Footballers Who Had Other Jobs

[Flaming Pie]

Following on from the tributes to John Sewell and Pete’s mention of footballers finding other ways to make a living, here’s Joe Mercer working at the grocers store he helped to run with his wife’s father in Wallasey. Looks like he’s on the bacon slicer! He said he absolutely hated working there and was overjoyed when Sheffield United approached him to become their new manager. Apparently Tranmere Rovers( he had been helping out there with coaching) were on the verge of asking him to take over at Prenton Park as well. Didn’t Bobby Moore have a sports shop in London? I remember reading that he was lovely with the kids who turned up for his autograph and would even get them to help carry boxes into the shop. Emlyn Hughes and John Toshack had something similar in Liverpool.

[Pete’s Picture Palace]

Thanks to Pie for starting this thread, it enables me to show the Ronnie Clayton & Maurice Norman photos I mentioned in the John Sewell RIP thread. I didn't want to show them there.

These both sold immediately, not surprisingly.

Ronnie Clayton



Maurice Norman

[Flaming Pie]

Before he became the greatest goalie in Everton’s history , Neville Southall worked for a time as a bin man in Wales. Haven’t got any photos of Neville as a bin man, but here’s George Best outside his boutique. Very early on a Sunday morning,, a few years ago , l had a browse through some car boot stalls very close to Moreton Shore, Wirral. For those that don’t know it, Moreton Shore is the St Tropez of Wirral beaches, closely followed by the beautiful beaches at Rock Ferry and New Ferry ! . There was about eight stalls. Someone had a table with programmes and a fair smattering of memorabilia signed( l think?) by George Best . The seller said when he was a kid he was a Man Unt / George Best fanatic, and would wait outside George’s boutique for his autograph and also the United training ground . He became a familiar face to George ,who would laugh and exclaim ”not you again , how many bloody autographs of mine do you want ?”

[ndg1860]

We were just chatting about this on the QPR history Facebook page.

Steve Perryman, although he was not a QPR player, ran a series of Sports stores in W/NW London - Perryman Sports - with stores in Greenford, Hayes and Ruislip and possibly Ickenham.

[beaudog]

Many players had their own businesses as well as playing and I worked for Roy Beckett as a newspaper boy in the 50s. He played , I believe 14 times for Stoke City and scored a goal for them. he was mainly a Central league player, who went on to play non-league. He lived into his 80s and retired to the south coast . Lovely memories of him playing at the Victoria Ground.