Jimmy Miller (footballer, born 1871) explained

Jimmy Miller
Fullname:James Miller
Birth Date:10 February 1871[1]
Birth Place:Annbank, Scotland
Death Date:[2]
Death Place:Fulham, England
Position:Forward
Youthclubs1:Primrose
Years1:1889–1890
Years2:1889–1890
Years3:1890–1896
Years4:1896–1900
Years5:1900–1904
Years6:1904–1905
Years7:1905–1906
Clubs1:Annbank
Clubs3:Sunderland
Clubs4:Rangers
Clubs5:Sunderland
Caps3:140
Caps4:53
Caps5:97
Caps6:11
Caps7:0
Goals3:83
Goals4:30
Goals5:25
Goals6:0
Goals7:0
Totalcaps:301
Totalgoals:138
Nationalyears1:1897–1898[3]
Nationalteam1:Scottish League XI
Nationalcaps1:3
Nationalgoals1:0
Nationalyears2:1897–1898
Nationalteam2:Scotland
Nationalcaps2:3
Nationalgoals2:2

James Miller (10 February 1871 – 5 February 1907) was a Scottish footballer who played for Sunderland, Rangers and the Scotland national football team as a forward.

Club career

Initially playing with hometown village team Annbank, Miller was one of several skilled Scottish players brought to Sunderland by manager Tom Watson, which collectively became known as the 'team of all talents'.[4] A player noted for his skill on the ball rather than physical power,[5] he made his debut for the Black Cats on 13 September 1890 against Burnley, a match Sunderland lost 3–2.[6] He played for Sunderland over two different spells: 1890–96 (winning three Football League championships in four seasons) and 1900–04 (claiming a fourth title), separated by a stint in his homeland at Rangers where he won two Scottish Football League titles and two Scottish Cups.[7] [8] Overall he made 260 appearances for Sunderland, scoring 123 goals.[5] His uncle Billy Dunlop (only two years older)[9] was a teammate at Sunderland and Rangers, and his wife Marion was the sister of another teammate, Will Gibson.[1]

He later had a short spell with West Bromwich Albion[2] and then joined Chelsea for the club's first-ever season, but although registered as a player he did not make a competitive appearance and was mainly acting as trainer, the role he was still in at the time of his death from tuberculosis in February 1907, aged 36.[1]

International career

Having been considered ineligible for selection during his productive first spell at Sunderland (the Scottish Football Association ignored players at English clubs until 1896), Miller was capped for Scotland three times between 1897 and 1898 during his time with Rangers,[1] scoring twice, both in matches against England; his first was the winning goal to secure the 1896–97 British Home Championship at Crystal Palace, while his second at Celtic Park almost exactly a year later proved to be merely a consolation for the hosts as England won both the match and the tournament.[10] He also represented the Scottish League XI three times in the same period.[3]

Honours

Sunderland[7] [11]

1891–92, 1892–93, 1894–95, 1901–02

1895[12]

1902–03[13]

Rangers

1898–99, 1899–1900

1896–97, 1897–98; runner-up 1898–99

1896–97, 1897–98

1896–97, 1899–1900

1897–98

Scotland

1896–97

Notes and References

  1. Book: Mitchell, Andy . The men who made Scotland: The definitive Who's Who of Scottish Football Internationalists 1872-1939 . Amazon . 2021 . 9798513846642.
  2. http://www.doingthe92.com/display_player.asp?step=61&ID=6&pid=61094&ptag=Jimmy_Millar Jimmy Millar
  3. Web site: [SFL player] James Millar ]. London Hearts Supporters Club. 29 January 2019.
  4. Web site: The Joy of Six: Oft-forgotten title-winning managers . Scott Murray. The Guardian. 8 July 2011. 29 January 2019.
  5. Web site: Jimmy Millar. Sunderland A.F.C.. 29 January 2019.
  6. Web site: Burnley 3-2 Sunderland. The Stat Cat. 2008-07-30. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20080821121413/http://www.thestatcat.co.uk/Imatchdets/IMD4706.asp. 2008-08-21.
  7. Web site: SAFC Top 100: 10-1. A Love Supreme. 29 January 2019.
  8. A Record of pre-war Scottish League Players. John Litster. Scottish Football Historian magazine. October 2012.
  9. https://londonhearts.com/scores//images/1893/1893012004.htm Ayrshire's Best Half-back.
  10. News: [Scotland player] James Millar profile]. London Hearts Supporters' Club. 29 January 2019.
  11. Web site: Jimmy Millar. The Stat Cat. 29 January 2019.
  12. Web site: World Champions!. Roker Roar. 29 January 2019.
  13. Book: Corbett. B. O.. Annals of the Corinthian Football Club, page 159. LONGMANS, GREEN, AND CO.. 29 January 2019.