Thomas Allan Muirhead (24 January 1897 – 27 May 1979) was a Scottish footballer who played for Hibernian, Rangers and Scotland.[1]

Tommy Muirhead
Personal information
Full name Thomas Allan Muirhead
Date of birth (1897-01-24)24 January 1897
Place of birth Cowdenbeath, Scotland
Date of death 27 May 1979(1979-05-27) (aged 82)
Place of death Helensburgh, Scotland
Position(s)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
Hearts of Beath
1915–1917 Hibernian 29 (3)
1917–1924 Rangers 154 (23)
1924 Boston Soccer Club 14 (0)
1924–1930 Rangers 137 (15)
Total 334 (41)
International career
1921–1924 Scottish League XI 5 (0)
1922–1929 Scotland 8 (0)
Managerial career
1924 Boston Soccer Club
1931–1936 St Johnstone
1936–1937 Preston North End
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Playing career

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Hibernian and Rangers

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Muirhead, a forward who was occasionally deployed as a half-back,[2] was signed by Rangers for £20 from Hibernian in May 1917.[3][4] He made his debut against his former club in a 3–0 win at Ibrox on 15 September 1917, although he did not become a regular until the following season.[5]

American Soccer League

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Muirhead's Rangers career was interrupted by a brief stint in the US in 1925. Cash-rich American Soccer League club Boston Soccer Club lured him across the Atlantic to assume the role of player-manager.[2] However, despite the presence of several other Scots, including internationalists such as Alex McNab and Barney Battles, he could not settle in Boston and returned to Glasgow after only 14 games.[6]

Return to Scotland

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Muirhead returned to Rangers where he played until 1930. He scored 46 goals in 349 overall appearances for Rangers and won eight Scottish Football League championship medals[4] (he never won the Scottish Cup, playing in the lost finals of 1921 and 1929, but not in the long-awaited win of 1930). He was also captain of the club for a spell.[5]

International

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Muirhead was capped at international level, making eight appearances for Scotland.[7] He captained Scotland in a 1–0 defeat against Ireland on 25 February 1928.[8]

Managerial career

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After his playing career, Muirhead had further spells in management with St Johnstone (1931–36) and Preston North End (1936–37) and he also worked as a sports journalist.[4]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ John Litster (October 2012). "A Record of pre-war Scottish League Players". Scottish Football Historian magazine. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  2. ^ a b Lamming, Douglas (1987). A Scottish Soccer Internationalists Who's Who, 1872-1986. Hutton Press. ISBN 0-907033-47-4.
  3. ^ Hibernian player Muirhead, Thomas, FitbaStats
  4. ^ a b c Hall of Fame | Tommy Muirhead, Rangers FC
  5. ^ a b Rangers player Muirhead, Tommy, FitbaStats
  6. ^ Jose, Colin (1998). American Soccer League, 1921-1931. The Scarecrow Press. ISBN 0-8108-3429-4.
  7. ^ Tommy Muirhead at the Scottish Football Association
  8. ^ "Scotland v Northern Ireland". scottishfa.co.uk. Scottish Football Association. Retrieved 27 March 2015.
  NODES
Association 2
INTERN 6
Note 1