Footballer for Everton, Manchester City and Norwich and club manager for Oldham, Everton, Manchester City.
Now manager of Ipswich Town.
League career: Everton (270+ appearances & 119 goals); Manchester City, Norwich.
England internationals: 6 Full Caps.
Other highlights: League championship (1970);
League cup (1976); FA Cup (1995 - Everton).

He is best known for his FA Cup achievements with Oldham and Everton, but it is perhaps the promotions he secured with the 'Latics and City that highlight Joe's qualities as a manager, and make him an obvious choice for the Suffolk club, as the look to turn their team's fortunes around.

The amiable Merseysider began his playing career at Everton where he made over 270 appearances and scored 119 goals, including 23 in the 1970 championship winning side. Six England caps followed and Tony Book signed him for Manchester City in 1974 at a cost of £170,000. He added a League Cup winner's medal to his Championship ‘gong' in 1976 when Dennis Tueart scored a memorable overhead winner at Wembley against Newcastle.

When at Norwich in 1982 a serious knee injury forced Joe to retire from playing and three months later he was appointed as manager of Oldham.

Joe's twelve years at Boundary Park saw him transform the Latics, taking them from the old second division into the first division and subsequently keeping them in the premiership until 1994.

Their cavalier style won Joe and his side many friends and he took the team to Wembley in 1990, where they were unfortunate to lose by a single goal to Nottingham Forest in the League Cup final. Oldham were also beaten in the FA Cup semi-final that year, in a replay, by eventual winners Manchester United, a situation that repeated itself in 1994, at Wembley, when it took a typically spectacular volley from Mark Hughes in the last minute of the game to prevent Joe and his team from returning for the final. They lost the replay 4-1.

By this time Joe was winning many admirers himself, and Manchester City had already invited him to become their manager. The timing wasn't right for Joe, who stayed at Boundary Park, but when Oldham finally succumbed to relegation in 1994 and the manager's job at his old club Everton became available, he took it.

A struggling side was turned around and remarkably Joe led the Toffees to the FA Cup final in 1995. Paul Rideout's header gave his manager revenge at Wembley over Alex Ferguson and Manchester United and gave Everton their first, and only, major trophy since 1987. Everton finished in sixth place in the league the following year, but when money promised to him to sign Tore Andre Flo and Claus Lundekvam was not forthcoming, Joe decided to leave Goodison Park.

After nearly a year out of management, having assisted Glenn Hoddle in the England set-up, Dennis Tueart helped convince Joe that his future lay at Maine Road. City were in a desperate state having seen a succession of managers spend money the club could barely afford on an inflated squad of mediocre players.

Joe arrived too late to save the club from relegation to the second division for the first time in their history, but he started pruning the squad and bringing in cut-price professionals with the required strength of character to turn things round.

It proved a season of two halves in the second division. A relatively poor start before Christmas gave way to an impressive run thereafter. After just missing out on second place, City reached the play-off final and eventually secured their return to the first division, an incredible late comeback forced extra time and penalties against Gillingham.

With a team moulded in his own style, Joe typically formed a healthy relationship with chairman David Bernstein and a superb season followed. Joe became the first City manager in modern times to actually surpass the supporters' expectations as he achieved a second successive promotion and took Manchester City back to the top flight.

Tactically Joe belongs to the old school of English managers, often employing wingers, target men up front, tigerish midfielders and commanding centre halves. His ability to build a successful team with limited resources has made him quite a rare and valuable commodity in the English game.