Jim McInally

James Edward McInally (born 19 February 1964) is a Scottish football manager and former player. He played for Dundee United for 10 seasons in which he won the 1993–94 Scottish Cup and played in the 1987 UEFA Cup Final. At United he was also a three time Scottish Cup runner-up.

For the Canadian ice hockey player, see Jim McInally (ice hockey).

Jim McInally
Personal information
Full name James Edward McInally[1]
Date of birth (1964-02-19) 19 February 1964[1]
Place of birth Glasgow,[1] Scotland
Height 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)[2]
Position(s) Left back, Midfielder
Club information
Current team
 Peterhead (manager)
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1983–1984 Celtic 1 (0)
1984 → Dundee (loan) 11 (2)
1984–1986 Nottingham Forest 36 (0)
1986 Coventry City 5 (0)
1986–1995 Dundee United 284 (12)
1995–1996 Raith Rovers 29 (0)
1996–1997 Dundee United 16 (1)
1997–1999 Dundee 48 (1)
1999 Sligo Rovers 13 (0)
2000 East Fife 2 (0)
National team
1987–1993 Scotland 10 (0)
1990 Scottish League XI 1 (0)
Teams managed
1999 Sligo Rovers
2004–2008 Greenock Morton
2008–2011 East Stirlingshire
2011– Peterhead
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

McInally also played for Celtic, Nottingham Forest (1985 Player of the Year), Coventry City, Raith Rovers, Dundee, Sligo Rovers and East Fife. He gained 10 full caps with the Scotland national football team for whom he played at the UEFA Euro 1992 finals in Sweden.

His management career began with a player-manager role at Sligo Rovers. After his playing retirement he took charge of both Greenock Morton and East Stirlingshire. He is current manager of Peterhead.

Playing career

Celtic and loan to Dundee

McInally began senior his career at left back with Celtic, the team he supported as a boy. He won Scotland youth caps and then debuted under Billy McNeil on 28 August 1982 in a 7-1 league cup victory at Dunfermline Athletic.[3] However McNeil left in June 1983 and was replaced by Davie Hay who had no plans for McInally at Celtic. In January 1984 McInally was loaned to Dundee[4] where he scored twice in his 11 league games.[3] McInally left after only one appearance for Celtic in each of the league and the Scottish Cup to add to his debut in the league cup against Dunfermline.[5]

Nottingham Forest

He was flown down by Brian Clough to watch Nottingham Forest against Manchester United for the final league game of the 1983/84 season (Forest won 2--0). He was a guest of Forest at the game with two other players they were signing, Johnny Metgod and Gary Megson.[3] McInally's Forest debut was in and end of season tour in Australia.[6] While living in Nottingham's Balmoral Hotel he spent Christmas as a guest at the Clough household.[3] McInally was player of the year at the end of his first Forest season. Despite this success he stayed at Forest for only 18 months. In the summer of 1985 Stuart Pearce was signed by Clough. Pearce was the makeweight in a £300,000 deal bringing Coventry centre-back Ian Butterworth to Forest. So unsure was Pearce of his footballing future that after the transfer he advertised his services as an electrician in Forest's match-day programme. However Pearce immediately established himself at left back making 30 league appearances before the end of the season. McInally played beside Pearce in some games that season before leaving after his last game on 26 December 1985. McInally's last game was a 1–0 win away at Birmingham City.[6]

Coventry City

McInally moved in the opposite direction to Pearce joining Dave Bowman at Coventry City for £112,000.[6] He played five first team games there before he and Bowman double transferred to Scotland at the end of the season.

Dundee United

McInally and Bowman joined Dundee United in the summer of 1986 in a £140,000 joint transfer. At Tannadice McInally quickly became an effective defensive midfielder and played an important part in Dundee United's run to the UEFA Cup Final in his first season. McInally scored the opener in the home leg of the third round tie against Hadjuk Split. United beat F.C. Barcelona home and away and then eliminated Borussia Mönchengladbach in the semi final. They lost 2–1 on aggregate in the final to IFK Goteborg.

Bowman and McInally played in three losing Dundee United Scottish final teams. These were in 1987 to St Mirren, 1988 to Celtic and the 1991 final to Motherwell in which Bowman scored. They collected a winners medal from the 1994 Scottish Cup Final win against Rangers.

Raith Rovers

In 1995, following United's relegation to the Scottish Football League First Division, McInally remained in the Premier Division by joining newly promoted Raith Rovers as player/coach.

In early 1996, McInally was due to join Aberdeen in a swap deal for Peter Hetherston, and was paraded at a Pittodrie news conference.[7] Hetherston however failed a medical and the move collapsed.

Dundee United (second spell)

A few weeks into the following season, McInally moved back to Tannadice and made sixteen appearances.

Dundee

He then moved back to Dundee as a player-coach at Dens Park.

Scotland

McInally's first full cap was on 1 April 1987 losing 4–1 in a European Championship qualifier away to Belgium. He was selected for the Scotland squad for the UEFA Euro 1992 finals in Sweden. In Sweden he played in Scotland's third and final game as a 65th-minute substitute for Ally McCoist. The Scots won that game 3–0 against the CIS. McInally had played in two of the qualifiers both of which were 1–1 draws against Bulgaria. His 10th and final cap was the 5–0 defeat away to Portugal on 28 April 1993 that all but extinguished Scottish hopes of qualifying for the 1994 FIFA World Cup.[8]

Management career

Sligo Rovers

McInally joined Sligo Rovers as manager at the start of the 1999–00 season but early results did not go his way and he left the club for personal reasons. He returned to Scotland and joined the coaching staff of Celtic, working with the club's youth teams.

Greenock Morton

McInally moved back into management as he was appointed manager of Scottish Second Division side Greenock Morton.[9] In the 2005–06 season, he led Morton to 2nd place in the Division after which they were subsequently denied promotion by losing to Peterhead in the play-offs. McInally stated his intention to win the Second Division in the 2006–07 season, with that objective met in mid April when nearest challengers Stirling Albion fell out of mathematical contention. He won the August 2006 Second Division Manager of the Month award, along the way. He resigned in February 2008 after a run of poor results allowed Morton to slip into ninth place in the First Division.[10]

East Stirlingshire

On 13 March 2008, McInally was named the new manager of Third Division strugglers East Stirlingshire,[11] succeeding Gordon Wylde who resigned a month earlier. McInally was named November 2008 Manager of the Month for the Third Division by the Scottish Football League. He then won the same award in February and September 2009, but resigned in May 2011 after the club finished second bottom of the 2010–11 Scottish Third Division.[12]

Peterhead

McInally was appointed manager of Peterhead in October 2011.[13] He led the Blue Toon to its first trophy as a football league club by winning the Scottish League Two title in season 2013–14. The club were relegated back to the fourth tier via the play-offs in season 2016–17. McInally offered to resign after Peterhead failed to win promotion in 2017–18, but the board of directors asked him to stay on.[14] He then won the Scottish League Two title the next season, securing it on the last day.

Career statistics

International appearances
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Scotland[15] 198720
198810
1989—
199010
199110
199230
199320
Total100

Managerial record
As of match played 2 January 2021[16][17]
Team From To Record
GWDLWin %
Sligo Rovers 1999 1999
Greenock Morton 21 October 2004 19 February 2008 155 80 31 44 051.61
East Stirlingshire 13 March 2008 16 May 2011 141 58 21 62 041.13
Peterhead 7 October 2011 Present 386 178 75 133 046.11
Total 682 316 127 239 046.33
  • Sligo Rovers statistics currently unavailable.

Honours and awards

Player
Nottingham Forest
  • Player of the Year 1984-85
Dundee United

Manager
Greenock Morton
Peterhead

References
  1. "Jim McInally". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  2. Dunk, Peter, ed. (1987). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1987–88. London: Queen Anne Press. p. 138. ISBN 978-0-356-14354-5.
  3. "Interview: Jim McInally on Peterhead and childminding" The Scotsman 28 November 2015
  4. Dundee FC » Transfers 1983/1984
  5. Jim McInally, The Celtic Wiki
  6. Jim McInally, The City Ground
  7. "Angry King hits out at referees". The Independent. 1 February 1996. Retrieved 14 September 2012.
  8. Jim McInally, SFA
  9. "McInally named as Morton manager". BBC Sport. 22 October 2004. Retrieved 4 September 2008.
  10. "McInally resigns as Morton boss". BBC Sport. 12 February 2008. Retrieved 2 September 2008.
  11. "McInally takes over at Firs Park". BBC Sport. 13 March 2008. Retrieved 2 September 2008.
  12. "Head coach Jim McInally resigns from East Stirlingshire". BBC Sport. BBC. 16 May 2011. Retrieved 7 October 2011.
  13. "Jim McInally becomes Peterhead manager". BBC Sport. BBC. 7 October 2011. Retrieved 7 October 2011.
  14. Law, Callum (18 May 2018). "EXCLUSIVE: Peterhead's McInally staying on in job he loves for next season". Evening Express. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
  15. Jim McInally at the Scottish Football Association
  16. Jim McInally at Soccerbase
  17. Jim McInally at Soccerbase
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