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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mervyn Richard Day[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1955-06-26)26 June 1955 (age 70)[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Chelmsford,[1] England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[2] | ||
| Position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 1971–1973 | West Ham United | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1973–1979 | West Ham United | 194 | (0) |
| 1979–1983 | Orient | 170 | (0) |
| 1983–1985 | Aston Villa | 30 | (0) |
| 1985–1993 | Leeds United | 227 | (0) |
| 1992 | →Luton Town (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 1992 | →Sheffield United (loan) | 1 | (0) |
| 1993–1994 | Carlisle United | 16 | (0) |
| Total | 640 | (0) | |
| International career | |||
| 1971 | England Youth | 1 | (0) |
| 1974–1975 | England U23 | 5 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1996–1997 | Carlisle United | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Mervyn Richard Day (born 26 June 1955) is an English former professionalfootballer who played in theFootball League as agoalkeeper forWest Ham United,Orient,Aston Villa,Leeds United,Luton Town,Sheffield United andCarlisle United. He later managed Carlisle United.[3] He was formerly chief scout at Leeds United.
Day was educated at Kings Road Primary School, attended also by another famous West Ham player,Geoff Hurst, andKing Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford where he attained six 'O' levels.[4]
Day representedEssex Schools at all levels and was picked for the England Schools squad six times, though he did not play. At aged 15Ipswich Town,Tottenham Hotspur andWest Ham United sent scouts to watch Day.Ron Greenwood's West Ham United signed Day on a youth contract in July 1971.
In February 1973, he signed a professional contract with West Ham and on 29 August 1973, he made his debut in a draw against Ipswich Town.Day became the first teamgoalkeeper soon after. In 1975, aged 19, he became the second-youngest goalkeeper to appear in an FA Cup Final at Wembley, in their victory overFulham.[5] He received thePFA Young Player of the Year Award that same season,[6] the only goalkeeper to have won the award. In a competitive era of English goalkeeping, he was talked of as a possible future England goalkeeper.[7] In 1976, he appeared in theCup Winners' Cup Final which West Ham lost 4–2 toAnderlecht at a sold outHeysel Stadium. However, a loss of form and injuries saw him drop out of the side.[8]
In July 1979, he moved toOrient for £100,000, where he replacedJohn Jackson.
WhenEddie Gray, then manager ofLeeds United, signed him in 1985, he proved to be an excellent buy and was a key figure inBilly Bremner's side in the 1987 run to the FA Cup semi-final and League play-offs. He remained first choice keeper for Howard Wilkinson, and picked up a Division 2 winners medal as promotion was finally achieved in 1990. With the re-signing of John Lukic, Day was relegated to the reserves and bench, and only made five more appearances for the first team, although he remained loyal to the club for three more seasons until he finally leftElland Road in 1993 after eight years. His final club wasCarlisle United.
After retiring, Day was manager ofCarlisle United and led them to promotion intoDivision Two and aFootball League Trophy win in 1997, but left shortly after due to a falling out with the chairman,Michael Knighton, who replaced Day as manager.
He was first team coach toAlan Curbishley atCharlton Athletic for many years before he and Curbishley both left the club at the end of the 2005–06 season. On 13 December 2006, he was again named as Curbishley's number two after the former was unveiled as the new West Ham manager but left the club at the same time as Curbishley in September 2008. On 20 July 2010, he rejoined Leeds United as chief scout to work alongside technical director Gwyn Williams.[9] He left the position as chief scout at Leeds in March 2012 and worked as a co-commentator onESPN's coverage of theBundesliga.[10]In November 2012, Day was appointed Scouting and Talent Identification Manager atBrighton and Hove Albion.[11] On 2 July 2014, was appointed head of recruitment atWest Bromwich Albion.[12] On 30 June 2015, Day left his post as head of recruitment atWest Bromwich Albion after a year in the job.[13]
West Ham United
Leeds United
Carlisle United
At a very early stage, Day was being tipped to be a future England goalkeeper, following in the footsteps of the likes of current top-flight keepers such as Peter Shilton, Ray Clemence, Joe Corrigan, Phil Parkes and Jimmy Rimmer.