James McMullan (26 March 1895 – 28 November 1964) was a Scottish

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. He won 16

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

caps as a player at half-back and was part of the famous ''"

Wembley Wizards The Wembley Wizards is the nickname for the Scotland national football team that crushed England 5–1 at Wembley in the 1928 British Home Championship. Background Scotland had failed to win either of their previous matches in the 1928 British ...

"'' side of 1928.

Playing career

Early life and Third Lanark

McMullan was born in Denny,

Stirlingshire Stirlingshire or the County of Stirling, gd, Siorrachd Sruighlea) is a Counties of Scotland, historic county and registration countyRegisters of Scotland. Publications, leaflets, Land Register Counties. of Scotland. Its county town is Stirli ...

in 1895. He began his football career with

junior Junior or Juniors may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * ''Junior'' (Junior Mance album), 1959 * ''Junior'' (Röyksopp album), 2009 * ''Junior'' (Kaki King album), 2010 * ''Junior'' (LaFontaines album), 2019 Films * ''Junior'' (1994 ...

side Denny Hibernian in 1911 before graduating to the

Scottish League The Scottish Football League (SFL) was a league featuring professional and semi-professional association football, football clubs mostly from Scotland.One club, Berwick Rangers F.C., Berwick Rangers, is based in the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, wh ...

with

Third Lanark Third Lanark Athletic Club was a Scottish football club based in Glasgow. Founded in 1872 as an offshoot of the 3rd Lanarkshire Rifle Volunteers, the club was a founder member of the Scottish Football Association (SFA) in 1872 and the Scottish ...

the next year. Initially considered an inside left, by the time he left in 1913 he was playing predominantly as a left half.

Partick Thistle and Maidstone United

He joined ''Thirds

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

rivals

Partick Thistle Partick Thistle Football Club are a professional association football, football club from Glasgow, Scotland. Despite their name, the club are based at Firhill Stadium in the Maryhill area of the city, and have not played in Partick since 1908. ...

in 1913. Record of pre-war Scottish League Players John Litster / Scottish Football Historian magazine, October 2012 He stayed eight seasons with Thistle but missed out on participating in their

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,1921 Events January * January 2 ** The Association football club Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, from Belo Horizonte, is founded as the multi-sports club Palestra Italia by Italian expatriates in First Brazilian Republic, Brazil. ** The Spanish lin ...

through injury. In the close season of 1921 McMullan became embroiled in controversy. Partick turned down a £5,000 offer from

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...

for his signature and the player, determined to play in English football, signed for non-league Maidstone United as player-manager. He returned to the Glasgow club in the summer of 1923. In February 1926 he eventually earned his long-desired move to the

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...

aged 30, when

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 ...

signed him for £4,700.

Manchester City

McMullan made his debut for his new team in a 1–1 draw with

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

on 27 February 1926.

Tommy Browell Thomas Browell (19 October 1892 – 5 October 1955) was an English footballer who played as a forward for Hull City, Everton, Manchester City and Blackpool. He is the eighth-highest Manchester City goalscorer of all time with 139 goals for the ...

scored the goal for City in that game. Despite containing a number of

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

players such as Frank Roberts, Billy Austin,

Sam Cowan Samuel Cowan (10 May 1901 – 4 October 1964) was an English football player and manager. A relative latecomer to the sport, Cowan did not play football until he was 17 and was 22 by the time he turned professional. He made his league debut for ...

and Tommy Johnson, City finished in twenty-first place in the First Division that season and were relegated into the second division. McMullan played in the 1926 FA Cup Final defeat to

Bolton Wanderers Bolton Wanderers Football Club () is a professional football club based in Horwich, Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in . The club played at Burnden Park for 102 years from 1895 after moving from their original home at Pike's ...

. McMullan scored his first goal for Manchester City in a 3–4 defeat to

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

in the 1926–27 football season. City came third in the second division and were unable to earn promotion. In the 1927–28 football season McMullan helped City into first place in the second division, earning the team promotion. The team had been strengthened by the acquisition of both

Eric Brook Eric Fred Brook (27 November 1907 – 29 March 1965) was an English Association football, footballer who played in the outside left position. Brook was also an England national football team, England international. He was a muscular player with ' ...

and

Fred Tilson Samuel Frederick Tilson (19 April 1904 – 21 November 1972) was an English professional footballer who played as a centre forward for England along with Barnsley, Manchester City, Northampton Town and York City. With the Sky Blues he won the 1 ...

from

Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough has ...

. McMullan reached an FA Cup final with City again in

1933 Events January * January 11 – Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand. * January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independence, against the wis ...

but the team were defeated by Everton 3–0. Many of his teammates would be part of the City team which won the FA Cup the following year. However, after 242 League and Cup appearances, McMullan departed Manchester City in May 1933.

International

In 1920 he won the first of his sixteen caps for

against

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

in a 1–1 draw in the 1920 British Home Championship, having made unofficial appearances in the years prior during wartime. McMullan is considered to have been the greatest Scottish half-back of his day; he was an ever-present in the

1921 British Home Championship Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20 * one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film Music ...

which was won by Scotland. McMullan helped Scotland to victory in the

1925 British Home Championship Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20 * one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film Music ...

and was part of the Scotland team which defeated

2–0. He was also part of the team which won the

1926 British Home Championship Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20 * one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * 19 (film), ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * Nineteen (film), ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 sci ...

appearing in the 1–0 victory against England at

Old Trafford Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,310 it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after Wemb ...

and in the 3–0 victory against Wales at

Ninian Park Ninian Park was a football stadium in the Leckwith area of Cardiff, Wales, that was the home of Cardiff City F.C. for 99 years. Opened in 1910 with a single wooden stand, it underwent numerous renovations during its lifespan and hosted fixture ...

. In the

1927 British Home Championship Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20 * one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film Music ...

, McMullan featured twice for Scotland in a 3–0 victory against Wales and a 2–1 defeat to England at

Hampden Park Hampden Park (Scottish Gaelic: ''Pàirc Hampden''), often referred to as Hampden, is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The -capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland. It is the no ...

. Despite this defeat, Scotland won the championship again that season. In the

1928 British Home Championship Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20 * one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film Music ...

, McMullan captained Scotland as they defeated England 5–1 at

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...

with a hat-trick from Alex Jackson and a brace from Alex James. As a result of the resounding victory, the Scotland team were dubbed the ''"Wembley Wizards"''. Despite this victory Wales won the championship that season. McMullan captained Scotland to victory the following season in the

1929 British Home Championship Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20 * one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film Music ...

Managerial career

McMullan joined

Oldham Athletic Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The history of Oldham Athletic ...

as a player-manager in 1933. After a brief spell there, he was appointed the first-ever manager of

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...

in 1934 (before his appointment, the team was selected by a committee). However, the move proved disastrous, resulting in Villa's first ever relegation in 1935–36 after 61 years in the top flight. He later managed

Notts County Notts County Football Club is a professional association football club based in Nottingham, England. The team participate in the National League (division), National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Founded on the 2 ...

(1936–37) and

Sheffield Wednesday Sheffield Wednesday Football Club is a professional association football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. Formed in 1867 as an offshoot of ...

(1937–1939). He died on 28 November 1964 (the same day as another former Sheffield Wednesday manager, Billy Walker).

Legacy

McMullan is regarded as one of

's best ever players. In 1977,

Manchester City Council Manchester City Council is the local authority for Manchester, a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. Manchester is the sixth largest city in England by population. Its city council is composed of 96 councillors, three ...

named eleven streets in a new estate in

Moss Side Moss Side is an Inner city, inner-city area of Manchester, England, south of the Manchester city centre, city centre, It had a population of 20,745 at the United Kingdom Census 2021, 2021 census. Moss Side is bounded by Hulme to the north, Cho ...

after famous City players including McMullan,

Frank Swift Frank Victor Swift (26 December 1913 – 6 February 1958) was an English footballer, who played as a goalkeeper for Manchester City and England. After starting his career with local clubs near his home town of Blackpool, in 1932 he was signed b ...

, Fred Tilson, Sam Cowan,

Horace Barnes Horace Barnes (3 January 1891 – 12 September 1961) was an English footballer, who played for Derby County, Manchester City, Preston North End and Oldham Athletic. Early life Horace Barnes was born in Sheffield in 1891. He began his footbal ...

Max Woosnam Max or MAX may refer to: Animals * Max (dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog * Max (English Springer Spaniel), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of OBE) * Max (gorilla) (1 ...

, Tommy Browell, Eric Brook, Sam Cookson,

Billy Meredith William Henry Meredith (30 July 1874 – 19 April 1958) was a Welsh professional footballer. He was considered one of the early superstars of football due to his performances, notably for Manchester City and Manchester United. He won each ...

and Tommy Johnson. p75

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mcmullan, Jimmy 1895 births 1964 deaths Scottish footballers Scotland international footballers Scotland wartime international footballers England wartime international footballers Third Lanark A.C. players Partick Thistle F.C. players Maidstone United F.C. (1897) players Manchester City F.C. players Scottish football managers Aston Villa F.C. managers Notts County F.C. managers Sheffield Wednesday F.C. managers Oldham Athletic A.F.C. managers Maidstone United F.C. (1897) managers People from Denny, Falkirk Denny Hibernian F.C. players Oldham Athletic A.F.C. players Scottish Football League representative players Scottish Junior Football Association players Scottish Football League players English Football League players English Football League managers Association football wing halves Association football player-managers Footballers from Falkirk (council area) Place of death missing FA Cup Final players