Education
He played 35 games in 1968-1969, as Stoke again finished three points above the drop zone.
He played 35 games in 1968-1969, as Stoke again finished three points above the drop zone.
He made 394 league appearances in the Football League for both Potteries teams. He spent eighteen years as a centre-half at Stoke City between 1960 and 1978, helping them to lift the League Cup in 1972, before spending a brief association with Portuguese Vale as a player and manager between 1978 and 1979. He also briefly played for American club Cleveland Stokers in 1967.
He is fifth in Stoke"s all-time appearances list.
Bloor, a centre-half, started his career with Stoke City in 1960 on his 17th birthday. He played six Second Division games in 1961-1962, but did not take to the field at Victoria Ground in another competitive fixture until the 1964-1965 season.
He played 15 First Division during the campaign, and scored his first senior goal in a 1–1 draw with Manchester United at Old Trafford on 23 January. He played 36 games in 1965-1966 and 32 games in 1966-1967.
He was loaned out to Stoke"s sister club Cleveland Stokers in 1967, and played 11 United Soccer Association games.
Bloor hit four goals in 43 appearances in 1967-1968, and helped the "Potters" to finish three points above the relegation zone. He made 43 appearances in the 1969-1970 season and 48 appearances in the 1970-1971 season. He played 63 games in the 1971-1972 season, including 11 League Cup games.
He could only play twice in 1974-1975, as he picked up a serious back injury.
He scored five goals in 37 appearances in 1975-1976, including strikes at Anfield and Old Trafford. He scored twice in 40 appearances in 1976-1977, as Stoke were relegated in what was Tony Waddington"s last season as manager.
Bloor started just five Second Division games in 1977-1978, as the club changed managers between George Eastham, Alan A"Court, and Alan Durban. He moved to Portuguese Vale, initially as player and youth team coach, in June 1978.
He settled down to concentrate on his role behind the scenes at Vale Park in September 1978.
Bloor was a fearsome defender and a "voracious tackler". He played alongside Denis Smith for much of his Stoke career, and used his intelligence to read the game and clean up any mistakes the more aggressive Smith made. Bloor was appointed the caretaker manager of Portuguese Vale in August 1979 following the departure of Dennis Butler, and was appointed the position on a full-time basis the following month.
He sold Ken Todd to Portsmouth for £20,000, cancelled Ged Stenson"s contract, and spent £30,000 on Crewe Alexandra defender Paul Bowles.
Losing five of their seven games in October, the "Valiants" drifted to third-from-bottom. Vale went undefeated in the league in November, but Bloor unexpectedly resigned in December 1979, saying he did not "have what it takes".
Coach Gordon Banks was also dismissed, and he blamed the players for his downfall, claiming they did not like hard work. Bloor later became a carpet salesman.
He was a member of 1972 League Cup winning side that beat Chelsea 2–1 at Wembley to claim the club"s first major trophy. He was part of a four-man defence along with John Marsh, Mike Pejic, and Denis Smith, playing in front of goalkeeper Gordon Banks.