Billy Birrell
Scottish footballer and manager
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
William Birrell (13 March 1897 – 29 November 1968) was a Scottish professional footballer who played as a forward.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William Birrell[1] | ||
| Date of birth | 13 March 1897 | ||
| Place of birth | Cellardyke, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 29 November 1968 (aged 71)[2] | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[3] | ||
| Position | Forward | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1914–1915 | Inverkeithing United | ||
| 1915–1921 | Raith Rovers | 77 | (19) |
| –1920 | → Kirkcaldy United (guest) | ||
| 1921–1927 | Middlesbrough | 225 | (59) |
| 1927–1930 | Raith Rovers | 51 | (22) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1927–1930 | Raith Rovers (player-manager) | ||
| 1930–1935 | Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic | ||
| 1935–1939 | Queens Park Rangers | ||
| 1939–1952 | Chelsea | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Career
Birrell made over 220 appearances as a forward in the Football League for Middlesbrough.[1] He also made over 120 appearances in the Scottish League for Raith Rovers.[4] He began his career in management while a player at Raith Rovers and after his retirement, he managed Football League clubs Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic and Queens Park Rangers.[5][6]
On 19 April 1939, he was appointed the new Chelsea manager.[6] The Second World War forced the Football League to be abandoned less than half a year following Birrell's appointment.[7] During wartime, he led Chelsea to two consecutive Football League War Cup South Final at Wembley, winning the cup in 1945.[7]
In wartime, Birrell developed the idea of a youth team for Chelsea, and on 25 May 1940, the Chelsea Junior team, a team which included future England manager Ron Greenwood, played their first match against Queens Park Rangers.[8] Birrell's plan was fully implemented after the war, with the sponsorship of The Tudor Rose Boys' Club, allowing them to run four teams in the Harrow and Wembley League.[9]
Personal life
Career statistics
Player
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Raith Rovers | 1915–16[4] | Scottish Division One | 13 | 5 | — | 13 | 5 | |
| 1916–17[4] | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | |||
| 1919–20[4] | 35 | 7 | 6 | 2 | 41 | 9 | ||
| 1920–21[4] | 28 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 29 | 7 | ||
| Total | 77 | 19 | 7 | 2 | 84 | 21 | ||
| Middlesbrough | 1920–21[10] | First Division | 14 | 2 | — | 14 | 2 | |
| 1921–22[10] | 35 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 9 | ||
| 1922–23[10] | 38 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 41 | 10 | ||
| 1923–24[10] | 21 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 2 | ||
| 1924–25[10] | Second Division | 27 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 28 | 3 | |
| 1925–26[10] | 42 | 18 | 2 | 1 | 44 | 19 | ||
| 1926–27[10] | 41 | 16 | 3 | 2 | 44 | 18 | ||
| 1927–28[10] | First Division | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | |
| Total | 225 | 59 | 10 | 4 | 235 | 63 | ||
| Raith Rovers | 1926–27[4] | Scottish Division One | 15 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 18 | 5 |
| 1929–30[4] | Scottish Division Two | 20 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 22 | 13 | |
| 1930–31[4] | 16 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 6 | ||
| Total | 128 | 41 | 12 | 14 | 140 | 55 | ||
| Career total | 353 | 100 | 22 | 18 | 375 | 118 | ||
Manager
| Team | From | To | Record | Ref | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| Raith Rovers (player-manager) | 1927 | 1930 | 123 | 45 | 24 | 54 | 36.59 | [11] |
| Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic | August 1930 | May 1935 | 220 | 67 | 56 | 97 | 30.45 | [12] |
| Queens Park Rangers | May 1935 | April 1939 | 184 | 85 | 42 | 57 | 46.20 | [12] |
| Chelsea | April 1939 | April 1952 | 285 | 96 | 74 | 115 | 33.68 | [12] |
| Total | 812 | 293 | 196 | 323 | 36.08 | — | ||
Honours
As a player
Middlesbrough
As a manager
Chelsea
- Football League South War Cup: 1943–44, 1944–45[7]
