William Birrell (13 March 1897 – 29 November 1968) was a Scottish professional football forward who made over 220 appearances 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, Queens Park Rangers and Chelsea.[5][6]
| 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) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 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 | |||
Birrell's brother Bob was also a footballer.[5]
| 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[7] | First Division | 14 | 2 | — | 14 | 2 | |
| 1921–22[7] | 35 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 9 | ||
| 1922–23[7] | 38 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 41 | 10 | ||
| 1923–24[7] | 21 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 2 | ||
| 1924–25[7] | Second Division | 27 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 28 | 3 | |
| 1925–26[7] | 42 | 18 | 2 | 1 | 44 | 19 | ||
| 1926–27[7] | 41 | 16 | 3 | 2 | 44 | 18 | ||
| 1927–28[7] | 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 | ||
| Raith Rovers total | 128 | 41 | 12 | 14 | 140 | 55 | ||
| Career total | 353 | 100 | 22 | 18 | 375 | 118 | ||
| Team | From | To | Record | Ref | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| Raith Rovers (player-manager) | 1927 | 1930 | 123 | 45 | 24 | 54 | 036.59 | [8] |
| Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic | August 1930 | May 1935 | 220 | 67 | 56 | 97 | 030.45 | [9] |
| Queens Park Rangers | May 1935 | April 1939 | 184 | 85 | 42 | 57 | 046.20 | [9] |
| Chelsea | April 1939 | April 1952 | 285 | 96 | 74 | 115 | 033.68 | [9] |
| Total | 812 | 293 | 196 | 323 | 036.08 | — | ||
Middlesbrough
Chelsea
Raith Rovers F.C. – managers | |
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AFC Bournemouth – managers | |
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Chelsea F.C. – managers | |
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Queens Park Rangers F.C. – managers | |
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