Mick Halsall
Encyclopedia
Michael "Mick" Halsall is an English
former footballer who played as a midfielder
. He scored 43 goals in 389 appearances in the Football League
, playing for Birmingham City
, Carlisle United
, Grimsby Town
and Peterborough United
.
He has also worked as a manager with Peterborough United and as caretaker manager
at Walsall
. He currently holds the joint role of assistant academy manager and under-18's coach at Wolverhampton Wanderers
.
, Merseyside
. He began his football career as an apprentice with Liverpool
in 1977 and turned professional in 1979, but in six years with the club he never played for the first team. He moved on to Birmingham City
, and went straight into the starting eleven for the First Division
game away to West Bromwich Albion
on 19 March 1983. Birmingham lost that game 2–0, but Halsall played in all but one of the remaining games of the 1982–83 season, in which the team won five of the last six games to avoid relegation
, and scored his first goal for Birmingham in the penultimate game against Tottenham Hotspur
. Halsall began the following season as a first-team regular, but despite demonstrating his enthusiasm and capacity for hard work, he gradually lost his hold on a starting place. He was sent off in his last appearance for the club, in a League Cup
tie in October 1984, and was promptly sold to Carlisle United
for a fee of £5,000.
When Halsall joined Carlisle, they were in the Second Division
; by the time he left for Grimsby Town
two-and-a-half years later, for a fee of £10,000, they were well on the way to the Fourth
. Grimsby sold Halsall on to Peterborough
for a fee of £25,000 during the 1987 close season.
Halsall spent six seasons as a player with Peterborough, and played 249 league games. He captained the club to promotion
from the Fourth Division
in the 1990–91 season, to a run of nine consecutive wins the following season which contributed to their reaching sixth place in the Third Division
, qualifying for the play-offs
, and winning promotion to the second tier of English football for the first time in the club's history. The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
s "A to Z of Posh" feature summed him up as follows:
side, and in January 1994 he was appointed assistant manager to Chris Turner after the departure of Lil Fuccillo
. He then worked under John Still
before being appointed manager in October 1995 after Still's departure. Halsall reverted to coaching when Barry Fry
took over the club in June 1996, only to be sacked as an economy measure a few months later.
Halsall worked for a private football academy and as assistant to John Still at Barnet
before joining the coaching staff at Walsall
in the 1998–99 season. His main concern was with youth development
, though as time went on he had more involvement with the first team, until in October 2002 he was appointed first team coach by manager Colin Lee
. In March 2004, the appointment of Paul Bracewell
as assistant manager allowed Halsall to return to the post of Head of Youth Development. After Lee's departure soon afterwards, Halsall offered assistance to player-manager Paul Merson
, but was unwilling to accept the role of first-team coach. When Merson left in early 2006, Halsall acted as caretaker manager
for three matches, but refused any more permanent tenure.
Halsall earned himself an excellent reputation in bringing young players through to first-team level, and in January 2009 he was approached by Premier League club Stoke City
to manage their youth academy. Walsall's chairman refused to accept Halsall's resignation, but said he would not stand in his way provided that Stoke paid adequate compensation for the loss of his services. Halsall decided to stay at Walsall.
He joined Midlands neighbours Wolverhampton Wanderers
in July 2009.
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 footballer who played as a midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
. He scored 43 goals in 389 appearances 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...
, playing for Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
, Carlisle United
Carlisle United F.C.
Carlisle United F.C. is an English football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, where they play at Brunton Park. Formed in 1904, the club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system....
, Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town F.C.
Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...
and Peterborough United
Peterborough United F.C.
Peterborough United Football Club are a professional English football club based in Peterborough. Peterborough United formed in 1934 and played in the old Midland League, which they won six times; eventually being admitted to the Football League in 1960, replacing Gateshead. Their home ground is...
.
He has also worked as a manager with Peterborough United and as caretaker manager
Caretaker manager
In association football, a caretaker manager is someone who takes temporary charge of the management of a football club, usually when the regular manager is dismissed or leaves for a different club. However, a caretaker may also be appointed if the regular manager is ill or unable to attend to his...
at Walsall
Walsall F.C.
Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second...
. He currently holds the joint role of assistant academy manager and under-18's coach at 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...
.
Playing career
Halsall was born in BootleBootle
Bootle is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England, and a 'Post town' in the L postcode area. Formally known as Bootle-cum-Linacre, the town is 4 miles to the north of Liverpool city centre, and has a total resident population of 77,640.Historically part of...
, Merseyside
Merseyside
Merseyside is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 1,365,900. It encompasses the metropolitan area centred on both banks of the lower reaches of the Mersey Estuary, and comprises five metropolitan boroughs: Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Wirral, and the city of Liverpool...
. He began his football career as an apprentice with Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
in 1977 and turned professional in 1979, but in six years with the club he never played for the first team. He moved on to Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
, and went straight into the starting eleven for 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....
game away to West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
on 19 March 1983. Birmingham lost that game 2–0, but Halsall played in all but one of the remaining games of the 1982–83 season, in which the team won five of the last six games to avoid relegation
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...
, and scored his first goal for Birmingham in the penultimate game against Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
. Halsall began the following season as a first-team regular, but despite demonstrating his enthusiasm and capacity for hard work, he gradually lost his hold on a starting place. He was sent off in his last appearance for the club, in a League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
tie in October 1984, and was promptly sold to Carlisle United
Carlisle United F.C.
Carlisle United F.C. is an English football club based in Carlisle, Cumbria, where they play at Brunton Park. Formed in 1904, the club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system....
for a fee of £5,000.
When Halsall joined Carlisle, they were 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...
; by the time he left for Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town F.C.
Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...
two-and-a-half years later, for a fee of £10,000, they were well on the way to the Fourth
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...
. Grimsby sold Halsall on to Peterborough
Peterborough United F.C.
Peterborough United Football Club are a professional English football club based in Peterborough. Peterborough United formed in 1934 and played in the old Midland League, which they won six times; eventually being admitted to the Football League in 1960, replacing Gateshead. Their home ground is...
for a fee of £25,000 during the 1987 close season.
Halsall spent six seasons as a player with Peterborough, and played 249 league games. He captained the club to promotion
Promotion and relegation
In many sports leagues around the world, promotion and relegation is a process that takes place at the end of each season. Through it, teams are transferred between divisions based on their performance that season...
from 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...
in the 1990–91 season, to a run of nine consecutive wins the following season which contributed to their reaching sixth place in 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...
, qualifying for the play-offs
Football League One play-offs
The Football League One Playoffs are a series of playoff matches, contested by the teams finishing from 3rd to 6th in the NPower Football League One table to determine the third spot for promotion to the second tier of English football, the Championship....
, and winning promotion to the second tier of English football for the first time in the club's history. The Peterborough Evening Telegraph
Peterborough Evening Telegraph
The Peterborough Evening Telegraph, or ET as it is known locally, is the local newspaper for the city of Peterborough, Cambridgeshire in the United Kingdom...
s "A to Z of Posh" feature summed him up as follows:
Coaching career
In his last season as a Peterborough player he became involved on the coachingCoach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
side, and in January 1994 he was appointed assistant manager to Chris Turner after the departure of Lil Fuccillo
Lil Fuccillo
Pasquale "Lil" Fuccillo is a former footballer and is currently chief scout for Swansea City .-Playing career:Fuccillo was born in Bedford to Italian parents and joined Luton Town from school. He established himself in the their starting line-up, and there was even talk of a call-up to the Italian...
. He then worked under John Still
John Still (footballer)
John Leonard Still is an English former footballer and current football club manager. He is currently in charge at Dagenham & Redbridge...
before being appointed manager in October 1995 after Still's departure. Halsall reverted to coaching when Barry Fry
Barry Fry
Barry Francis Fry is an English football manager. A former Manchester United apprentice as a winger, his playing career involved brief spells with Bolton Wanderers, Luton Town and Leyton Orient, before he retired prematurely due to injury.He has managed Dunstable Town, Bedford Town, Maidstone...
took over the club in June 1996, only to be sacked as an economy measure a few months later.
Halsall worked for a private football academy and as assistant to John Still at Barnet
Barnet F.C.
Barnet Football Club is an English football team from High Barnet, London, England, currently playing in Football League Two. The ground is in the town of Barnet within the London Borough of Barnet....
before joining the coaching staff at Walsall
Walsall F.C.
Walsall Football Club are an English association football club based in Walsall, West Midlands. They currently play in League One. The club was founded in 1888 as Walsall Town Swifts, an amalgamation of Walsall Town F.C. and Walsall Swifts F.C. The club was one of the founder members of the Second...
in the 1998–99 season. His main concern was with youth development
Youth system
Youth system is a sporting terminology used to refer to a youth investment program within a particular team or league, which develops and nurtures young talent in farm teams, with the vision of using them in the first team if they show enough promise, and to fill up squads numbers in some teams...
, though as time went on he had more involvement with the first team, until in October 2002 he was appointed first team coach by manager Colin Lee
Colin Lee
Colin Lee is an English football manager and former footballer. He is currently Chief Executive of League Two side Torquay United and President of Buckfastleigh Rangers Football & Social Club.-Playing career:...
. In March 2004, the appointment of Paul Bracewell
Paul Bracewell
Paul Bracewell , in Heswall, Merseyside), but was brought up in Newport, Shropshire, is an English former international footballer who played as a midfielder, although his career was hampered by injuries as the years went by.-Career:...
as assistant manager allowed Halsall to return to the post of Head of Youth Development. After Lee's departure soon afterwards, Halsall offered assistance to player-manager Paul Merson
Paul Merson
Paul Charles Merson is a retired English football player, and former player-manager of Walsall. His playing career has included spells at Arsenal, Middlesbrough, Aston Villa, Portsmouth and finishing his playing career at Tamworth. He also played for England 21 times...
, but was unwilling to accept the role of first-team coach. When Merson left in early 2006, Halsall acted as caretaker manager
Caretaker manager
In association football, a caretaker manager is someone who takes temporary charge of the management of a football club, usually when the regular manager is dismissed or leaves for a different club. However, a caretaker may also be appointed if the regular manager is ill or unable to attend to his...
for three matches, but refused any more permanent tenure.
Halsall earned himself an excellent reputation in bringing young players through to first-team level, and in January 2009 he was approached by Premier League club Stoke City
Stoke City F.C.
Stoke City Football Club is an English professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire that plays in the Premier League. Founded in 1863, it is the oldest club in the Premier League, and considered to be the second oldest professional football club in the world, after Notts...
to manage their youth academy. Walsall's chairman refused to accept Halsall's resignation, but said he would not stand in his way provided that Stoke paid adequate compensation for the loss of his services. Halsall decided to stay at Walsall.
He joined Midlands neighbours 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 July 2009.