Billy Birrell

Scottish footballer and manager

Billy Birrell
Personal information
Full name William Birrell[1]
Date of birth 13 March 1897
Place of birth Cellardyke, Scotland
Date of death 29 November 1968(1968-11-29) (aged 71)[2]
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[3]
Position(s) Forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1914–1915 Inverkeithing United
1915–1921 Raith Rovers 77 (19)
0000–1920 → 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

William Birrell (13 March 1897 – 29 November 1968) was a Scottish professional footballer who played as a forward.

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

Birrell's brother Bob was also a footballer.[5]

Career statistics

Player

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
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 54 036.59 [11]
Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic August 1930 May 1935 220 67 56 97 030.45 [12]
Queens Park Rangers May 1935 April 1939 184 85 42 57 046.20 [12]
Chelsea April 1939 April 1952 285 96 74 115 033.68 [12]
Total 812 293 196 323 036.08 —

Honours

As a player

Middlesbrough

As a manager

Chelsea

References

  • Matthews, Tony (2005). Who's Who of Chelsea. Mainstream Publishing. ISBN 1-84596-010-6.
  • Mears, Brian (2004). Chelsea: A 100-year History. Mainstream Sport. ISBN 1-84018-823-5.
  1. ^ a b Joyce, Michael (16 October 2012). Football League Players' Records 1888–1939 (3rd Revised ed.). Tony Brown. p. 28. ISBN 9781905891610.
  2. ^ "Billy Birrell | Chelsea Manager". Stamford-Bridge.com The History of Chelsea FC. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
  3. ^ Vulcan (22 August 1921). "First Division prospects. Middlesbrough". Athletic News. Manchester. p. 5.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h Litster, John. Record of Pre-War Scottish League Players. Norwich: PM Publications.
  5. ^ a b c "Birrell Billy Middlesbrough 1926". Vintage Footballers. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
  6. ^ a b "Billy Birrell". Official Site | Chelsea Football Club. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
  7. ^ a b c "Chelsea in the Second World War". www.chelseafc.com. Retrieved 9 December 2022.
  8. ^ "Long Read: Future Blues – a history of the founding of Chelsea Juniors". www.chelseafc.com. Archived from the original on 4 August 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  9. ^ "Birrell's Babes – a history of the founding of Chelsea Juniors – part two". www.chelseafc.com. Archived from the original on 15 July 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h "Billy Birrell". 11v11.com. Retrieved 26 December 2018.
  11. ^ "Raith Rovers Manager Billy Birrell Details". www.fitbastats.com. Retrieved 7 October 2019.
  12. ^ a b c Billy Birrell management career statistics at Soccerbase

External links

  • Billy Birrell management career statistics at Soccerbase
  • Billy Birrell at chelseafc.com
  • v
  • t
  • e
Raith Rovers F.C. – managers
  • Hodge (1907–12)
  • Tod (1912–13)
  • Richardson (1913–16)
  • Hodge (1916–19)
  • Logan (1919–26)
  • G. Wilson (1926–27)
  • Birrell (1927–30)
  • Logan (1930–33)
  • Bennie (1933–34)
  • Archibald (1934–39)
  • Reekie (1939–45)
  • Herdman (1945–61)
  • Shaw (1961–62)
  • Conn (1962–63)
  • Cowie (1963–64)
  • Farm (1964–67)
  • Walker (1967–69)
  • Millar (1969–70)
  • Baxter (1970–71)
  • Farm (1971–74)
  • Paton (1974–75)
  • Matthew (1975–78)
  • W. McLean (1978–79)
  • Wallace (1979–83)
  • B. Wilson (1983–86)
  • Connor (1986–90)
  • Nicholl (1990–96)
  • Thomson (1996)
  • T. McLean (1996)
  • Munro (1996–97)
  • Nicholl (1997–99)
  • McVeigh (1999)
  • Hetherston (1999–2001)
  • Scott (2001–02)
  • Calderón (2002–04)
  • Anelka (2004)
  • Dalziel (2004–06)
  • Levein (2006)
  • McGlynn (2006–12)
  • G. Murray (2012–15)
  • McKinnon (2015–16)
  • Locke (2016–17)
  • Hughes (2017)
  • Smith (2017–18)
  • McGlynn (2018–22)
  • I. Murray (2022–)
  • v
  • t
  • e
AFC Bournemouth – managers
(c) = caretaker manager
  • v
  • t
  • e
Chelsea F.C. – managers
(c) = caretaker manager; (i) = interim; (p) = player-manager
  • v
  • t
  • e
Queens Park Rangers F.C. – managers
(c) = caretaker manager


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