Players - Jimmy McInnes

Jimmy McInnes
Birthdate: 17 February 1912
Birthplace: Ayr, Scotland
Date of death: 5 May 1965
Other clubs: Third Lanark (1935-38); Brighton & Hove Albion, Newcastle United, York City, Leeds United, Luton Town, Millwall, Queens Park Rangers, Distillery, Manchester United, Fulham (wartime guest)
Signed from: Third Lanark
Signed for LFC: £5,500, 15.03.1938
Liverpool debut: 19.03.1938
Last appearance: 06.05.1939
Debut goal: 19.03.1938
Last goal: 19.03.1938
Contract expiry: 1946
Win ratio: 41.67% W:20 D:12 L:16
Wartime games/goals: 35 / 0
League games / goals: 45 / 1
Total games / goals: 48 / 1

Player Profile

Scottish left-half Jimmy McInnes arrived at Anfield in time to play in the last 11 first division fixtures of the 1937/38 season, taking over the number six shirt from legend Jimmy McDougall who wore it with distinction for nine years. He made his debut in a 3-1 win over Brentford in West London on 19 March 1938 which included the first of only two goals he scored as a Liverpool player. McInnes scored his second goal at Sheffield United on the opening day of the 1939/40 season, but only three fixtures into the campaign the Football League was suspended due to the outbreak of war and his appearances and goal expunged from records. McInnes never played in a competitive match for Liverpool again, although he did make the team for a number of games in the hastily-arranged Western Division of the Football League.

McInnes joined Liverpool's administrative staff after he retired in 1946. He was Liverpool's Secretary from 1955 until he took his own life on 5 May 1965, the day after the famous 3-1 win over Inter Milan at Anfield in the semi-finals of the European Cup. Four days earlier Liverpool had won the FA Cup for the first time against Leeds at Wembley. Apparently McInnes had been overwhelmed by the size of his task at Liverpool resorting to sleeping on a camp bed at Anfield. McInnes had been seen at the ground pulling at some cord earlier in the day, seemingly in quite good humour, but was later found hanging from a beam at the rear of the Kop.

Bill Shankly worked with McInnes for five and a half years at Liverpool and got to know him quite well. "Jimmy was honest and he was also quick-tempered. Sometimes he could be rude to people – some of them needed it, and he was right – but he would be gentlemanly with people he respected," Shankly revealed in his autobiography. "There were some of us at Anfield with whom he never had a harsh word. Others would find him difficult to deal with and hard to understand. I’ve heard him calling somebody on the telephone and suddenly, bang! The phone would go down. Jimmy loved a game of snooker, and he was a good player. It was a change from his chores as Secretary. When the club began to be transformed, Jimmy got the lash of the success. There were only a few seats in the stand in those days and when we won the Second Division championship, reached the FA Cup semi-final, won the First Division championship and then won the Cup, Jimmy’s work was doubled and everything began to pile up on top of him. He needed help."
Appearances per season
Please note

The three League games played in the 1939/40 season were expunged from Football League records as the season was stopped due to World War II. The games are therefore not considered valid by LFChistory.net and as the "Association of football statisticians" does not count them towards official player totals.

Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
Totals 45 3 0 0 0 48
1937-1938 11 0 0 0 0 11
1938-1939 34 3 0 0 0 37
1939-1940 0 0 0 0 0 0
A more detailed look at the player's appearances
Apps Minutes Opponent
4 360 Middlesbrough
3 270 Derby
3 270 Stoke City
3 270 Blackpool
3 270 Wolves
3 270 Bolton Wanderers
3 270 Birmingham City
2 180 Brentford
2 180 Everton
2 180 Arsenal
2 180 Preston North End
2 180 Aston Villa
2 180 Huddersfield Town
2 180 Charlton Athletic
2 180 Manchester United
2 180 Leeds United
1 90 Luton Town
1 90 Portsmouth
1 90 Sunderland
1 90 Chelsea
1 90 Manchester City
1 90 Leicester City
1 90 Grimsby Town
1 90 Stockport County
Total Venue
24 Away
24 Home
Total Competition
45 League
3 FA Cup
Total W D L Win % Manager
48 20 12 16 41.7% George Kay
Goals per season
Please note

The three League games played in the 1939/40 season were expunged from Football League records as the season was stopped due to World War II. The games are therefore not considered valid by LFChistory.net and as the "Association of football statisticians" does not count them towards official player totals.

Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
Totals 1 0 0 0 0 1
1937-1938 1 0 0 0 0 1
1938-1939 0 0 0 0 0 0
1939-1940 0 0 0 0 0 0
A more detailed look at the player's goalscoring
Total Opponent
1 Brentford
Total Competition
1 League
Total Goal minute period
1 31-45 minutes
1 46-60 minutes
Total Goal origin
1 Open play
Wartime Appearances / Goals
Season Appearances Goals
1939-1940 11 0
1941-1942 4 0
1942-1943 3 0
1944-1945 9 0
1945-1946 8 0
Milestone Appearances
# Date Against Stadium Competition
1 19.03.1938 Brentford Griffin Park League
Milestone Goals
# Minute Date Against Stadium Competition
1 60 19.03.1938 Brentford Griffin Park League
Scrapbook
McInnes signs
McInnes signs
Other Clubs
Club Season Club rank League apps League goals Total apps Total goals
Third Lanark 1935-1936 Scotland Division 1 34 1 34 1
Third Lanark 1936-1937 Scotland Division 1 38 1 38 1
Third Lanark 1937-1938 Scotland Division 1 31 5 31 5
Total 103 7 103 7