Mike Bailey (footballer)
Encyclopedia
Michael Alfred Bailey is an English
former international footballer who played in the Football League
for Charlton Athletic
, Wolverhampton Wanderers
and Hereford United
, and in the North American Soccer League
for the Minnesota Kicks
. He represented England
twice. He then became a football manager, taking charge of clubs in England and abroad.
from non-League
club Gorleston
in 1958, and turned professional in March 1959. He spent all his time at The Valley in the Second Division
, making 151 League appearances for the club during an eight-year stay in which he also served as club captain, before moving to fellow second-tier team Wolverhampton Wanderers
in March 1966 for a fee of £40,000.
Bailey won promotion to the First Division
with Wolves in 1966–67
. He went on to play a central role during the club's resurgence of the Bill McGarry
era, which saw the club reach the 1972 UEFA Cup Final
and win the 1974 League Cup
, where he lifted the trophy as captain, after a 2–1 win over Manchester City
at Wembley.
After Wolves won the Second Division at the first attempt in 1977
, Bailey moved to the North American Soccer League
with the Minnesota Kicks
for £15,000. He returned to England two years later to become player-manager of Hereford United
in the Fourth Division
. He served only one full season in the role, during which the club finished 14th, before leaving in October 1979.
He took up the reins at former club Charlton Athletic in March 1980 and guided them to promotion from the Third Division
at the first attempt in 1980–81
before moving to Brighton & Hove Albion
. His one season in charge of the Seagulls brought them their highest finish to date, 13th place in the First Division. In December 1984 he tried his luck in Greece coaching the first league team of OFI Crete
replacing for the rest of the season the recently resigned Greek coach Lakis Petropoulos. He later also worked as a reserve team coach at Portsmouth
until dismissed in 1995.
While a Charlton player, Bailey played for England at under-23 level, and won two caps for the England senior team
. He made his debut in a 10–0 demolition of the United States
in New York's Downing Stadium
on 27 May 1964, and also played against Wales
in a 2–1 Home International
win on 18 November the same year.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
former international footballer who played in the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
for Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
, Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
and Hereford United
Hereford United F.C.
Hereford United Football Club is an English professional football club based in the city of Hereford. Founded in 1924, they are competing in Football League Two in the 2011–12 season. Hereford have played at Edgar Street for their entire history and are nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites',...
, and in the North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...
for the Minnesota Kicks
Minnesota Kicks
Minnesota Kicks were a professional soccer team that played at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington, Minnesota from 1976 to 1981. The team was a member of the now defunct North American Soccer League. The team had relocated to Minnesota after having been based in Denver, Colorado as the Denver Dynamos...
. He represented 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...
twice. He then became a football manager, taking charge of clubs in England and abroad.
Career
Bailey joined Charlton AthleticCharlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
from non-League
Non-league football
Non-League football is football in England played at a level below that of the Premier League and The Football League. The term non-League was commonly used well before 1992 when the top football clubs in England all belonged to The Football League; all clubs who were not a part of The Football...
club Gorleston
Gorleston F.C.
Gorleston F.C. is an English football club based in Gorleston, Norfolk. They are currently members of the Eastern Counties League Premier Division and play at Emerald Park.The club is affiliated to the Norfolk County FA.-History:...
in 1958, and turned professional in March 1959. He spent all his time at The Valley in the Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 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...
, making 151 League appearances for the club during an eight-year stay in which he also served as club captain, before moving to fellow second-tier team Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
in March 1966 for a fee of £40,000.
Bailey won promotion to 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....
with Wolves in 1966–67
1966-67 in English football
The 1966–67 season was the 87th season of competitive football in England.-Events:Queens Park Rangers won the Football League Cup on the first occasion it was played at Wembley, coming from 2-0 down at half-time to beat West Bromwich Albion 3-2....
. He went on to play a central role during the club's resurgence of the Bill McGarry
Bill McGarry (footballer)
William Harry "Bill" McGarry was an English international football player and manager.A right-half as a player, he joined Port Vale following the end of World War II, and spent the next six years with the club. He then moved on to Huddersfield Town in 1951, where he would spend the next ten years...
era, which saw the club reach the 1972 UEFA Cup Final
1972 UEFA Cup Final
The 1972 UEFA Cup Final was the final of the first ever UEFA Cup football tournament. It was a two-legged contest played on 3 May and 17 May 1972 between two English clubs, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur....
and win the 1974 League Cup
1974 Football League Cup Final
The 1974 Football League Cup Final was the final match of the 1973–74 Football League Cup, the 14th season of the Football League Cup, a football competition for the 92 teams in The Football League...
, where he lifted the trophy as captain, after a 2–1 win over Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
at Wembley.
After Wolves won the Second Division at the first attempt in 1977
1976-77 in English football
The 1976–77 season was the 97th season of competitive football in England.-Overview:The Football League revamped the tie-breaking criteria for teams level of points, replacing the traditional goal average tie-breaker with one based on goal difference to try to encourage more scoring...
, Bailey moved to the North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...
with the Minnesota Kicks
Minnesota Kicks
Minnesota Kicks were a professional soccer team that played at Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington, Minnesota from 1976 to 1981. The team was a member of the now defunct North American Soccer League. The team had relocated to Minnesota after having been based in Denver, Colorado as the Denver Dynamos...
for £15,000. He returned to England two years later to become player-manager of Hereford United
Hereford United F.C.
Hereford United Football Club is an English professional football club based in the city of Hereford. Founded in 1924, they are competing in Football League Two in the 2011–12 season. Hereford have played at Edgar Street for their entire history and are nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites',...
in the Fourth Division
Football League Fourth Division
The Fourth Division of The Football League was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season...
. He served only one full season in the role, during which the club finished 14th, before leaving in October 1979.
He took up the reins at former club Charlton Athletic in March 1980 and guided them to promotion from the Third Division
Football League Third Division
The Football League Third Division was the 3 tier of English Football from 1920 until 1992 when after the formation of the Football Association Premier League saw the league renamed The Football League Division Two...
at the first attempt in 1980–81
1980-81 in English football
The 1980–81 season was the 101st season of competitive football in England.-Overview:The Football League introduced a three points for a win system in place of the two points for a win system which had operated since the league's formation in 1889...
before moving to Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club are an English association football club based in the coastal city of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex. They currently play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system....
. His one season in charge of the Seagulls brought them their highest finish to date, 13th place in the First Division. In December 1984 he tried his luck in Greece coaching the first league team of OFI Crete
OFI Crete
OFI , the Sportfriends Association Heraklion, is a Greek association football club based in Heraklion, on the island of Crete. Outside Greece, the club is generally known as OFI Crete F.C., however, the name Crete is not actually part of the club's official title.OFI is the club with most...
replacing for the rest of the season the recently resigned Greek coach Lakis Petropoulos. He later also worked as a reserve team coach at Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
until dismissed in 1995.
While a Charlton player, Bailey played for England at under-23 level, and won two caps for the England senior team
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...
. He made his debut in a 10–0 demolition of the United States
United States men's national soccer team
The United States men's national soccer team represents the United States in international association football competitions. It is controlled by the United States Soccer Federation and competes in CONCACAF...
in New York's Downing Stadium
Downing Stadium
Downing Stadium, previously known as Triborough Stadium and Randall's Island Stadium, was a 22,000-seat stadium in New York City. It was renamed Downing Stadium in 1955 after John J...
on 27 May 1964, and also played 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...
in a 2–1 Home International
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...
win on 18 November the same year.
Honours
with Wolverhampton Wanderers- 1972 UEFA Cup runner-up
- 1974 League Cup1973–74 Football League CupThe Football League Cup 1973–74 was the 14th season of the Football League Cup, a knockout competition for England's top 92 football clubs.Wolverhampton Wanderers won the competition by defeating Manchester City 2–1 in the final on 2 March 1974...
winner