Jimmy Greenhalgh facts for kids

James Radcliffe Greenhalgh (born August 25, 1923 – died August 31, 2013) was an English football player and manager. He played as a wing half, which is a midfield position. Jimmy, as he was known, played almost 300 games in the Football League for teams like Hull City, Bury, and Gillingham. After his playing days, he managed Darlington Football Club from 1966 to 1968. He also had a long career coaching and finding new talent as a scout for many football clubs.

Jimmy Greenhalgh's Football Journey

Early Life and Hull City Days

James Radcliffe Greenhalgh was born on August 25, 1923, in Manchester, England. He grew up in the Moston area of the city. Before becoming a professional footballer, he worked as a butcher's assistant.

Jimmy started playing football for a local team called Newton Heath Loco. In 1946, after World War II, he signed with Hull City. This was just before the first Football League season after the war. He chose Hull City because there was housing available for him and his wife there. Other clubs like Wigan Athletic and Everton had no homes available due to wartime damage.

He quickly became a regular player for Hull City. In his first season, he played in four different positions. He then settled as a right half and played almost every game. He played less in the 1947–48 season. However, he became a key player again the next season. Hull City won the Third Division North title in 1948–49. They also reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, losing to Manchester United.

Playing for Bury and Gillingham

Jimmy started as a regular player in the Second Division for Hull City. But over time, he played less often. In November 1950, he moved to another Second Division club, Bury, for £13,000.

He played every game for his first two years at Bury. He then missed a few weeks due to an injury. In 1953, he felt his place in the team was at risk. He asked to be put on the transfer list, meaning he wanted to leave. However, he stayed with Bury and returned to the team later that season. He only played one game in the 1954–55 season.

Liverpool showed some interest in him, but nothing came of it. In 1955, Jimmy left Bury and the Football League. He spent one season playing for Wigan Athletic. In July 1956, Jimmy joined Gillingham as a player-coach. He stayed in this role for two and a half years. After his first season, he mainly played for the reserve team.

From Coach to Manager

In January 1959, Jimmy Greenhalgh became a trainer-coach for Lincoln City. He took on the same role at Newcastle United in June 1962. Working under manager Joe Harvey, Jimmy helped Newcastle win the Second Division title in 1965. This meant they returned to the top division of English football.

In July 1966, Jimmy became the manager of Darlington. The previous manager had left after leading the team to promotion. Jimmy's goal was to keep Darlington in the Third Division. However, the team was relegated, meaning they dropped down a division. He also made a big decision to release Ron Greener, a player who had played many games for the club. At the end of February 1968, Jimmy left Darlington by "mutual agreement." The team was at the bottom of the Fourth Division at the time.

Later Career and Life

Managing Darlington was Jimmy Greenhalgh's only time as a main manager. His daughter later explained that he loved playing football. She said he became a respected coach later in his career. But being a manager back then often meant sitting behind a desk, which he didn't enjoy as much.

Just a few days after leaving Darlington, he became the chief coach at Middlesbrough. He worked there until 1979. On January 1, 1980, he joined Sunderland as their chief scout. A scout's job is to find talented new players.

In 1990, he worked with the Dutch Football Association's coaching staff. Later that year, he helped Port Vale manager John Rudge as a scout in the north-east of England.

Jimmy Greenhalgh was married to Flo. They had two children, Linda and James. Towards the end of his life, he lived in a care home in Darlington. He passed away there on August 31, 2013, at the age of 90.

Playing Statistics

Managerial Statistics