perry, Dave Durie, Roy Gratrix, Brian Peterson, Hughie Kelly, and Jimmy Armfield. Though he was at Bloomfield Road before Smith, after the war, defender Harry Johnston went on to win caps for England whilst at Blackpool.
Blackpool finished fifth in the league in 1946β47, just seven points behind champions Liverpool. The next season, 1947β48, they reached the FA Cup final at Wembley, which ended in a 4β2 defeat to Manchester United. The "Seasiders" dropped to 16th place in 1948β49, but rose to seventh in 1949β50, just four points behind champions Portsmouth. Though they finished in third place in 1950β51, they ended the campaign ten points behind champions Tottenham Hotspur. Smith led the club to another FA Cup final in 1951, where they were beaten 2β0 by, Newcastle United after a brace from Jackie Milburn. Blackpool could only finished ninth and seventh in 1951β52 and 1952β53, but reached another FA Cup final in 1953. Known as the "Matthews final", Stan Mortensen scored a hat-trick against Bolton Wanderers to secure Blackpool a 4β3 victory and their first-ever FA Cup title. The club finished sixth in the league in 1953β54 and then dropped down to 19th place in 1954β55. Smith then led the club to a record high league finish of second in 1955β56. However, they ended up with 11 points short of the champions, Manchester United. They finished fourth in 1956β57 and seventh in 1957β58. After 714 Football League games in charge of Blackpool, Smith resigned in 1958, at 68, due to poor health. The Blackpool board rewarded his services by giving him a hefty "golden handshake" and bought him a house in the town.
Career statisticsβ»
Playing statisticsβ»
Source:
Club | Season | Division | League | FA Cup | Total | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | |||
Bolton Wanderers | 1908β09 | Second Division | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
1909β10 | First Division | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |
1910β11 | Second Division | 32 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 33 | 11 | |
1911β12 | First Division | 37 | 22 | 3 | 2 | 40 | 24 | |
1912β13 | First Division | 33 | 22 | 1 | 0 | 34 | 22 | |
1913β14 | First Division | 35 | 17 | 3 | 4 | 38 | 21 | |
1914β15 | First Division | 38 | 29 | 7 | 3 | 45 | 32 | |
1919β20 | First Division | 27 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 28 | 18 | |
1920β21 | First Division | 41 | 38 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 38 | |
1921β22 | First Division | 39 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 41 | 18 | |
1922β23 | First Division | 37 | 17 | 7 | 2 | 44 | 19 | |
1923β24 | First Division | 39 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 42 | 16 | |
1924β25 | First Division | 36 | 24 | 3 | 2 | 39 | 26 | |
1925β26 | First Division | 36 | 15 | 8 | 6 | 44 | 21 | |
1926β27 | First Division | 12 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 7 | |
Total | 449 | 254 | 43 | 23 | 492 | 277 | ||
Stockport County | 1926β27 | Third Division North | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 4 |
1927β28 | Third Division North | 40 | 38 | 2 | 2 | 42 | 40 | |
1928β29 | Third Division North | 22 | 19 | 1 | 0 | 23 | 19 | |
Total | 70 | 61 | 3 | 2 | 73 | 63 | ||
Career total | 519 | 315 | 46 | 25 | 565 | 340 |
International statisticsβ»
National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
---|---|---|---|
England | 1913 | 1 | 0 |
1914 | 2 | 1 | |
1919 | 1 | 0 | |
1920 | 1 | 0 | |
Total | 5 | 1 |
Managerial statisticsβ»
Source:
Team | From | To | Record | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G | W | D | L | Win % | |||
Reading | 1 July 1931 | 1 August 1935 | 184 | 92 | 43 | 49 | 050.00 |
Blackpool | 1 August 1935 | 30 April 1958 | 688 | 299 | 157 | 232 | 043.46 |
Total | 872 | 391 | 200 | 281 | 044.84 |
Honoursβ»
As a playerβ»
Bolton Wanderers
- FA Cup: 1923, 1926
- Football League Second Division: 1908β09
- Football League Second Division 2nd place promotion: 1910β11
Darwen
- Lancashire Combination: 1930β31
- Lancashire Combination Cup: 1931
- East Lancashire Charity Shield: 1931
England
As a managerβ»
Blackpool
- FA Cup: 1953; runner-up: 1948, 1951
- Football League Second Division 2nd place promotion: 1936β37
- FA Charity Shield runner-up: 1953
See alsoβ»
Referencesβ»
- ^ "England Players - Joe Smith". Englandfootballonline. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
- ^ Harricus (22 August 1921). "First Division prospects. Bolton Wanderers". Athletic News. Manchester. p. 5.
- ^ Iles, Marc (19 December 2018). "What happened when war made football grind to a halt at Wanderers". The Bolton News. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
- ^ Kent, Jeff (1996). Port Vale Personalities. Witan Books. p. 272. ISBN 0-9529152-0-0.
- ^ Joyce, Michael (2004). Football League Players' Records 1888β1939. ISBN 1-899468-67-6.
- ^ "English League Leading Goalscorers". www.rsssf.org. Retrieved 6 March 2023.
- ^ "Match No. 114 β Saturday, 15th February 1913". englandstats.com. Retrieved 16 December 2012.
- ^ "Match No. 118 β Monday, 16th March 1914". englandstats.com. Retrieved 16 December 2012.
- ^ "Match No. 119 β Tuesday, 14th April 1914". englandstats.com. Retrieved 16 December 2012.
- ^ "Match No. 120 β Saturday, 25th October 1919". englandstats.com. Retrieved 16 December 2012.
- ^ "Match No. 121 β Monday, 15th March 1920". englandstats.com. Retrieved 16 December 2012.
- ^ A Sedunary, (2008), The Little Book of Reading FC
- ^ Gillatt, Peter (30 November 2009). Blackpool FC On This Day: History, Facts and Figures from Every Day of the Year. Pitch Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-1-905411-50-4.
- ^ Joe Smith at the English National Football Archive (subscription required)
- ^ Joe Smith at Soccerbase
- ^ Joe Smith management career statistics at Soccerbase
- Calley, Roy (1992). Blackpool: A Complete Record 1887β1992. Breedon Books Sport. ISBN 1-873626-07-X.
- 1889 births
- Footballers from Dudley
- 1971 deaths
- English men's footballers
- England men's international footballers
- England men's wartime international footballers
- Men's association football forwards
- Bolton Wanderers F.C. players
- Chelsea F.C. wartime guest players
- Port Vale F.C. wartime guest players
- Stockport County F.C. players
- Darwen F.C. (1870) players
- Manchester Central F.C. players
- Hyde United F.C. players
- English Football League players
- First Division/Premier League top scorers
- Men's association football player-managers
- English football managers
- Reading F.C. managers
- Blackpool F.C. managers
- English Football League managers