- Jimmy Blair (footballer born 1888)
Infobox Football biography
playername = Jimmy Blair
fullname = James Blair
dateofbirth = birth date|1888|05|11
cityofbirth =Glenboig
countryofbirth =Scotland
dateofdeath = 1964
cityofdeath =
countryofdeath =
currentclub =
height =
position = Defender
years = ?-?
?-1913
1913-1914
1914-1920
1920-1926
1926-1928
clubs = Bonnybridge Thistle
Ashfield
Clyde
Sheffield Wednesday
Cardiff City
Bournemouth
caps(goals) = 00? (?)
00? (?)
00? (?)
057 (0)
177 (0)
00? (?)
nationalyears = 1920-1924
nationalteam = Scotland
nationalcaps(goals) = 008 (0)|James "Jimmy" Blair (born
11 May ,1888 — died 1964) was a Scottish international footballer, probably most well known for playing in the1925 FA Cup Final for Cardiff City.His son, Doug, was also a professional footballer.
Career
Blair had played for Scottish amateur sides Bonnybridge Thistle and Ashfield before being signed by Clyde. He spent only one year at the club after attracting interest from several clubs around Britain but it was Sheffield Wednesday who managed to sign him in 1914 for a fee of £2,000. Unfortunatley he struggled to ever make a big impact on the team due to various different events. Soon after joining the club he was involved in a motorcycle crash that kept him out of the team for a long period and he had made just twenty appearances following his recovery when the
Football League was suspended due to the outbreak ofWorld War I . He returned home toScotland during the war and Sheffield Wednesday struggled to get him to return to the club after the hostilities had ended as he was not happy with the deal being offered. He did eventually return to play for the club but, following their relegation, he left to join Cardiff City in 1920 for £3,500.He made his debut in a 4-2 win over Blackpool and went on to establish himself in Cardiff's first team during his six years at
Ninian Park . In 1925 Blair was on the losing side in theFA Cup final against Sheffield United followingFred Tunstall 's goal. He left the club in 1926 and played for two years at Bournemouth before retirng. He later spent time in a coaching role at Cardiff before moving into the licensing trade.During the early 1920's Blair became a regular for Scotland and won a total of eight caps, making his first appearance on
13 March ,1920 against Ireland and his final appearance on16 February ,1924 against Wales. [ [http://www.rsssf.com/tabless/scot-intres1920.html "Scotland international matches"] rsssf.com retrieved on1 April ,2008 ]References
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.