John Harris (footballer)

Infobox Football biography
playername = John Harris


fullname =
dateofbirth = 30 June 1917
cityofbirth = Glasgow
countryofbirth = Scotland
dateofdeath = 24 July 1988
cityofdeath = Sheffield
countryofdeath = England
height =
nickname =
currentclub =
position = Defender
youthyears =
youthclubs =
years = c.1932-34
1934-39
1939
1939-45
1945-56
1956-57
clubs = Swindon Town
Swansea Town
Tottenham
Wolves
Chelsea
Chester City
caps(goals) =
28 0 0 (4)
326 0 0 (14)
27 0 0 (1)
nationalyears =
nationalteam =
nationalcaps(goals) =
manageryears = 1956-1959
1959-68
1969-73
managerclubs = Chester City
Sheffield United
Sheffield United

John Harris (30 June 1917, in Glasgow - 24 July 1988Sheffield United official matchday programme, 3 September 1988] in Sheffield) was a Scottish footballer nicknamed "Gentleman John".

Playing career

Harris was born to be a footballer, being the son of former Scottish international centre-forward and Newcastle United player Neil Harris.

He played for Swindon Town before moving to Swansea Town in 1934 when the side was managed by his father. In 1939, he played for both Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers. Like most players in his era, his Football League appearance tally is much lower than it would have been had war not broken out but he continued to play for several years afterwards.

He joined Chelsea on loan from Wolves during the Second World War and in September 1945 signed permanently for £5,000. A tough-tackling but skillful centre-half, Harris was a regular in the Chelsea side throughout his career and was club captain until Roy Bentley took over the role. He was a member of Chelsea's 1954-55 First Division-winning side, making 31 appearances that season. In eleven years, he made 364 appearances and scored 14 goals.

Managerial career

He left Chelsea in April 1956 to become player-manager of Chester City before retiring to concentrate on management. He took over from Joe Mercer as manager of Sheffield United on April 20, 1959 and finished the season third, seven points behind second placed Fulham. His first full season finished in fourth place.

Harris was a quiet dignified man and, moulded his players into a highly efficient team without fuss, always shunning the limelight. To him, the team was more important than the manager. This attitude produced a harmonious dressing room and, as a result, effective and attractive performances on the field of play.

Finally in 1961, his Sheffield United team won promotion from the Second Division as runners-up to Ipswich Town, mainly due to his purchase of Welsh international winger Len Allchurch for £12,500 from Swansea. Under Harris, United enjoyed numerous runs in the FA Cup (reaching the semi-finals in 1961 for the first time since 1936) and the League Cup.

Despite financial problems, he led United to fifth place in the first season back in the top division, and over the next few years relied on a steady flow of youngsters graduating from the Northern Intermediate league team to replace players sold in order to remain in profit.

After years of mid-table finishes, he was "promoted" to General Manager in August 1968 after the team had been relegated the previous season, replaced by Arthur Rowley. However, Rowley was sacked within a year and Harris returned as manager in August 1969.

In the ensuing years, he made astute and highly effective signings with players such as Tony Currie, Alan Woodward, Len Badger, Geoff Salmons, Eddie Colquhoun, Bill Dearden and Gil Reece all signing for the Blades, and resulted in Sheffield United winning promotion from the Second Division in 1970-71.

Harris understood the principle of getting the right man for the job and, this was typified by his signing of Trevor Hockey to boost United's promotion challenge in 1971.

Sheffield United started the 1971-72 season in great form and, under the guidance of Harris they stayed top of the First Division with an unbeaten run of eleven games from the start of the season.

Harris resigned in December 1973 to become the club's Senior Executive. In June 1977 he finally left United and was soon acting as scout for Sheffield Wednesday. He later became a lay preacher.

He died in 1988, aged 71 in Sheffield.

Notes