Thomas Mitchell (football manager)

Infobox Football biography
playername = Thomas Mitchell
fullname = Thomas Brown Mitchell
dateofbirth = "c." 1843
cityofbirth = Dumfries
countryofbirth = Scotland
dateofdeath = August 1921
manageryears = 1884-1896
1897-1898
managerclubs = Blackburn Rovers
Woolwich Arsenal

Thomas Brown Mitchell ("c."1843 – August 1921) was a Scottish football manager.

Mitchell was born in Dumfries but moved south of the border "c."1867. He became secretary-manager of Blackburn Rovers in 1884 and led the club to a five FA Cup wins between 1884 and 1891. He left Blackburn in 1896 and later joined Woolwich Arsenal in 1897, after the club decided to appoint a professional manager following their defeat at the hands of Millwall in the FA Cup. There is some doubt over whether he was Arsenal's first- or second-ever manager; Sam Hollis is credited on the club's official website as being the club's first manager,cite web | url=http://www.arsenal.com/article.asp?thisNav=the+club&article=365320&lid=History&Title=Arsenal+Managers | title=Arsenal Managers | work=Arsenal.com ] other historical sources claim Hollis was only the club's trainer [cite book | author=Joy, Bernard
title=Forward Arsenal!
publisher=Phoenix House
year=1952 | quote=Arsenal's trainer, Hollis, however, was true to the nineteenth century pattern. | pages=p.11 ] and thus Mitchell was the club's first manager – a view reinforced by the club's own official history, amongst other sources. [cite book
author=Soar, Phil & Tyler, Martin
title=The Official Illustrated History of Arsenal
publisher=Hamlyn | year=2005
id=ISBN 0-600613-44-5 | pages=p. 30 | quote=A disastrous FA Cup defeat by non-League Millwall (2-4 away) on 16 January 1896 proved one turning point for the committee. They decided to appoint a secretary-manager, one T.B. Mitchell from Blackburn,... ] [cite book
author=Roper, Alan
title=The Real Arsenal Story: In the Days of Gog
publisher=Wherry | year=2004
id=ISBN 0-9546259-1-9 | pages=p. 120 | quote=After their humiliating defeat the Arsenal FC directors decided to appoint their first professional manager, and the first to be signed was Thomas Brown Mitchell, a Scot. ] [cite book | author=Joy
title=Forward Arsenal!
year=1952 | page=p. 12 | quote=The first manager was T.B. Mitchell, from Blackburn Rovers and he was succeeded after a few months by G. Elcoat of Stockton. ]

Regardless of whether Hollis was properly in charge of the club during his time there, Mitchell is nevertheless credited as being Arsenal's first "professional" manager. However, he only lasted less than a season in the job, and although the club would reach fifth in the Second Division in 1897-98, neither he nor most of his signings stayed long with the club. Mitchell resigned as Arsenal manager on 10 March 1898, and later returned to Blackburn Rovers. He died in Blackburn in 1921, aged 78.

References