Paul Merson

Merson Burst On To The Football Scene With Arsenal Under George Graham In The Mid 1980’s. He Made 432 Appearances For The Gunners, 289 Of Which Came In League Football. He Was An Integral Part Of The Squad As Arsenal Took The League Title In Both 1989 And 1991, Adding A Touch Of Flair To The Rigid Defensive Strengths Possessed By The Arsenal Side At That Time. A Tricky And Inventive Forward Player, He Bagged 78 Goals For The Highbury Side Before Moving On To Middlesbrough In July 1997. He Helped The Teessiders Gain Promotion To The Premiership Following Their Relegation Earlier That Year But It Was With Aston Villa That Merson Was To Continue His Premiership Career.

struggling With His Well Documented Addictions, Merson Cited The Drinking Culture At The North East Club As One Of The Reasons Why He Had To Escape, Finding A New Home At Villa Park. After 58 Appearances And 13 Goals For Middlesbrough He Spent A Further Four Years In The West Midlands, Amassing A Further Century Of League Appearances And Notching 19 Goals In All Competitions For The Club. In 2002 He Joined Harry Redknapp’s Original Fratton Park Revolution, Proving The Driving Force Behind Pompey’s Promotion To The Premiership In 2003. He Netted 12 Times In 44 League Appearances For The South Coast Club, Before Deciding That His Legs Would Not Carry Him Through Another Season Of Top Flight Football.

he Moved To Walsall And Became An Instant Hero To The Fans, So Much So That He Was Installed As Player-manager Upon Colin Lee’s 2004 Exit. He Made 68 League Appearances For The Bescot Stadium Club, Scoring 6 Goals, But Resigned His Post Earlier This Year Following A Poor Run Of Results Which Left The Club Mired In Relegation Trouble In League One.

merson Earned 21 Caps For His Country And Was Part Of Glenn Hoddle’s Squad Which Travelled To The 1998 World Cup In France.

paul Merson Was One Of The Most Skilled English Players Of His Generation, Having The Rare Ability To Lift Fans From Their Seats Whenever He Gained Possession Of The Football. His Career Spanned Over 550 League Appearances Over Almost Twenty Years.