---
title: "87 years since Aston Villa appointed first full-time manager who was sacked after spending spree"
canonical: "https://readastonvilla.com/2021/05/31/aston-villa-appoint-first-full-time-manager-in-1934-sacked-after-spending-spree/"
type: "post"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Crippy Cooke"
section: "Aston Villa News"
published: "2021-05-31T07:00:00Z"
modified: "2021-05-31T07:00:00Z"
---

# 87 years since Aston Villa appointed first full-time manager who was sacked after spending spree

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.

![](https://media.readastonvilla.com/readastonvilla/2021/05/20210530_231739-1024x404.jpg)

From Brian Beard’s ‘Aston Villa On This Day – Histoty, Facts & Figures from Every Day of the Year’

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](https://www.englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk/final/f1934-35.html). But in 1935/36, they finished 21st in the [First Division](https://www.englishfootballleaguetables.co.uk/final/f1935-36.html) 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](https://readastonvilla.com/2021/05/30/lee-butler-born-on-this-day-in-1966-understudy-nigel-spink/)***