John McMenemy

John McMenemy (9 February 1908 – 5 February 1983) was a Scottish footballer, who played for Celtic, Motherwell, Partick Thistle, St Mirren and Scotland.[1]

John McMenemy
Personal information
Date of birth (1908-02-09)9 February 1908
Place of birth Glasgow, Scotland
Date of death 5 February 1983(1983-02-05) (aged 74)
Place of death Glasgow, Scotland
Playing position(s) Inside forward
Youth career
St Roch's
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1925–1928 Celtic 15 (2)
1928–1936 Motherwell 241 (62)
1936–1938 Partick Thistle 32 (4)
1938–1939 St Mirren 10 (2)
Total 298 (70)
National team
1931–1933 Scottish League XI 3 (0)
1933 Scotland 1 (0)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Career

Club

Born in Glasgow, McMenemy played as an Inside-right. He began his career with local Junior club St Roch's before signing for Celtic in 1925, aged 17. He remained a squad player during his three seasons with the club, making 15 league appearances.[2][3] He played only one match in the Scottish Cup: the final of the 1926–27 edition, which his team won with a 3–1 victory over East Fife.[4]

In 1928, McMenemy moved to fellow top-tier club Motherwell where he became an important member of the side in the most prominent period of their history under manager 'Sailor' Hunter.[5] They finished third in the league in 1929 (albeit a huge margin behind Rangers), narrowed the gap to five points as runners-up in 1930, and to four in third place in 1931. In the 1931 Scottish Cup McMenemy played in another final, but Motherwell lost to his former club Celtic in a replay,[6] having conceded a last-minute equaliser in the first match at Hampden Park despite leading by two goals (one by McMenemy).[7]

The following season, 1931–32, saw Motherwell become league champions for the first and only time.[8] In 1932–33 the Steelmen came close to success again, but finished second in the league and once more were defeated by Celtic in the Scottish Cup Final.[9] They finished just behind champions Rangers and reached the Scottish Cup semi-finals in 1934, but had now peaked as a group, dropping down to seventh place the next season.

It is also worth noting that McMenemy's primary role was as a creator, and that the Motherwell centre forward Willie MacFadyen scored a huge number of league goals (194, including 52 in the title-winning campaign)[8] during five consecutive seasons they played alongside one another.

in 1936 McMenemy, now aged 28, departed from Fir Park, signing for Partick Thistle for a fee of £1,000.[8] In January 1938 he moved again within the Greater Glasgow area to play with St Mirren, being released in May 1939 after making 11 appearances for the Paisley club.[10][3]

International

McMenemy received one cap for Scotland (replacing his brother who had pulled out of the squad due to injury),[11][12] a 3–2 loss to Wales in Cardiff. He also appeared three times for the Scottish League XI, all during his spell with Motherwell.[13]

Personal life

John was the son of Celtic player Jimmy (winner of the Scottish Football League championship[14] and the Scottish Cup[15] several times each, the last in 1921) and the elder brother of Harry[11] (winner of the FA Cup with Newcastle United in 1932)[16][17] who both also played in the inside forward position. Another brother, Joe, featured for Strathclyde Juniors in the 1930s.[18] They are distantly related to Lawrie McMenemy.[16]

In 2016, his Motherwell championship medal was auctioned[19] with the winning bidder loaning the item back to the club for display.[20]

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References
  1. (Smith 2013, p. 196)
  2. "Celtic player John McMenemy profile". Fitbastats. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  3. "John McMenemy". Play Up Liverpool. Retrieved 12 October 2018.
  4. "Celtic 2–1 East Fife, Scottish Cup (newspaper report scans)". The Celtic Wiki. 16 April 1927. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  5. "John McMenemy profile". Motherwellnet. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  6. "Celtic 2–2 Motherwell, Scottish Cup (newspaper report scans)". The Celtic Wiki. 11 April 1931. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  7. "Celtic 4–2 Motherwell, Scottish Cup (newspaper report scans)". The Celtic Wiki. 15 April 1931. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  8. "Club History 1930-1939". Motherwell F.C. Archived from the original on 8 November 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  9. "Celtic 1–0 Motherwell, Scottish Cup (newspaper report scans)". The Celtic Wiki. 17 April 1933. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  10. "Player profiles Mc". StMirren.info. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  11. "Scotland - International Matches 1931-1939". RSSSF. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  12. The Brothers McMenemy, The Glasgow Herald, 28 September 1933
  13. "SFL Player John McMenemy Appearances". Londonhearts.com. London Hearts Supporters' Club. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  14. "Jimmy McMenemy - a true Celtic legend". Celtic F.C. 6 June 2012. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  15. "How Partick Thistle won the Scottish Cup". The Sunday Post via Partick Thistle History Archive. 17 April 1921. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  16. "Profile". Toon1892. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  17. "FA Cup Final 1932". FA Cup History (unofficial site). Archived from the original on 11 March 2007. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  18. Webster, Jack (7 October 1989). "First reunion of the 1938 stalwarts". The Herald (Glasgow). Google News Archive. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  19. "Historic Motherwell FC medal up for auction". Evening Times. 10 August 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
  20. "Players get a piece of club history". Motherwell F.C. 25 November 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2017.
Sources
  • Smith, Paul (2013). Scotland Who's Who. Pitch Publishing. ISBN 9781909178847.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
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