It’s been nearly 87 years since Aston Villa appointed their first full-time manager – Jimmy McMullan on Jume 1 in 1934. He was brought in from Oldham Athletic and lasted two years in the job before being sacked, eventually moving on to Notts County.
McMullan was a former left half who played for Third Lanark (1912 – 1913), Partick Thistle (1913 – 1921), Maidstone United (1921 – 1923), Partick Thistle (1923 – 1926), Manchester City (1926 – 1933) and Oldham (1933 – 1934) in his career before getting into coaching.
He managed Maidstone United (1921 – 1923), Oldham (1933 – 1934), Villa (1934 – 1936), Notts County (1936 – 1937) and Sheffield Wednesday (1937 – 1942), but it’s his stint at Villa that was notable.
McMullan was their first full-time appointment and also had the ignominious honour of getting the club relegated. In 1934/35, Villa finished 13th in the First Division. But in 1935/36, they finished 21st in the First Division and were sent to the second tier with Blackburn Rovers.
After spending £35,000 on new players, McMullan got the hook for Villa’s poor performance over the campaign and was sacked on October 1936.
In other news, Lee Butler was born on this day in 1966 and became understudy to Nigel Spink
