Peter McWilliam facts for kids

Peter McWilliam (born September 21, 1879 – died October 1, 1951) was a famous Scottish footballer and manager. He played as a left-half, which is a midfield position, for teams like Inverness Thistle and Newcastle United. He also played for the Scottish national team. During his nine years with Newcastle United, he won many important football trophies.

After his playing days, he became a successful manager. He managed Tottenham Hotspur twice and also Middlesbrough. He was the manager at Tottenham for the longest time, even though his time there was split up by two World Wars. He led Spurs to an FA Cup win in 1921. This made him the first person to win the FA Cup both as a player and as a manager.

Early Life and Family

Peter McWilliam was born on September 21, 1879, in Inverness, Scotland. He was one of six children. His father worked as a grocer's porter. His family had moved to Inverness from a place called Forgue in Aberdeenshire. Interestingly, a future teammate, Andy McCombie, lived nearby.

In 1905, while he was playing for Newcastle United, Peter married Florence Woof. She was from Redcar, England. They soon moved to Redcar and had four children: Peter Neish, Elizabeth Jean, Florence Margaret, and David John. Peter McWilliam passed away on October 1, 1951, in Redcar and is buried in a nearby cemetery called Kirkleatham.

Playing Career

McWilliam began his football journey at Inverness Thistle, playing there for two years. Then, he moved to Newcastle United in 1902, where he had a very successful time until 1911. He played 241 games for Newcastle and scored 12 goals from his left-half position.

He helped Newcastle win many titles. They won the Football League Championship in 1904–05, 1905–06, and 1908–09. He also played in the FA Cup Final three times, in 1905, 1906, and 1908, finally winning the FA Cup in 1910. He was also chosen to play for the Scottish national team eight times. Fans called him "Peter the Great" because he was so popular with the Newcastle supporters.

Playing for Scotland

Peter McWilliam played for Scotland eight times. He even had the honor of being the captain of the national team. Sadly, his playing career ended because of a serious knee injury. This happened during a match against Wales on March 7, 1911.

Managerial Career

After his playing days, Peter McWilliam became a football manager. He managed Tottenham Hotspur for two different periods. In between, he was the manager at Middlesbrough.

He first became Tottenham's manager on December 21, 1912, starting his job on January 1, 1913. At first, things were tough, and the team finished last in the top division in the 1914–15 season. Football then stopped because of the First World War.

When football started again after the war, McWilliam led Tottenham back to the top division. He guided them through a very successful time. They won the Second Division Title in 1920. After being promoted, they won the FA Cup in 1921. They also won the Charity Shield at the start of the next season and finished second in the First Division in 1922.

For the next five seasons, Tottenham finished in the middle of the league table. In 1927, he left Tottenham to manage Middlesbrough because they offered him a good salary. He had some success there over five seasons, but he wasn't as popular with the fans. In 1934, he briefly returned to London to work as a chief scout for Arsenal, but he turned down their offer to become their manager.

In 1938, McWilliam came back to manage Tottenham again. He started to rebuild the team, hoping to get them out of the Second Division. He brought many young players from their youth team into the main squad, including a future famous manager, Bill Nicholson. However, his second time as manager was also cut short by another World War. The war effectively ended his career as a manager, and he returned home in 1942. By the time the war finished, he felt he was too old to manage football teams and retired.

Legacy and Influence

Peter McWilliam had a big impact on how football was played. Arthur Rowe, who played under McWilliam and later created the "push and run" style of play, said he learned a lot from McWilliam. This quick passing style became known as the "Spurs Way" and was perfected by Bill Nicholson.

McWilliam himself learned this style of football, which focused on keeping possession of the ball, from Robert Smyth McColl when he was at Newcastle. This way of playing can be traced back even further to Scottish players in the 1800s.

Vic Buckingham, another player who started his career under McWilliam, was also influenced by McWilliam's ideas of a possession-based game and a "pass-and-move" style. Buckingham developed these ideas even further. He later managed famous clubs like Ajax and Barcelona and is seen as an important influence on the development of "Total Football", a very famous style of play.

Honours

As a manager

Tottenham Hotspur

• FA Cup: 1920–21
• Football League Second Division: 1919–20
• FA Charity Shield: 1921

Middlesbrough

• Football League Second Division: 1928–29

See also

• List of Scotland national football team captains