Alexander MacFarlane (1878 – 22 December 1945) was a Scottish professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

player and manager. As a player, he won the Scottish Cup with

Dundee Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...

in 1910. As a manager, he won the Third Division South with Charlton Athletic in 1929.

Playing career

MacFarlane first played in Scotland for

Airdrieonians Airdrieonians Football Club is a Scottish professional football team in Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, who are members of the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) and play in Scottish League One. They were formed in 2002 as Airdrie United ...

before moving south to join Woolwich Arsenal in 1896. He only made seven appearances for Arsenal, his debut coming against Grimsby Town on 28 November 1896, and returned to Airdrie the following year. His second move south of the border was more successful, joining Newcastle and becoming their first-choice inside-left. In three seasons in the north-east, MacFarlane made eighty-four First Division appearances, scoring seventeen goals in three consecutive top six finishes, as well as two FA Cup appearances. He returned to Scotland to play for

in 1901. During his twelve years there, he won a Scottish Cup in 1909–10 and made five appearances for Scotland between 1904 and 1911, scoring once in a 5–0 victory over Ireland on 15 March 1909 in the

British Home Championship The British Home Championship * sco, Hame Internaitional Kemp * gd, Farpais lìg eadar-nàiseanta * cy, Pencampwriaeth y Pedair Gwlad, name=lang (historically known as the British International Championship or simply the International Champio ...

. He moved to Chelsea in 1913, but only played sporadically and retired from playing in 1914.

Managerial career

MacFarlane returned to Dundee in 1919 and spent six years in charge of the club, during which time they reached another Scottish Cup final in 1924–25. That summer, Charlton Athletic tempted him to move south. In January 1928 he returned to Dundee, but only lasted seven months before returning to Charlton. In his first full season back at the club, he led Charlton to the 1928–29 Third Division South title. He ledt Charlton in 1932 and a year later joined

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...

on a two-year contract. At Blackpool, he dismantled ''the Seasiders'' squad, allowing nine players to leave Bloomfield Road as he brought in fresh faces. One player he signed, Peter Doherty, cost £1,000 but was sold on to

Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...

in 1936 for ten times that amount. At the end of the 1934–35 season, Blackpool sat in fourth position in the

Division Two NCL Division Two The NCL or National Conference League Division Two (known as the Kingstone Press NCL Division Two) League winners {, class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" , - , colspan=4 style="text-align:center;" , NCL DIVISION TWO , ...

table, just missing out on a return to the top flight. Blackpool was MacFarlane's last appointment, and he drifted out of football at the age of 57. He died in Preston, Lancashire, in December 1945.

Honours

As a player

Dundee * Scottish Cup:

1910 Events January * January 13 – The first public radio broadcast takes place; live performances of the operas '' Cavalleria rusticana'' and ''Pagliacci'' are sent out over the airwaves, from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York C ...

As manager

Charlton Athletic * Third Division South:

1929 This year marked the end of a period known in American history as the Roaring Twenties after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 ushered in a worldwide Great Depression. In the Americas, an agreement was brokered to end the Cristero War, a Catholic ...

Individual

*Dundee FC Heritage Award: 2015 *Dundee FC Hall of Fame: 2015

References

* *

External links

Photo of Dundee F.C. Scottish Cup winning team of 1910
{{DEFAULTSORT:Macfarlane, Sandy Scottish men's footballers Scotland men's international footballers Scottish Football League players Airdrieonians F.C. (1878) players Arsenal F.C. players Newcastle United F.C. players Dundee F.C. players Chelsea F.C. players Dundee F.C. managers Charlton Athletic F.C. managers Blackpool F.C. managers 1878 births 1945 deaths Scottish Football League representative players Footballers from Airdrie, North Lanarkshire Scottish Football League managers Men's association football inside forwards Date of birth missing Scottish football managers