Harry Storer

Date Hired : June 1945 Resigned : November 1948 First Game : xx-xx-xxxx (H - xxxx) Last Game : xx-xx-xxxx (H - xxxx) Success Rate : xx.xx%

Comments Harry Storer was the personification of traditional qualities of discipline, economy, directness and common sense. He also had a fine sporting pedigree. His father, Harry, kept goal for Woolwich Arsenal and Liverpool and played cricket for Derbyshire. His uncle, William, was a Derby County footballer and played cricket for Derbyshire and England. And Harry junior played soccer for Derby County and England and was a fine all-rounder with Derbyshire, scoring over 13,000 runs and taking over 200 wickets in first-class cricket. Born in Liverpool on 12 February 1898, he had trials with Notts County and Millwall before becoming a professional footballer with Grimsby Town in august 1919. He was a goalscoring forward in his early days at Blundell Park, but developed into a tough-tackling wing-half. Derby signed him for 4,500 in March 1921, and, although he played most of his games for the Rams at wing-hlaf, he had one season at inside-forward, scoring 27 goals in 42 matches in 1923-24. That summer he was rewarded with the first of his two England caps. Storer left for Burnley in 1929, after 274 first-team appearance and 63 goals for the Rams. He had two years at Turf Moor before taking over as boss at Coventry City in May 1931, steering the club into Division Two in 1936. Storer was appointed manager of Birmingham City on 1 June 1945 and did a magnificent job at St.Andrews. In his first season he took the club into the FA Cup Semi-Finals, where they lost a replay to his former club, Derby County, and to the Football League South Championship. He recruited many outstanding players, including the elegant Neil Dougall, as well as Jackie Stewart, Ray Ferris and Don Dorman. In 1947-48, Blues won the Second Division title with a defence which conceeded only 24 goals in 42 matches. However, midway through the 1948-49 season, just as Birmingham were re-establishing themselves in Division One, Harry Storer returned to Coventry City. He remained at Highfield Road until December 1953 and, after a spell out of management, went back to Derby in 1955. They had fallen into the Third Division but he revitalized the team with some astute signings and two years later, Derby were back in the Second Division. Harry Storer died in Derby on 17 September 1967, six months short of his 70th birthday. Managerial Career Competition Played Won Lost Drawn For Against Perf % League 79 33 14 32 144 136 50.6% FA Cup xx 33 xx xx xx xx xx.x% League Cup xx xx xx xx xx xx xx.x% Other xx xx xx xx xx xx xx.x%