James McStay (1 April 1895 – 31 December 1973) was a Scottish football player and manager. He spent most of his career at Celtic, and was a captain and manager for the club.[2]

Jimmy McStay
Personal information
Full name James McStay
Date of birth (1895-04-01)1 April 1895
Place of birth Netherburn, Scotland
Date of death 31 December 1973(1973-12-31) (aged 80)
Place of death Stonehouse, Scotland
Position(s)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1917–1920 Larkhall Thistle
1920 → Royal Scots Fusiliers
1920–1934 Celtic 409 (7)
1934–1937 Hamilton Academical 63 (0)
1937–1938 Brideville
International career
1926–1931[1] Scottish League XI 3 (0)
Managerial career
1937–1938[2] Brideville
1938–1940 Alloa Athletic
1940–1945 Celtic
1946–1951 Hamilton Academical
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Career

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A full back (successfully converted from left half by manager Willie Maley), he joined Celtic in 1920 and took over the club captaincy from his elder brother Willie McStay in 1929. The siblings played together 246 times for Celtic[3] as well in as one Scottish League XI match in 1926[4] and a Scottish Football Association summer tour of North America in 1927;[5][6] however unlike Willie, Jimmy never gained a full international cap. Taking all cups into account he played in exactly 500 matches for Celtic,[7] ranking 14th on the club's all-time list and making the most appearances overall for the Hoops without being selected for his country (Charlie Shaw holds the unwanted record in terms of Scottish Football League matches).

McStay managed Celtic between 9 February 1940 and 23 July 1945 but this coincided with the suspension of the League and Scottish Cup during wartime, meaning he never had the opportunity to manage the club in official competitions.[8] He also managed Irish club Brideville and Alloa Athletic prior to his appointment at Celtic,[9] and afterwards took charge of Hamilton Academical[10] (where he had also finished his playing career, appearing for Accies in the 1935 Scottish Cup Final aged 40).[11]

In addition to Willie and Jimmy, another McStay brother, Francis, was also a footballer, played for Motherwell in the 1910s.[12] Their great-great-nephews Paul and Willie and Raymond played professionally in the 1980s and 1990s (Paul also captaining Celtic and gaining 76 caps for Scotland).

Honours

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Player

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Celtic[7]

Manager

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Alloa Athletic

Celtic[13]

Hamilton Academical

Managerial statistics

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Team From To Record
G W D L Win %
Alloa Athletic[9] August 1938 February 1940 43 26 5 12 060.47
Celtic[8] February 1940 June 1945 0 0 0 0 !
Hamilton Academical[10] February 1946 April 1951 194 68 47 79 035.05
Total 237 94 52 91 039.66
  • Does not include wartime matches with Alloa; P20, W10, D2, L8, WP50%[9]
  • No competitive games played during his time at Celtic; wartime totals P220, W112, D38, L70, WP50.9%[8]
  • Does not include wartime matches with Hamilton; P11, W2, D2, L7, WP18.1%[10]
  • Wartime grand total: P251, W124, D42, L85, WP49.4%

References

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  1. ^ "Jimmy McStay". Londonhearts.com. London Hearts Supporters' Club. Retrieved 4 December 2011.
  2. ^ a b John Litster (October 2012). "A Record of pre-war Scottish League Players". Scottish Football Historian magazine. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. ^ William McStay Managers & Teammates, FitbaStats
  4. ^ "Sat 13 March 1926 SFL 0 English Football League 2". London Hearts Supporters' Club. Retrieved 3 September 2019.
  5. ^ Neil Morrison (4 January 2018). "British "FA XI" Tours: 1927 Tour of Canada by the Scottish FA". RSSSF. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
  6. ^ "Scottish Football Association Tour, 1927". Canadian Soccer History. Retrieved 6 July 2020.
  7. ^ a b Celtic player James McStay, FitbaStats
  8. ^ a b c Celtic manager James McStay, FitbaStats
  9. ^ a b c Alloa Athletic manager Jimmy McStay, FitbaStats
  10. ^ a b c Hamilton Academical manager Jimmy McStay, FitbaStats
  11. ^ 75 years since Accies' Scottish Cup final against Rangers, Daily Record, 15 April 2010
  12. ^ Where Ayr Failed | Skilful Wing Play At Fir Park. "McStay in particular had much aggressiveness in his movements, and in style as well as personal appearance bore a striking resemblance to his brother, whom he was opposing." Daily Record, 30 March 1914. Scan via London Hearts Supporters Club
  13. ^ "CELTIC FOOTBALL CLUB 1940 TO 1949". Celtic FC. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
    "The War Years: 1940-49". Jim Craig's Football 50. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  14. ^ "Glasgow Cup Final 1940/41". Fitbastats. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
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