Willie McCartney
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | William McCartney | ||
| Date of birth | 1887 or 1888 | ||
| Date of death | (aged 60)[1] | ||
| Place of death | Davidson's Mains, Scotland | ||
| Managerial career | |||
| Years | Team | ||
| 1919–1935 | Heart of Midlothian | ||
| 1936–1948 | Hibernian | ||
William McCartney (1887 or 1888 — 24 January 1948) was a Scottish football referee[2] and manager. He managed both of the Edinburgh derby rivals, Heart of Midlothian (Hearts) and Hibernian (Hibs).
The Sunday Herald newspaper listed McCartney in 22nd place in their 2003 list of the 50 greatest Scottish football managers, citing his role in the development of Hibs' Famous Five forward line.[3] The newspaper also said that McCartney "was intelligent, jovial and had great presence",[3] and described his ultimate failure to win a major trophy as "unthinkably cruel".[3]
McCartney was appointed Hearts manager in November 1919, replacing his father, John.[2][4] Unlike his father, Willie McCartney had never played football at a high level because he suffered an injury while playing as a youth and he initially became a referee instead.[4] When he took the manager position at Hearts he had the task of rebuilding a team that had been decimated by the First World War, including three dead on the first day of the Battle of the Somme.[2] Although Hearts drew big crowds during the early 1920s, the team was unsuccessful and narrowly avoided relegation in 1922.[2]
Hearts improved through the rest of McCartney's time, particularly after the signing of prolific goalscorer Barney Battles, Jr. in 1928, but defensive frailties meant that they did not win any trophies.[5] In 1933, McCartney asked to be relieved of clerical duties to concentrate on working with the players, but this had no discernible impact.[5] McCartney resigned in June 1935, as the new chairman wanted a more hands-on approach to management.[6] McCartney had signed and developed many good players, but ultimately failed to deliver success.[6]