Lumsden: James Murdoch (Jimmy)

1964-1970 (Player Details)

Right Half

Born: Glasgow: 07-11-1947

Debut: v Sheffield Wednesday (h): 15-05-1967

5’5” 12st 7lb (1970)

From Kinning Park, he played for Glasgow schools and had trials for Scotland before turning professional with Leeds in November 1964 along with close friend Eddie Gray. The two had played in the same Glasgow Schoolboys team from being Under-Thirteen to being Under-Fifteen and subsequently both played for Glasgow United, a junior club which had provided Leeds with several young players in that period. He started as an inside forward but was converted to a wing-half, as he and Eddie Gray found themselves in the company of such rising stars as Peter Lorimer, Jim McCalliog, Terry Hibbitt, Mick Bates, David Harvey and Jimmy Greenhoff on the groundstaff and the two Glaswegians shared accomodation as they served their apprenticeship at Elland Road, and Lumsden was signed as a professional in November 1964. He made good progress through the Junior and Reserve ranks but it was hard to break into the first team squad which had many fine young players in their ranks, such as Paul Madeley, Terry Yorath and Rod Belfitt as well as the Juniors and established first team players. On his debut he played at right-half in a very under-strength Leeds team on the last game of the 1966-67 season. He then had to wait for the last game of the next season before getting his second chance in another under-strength side which lost 3-0 at Burnley in the final game of the 1967-68 season. It was March 1970 before he got his next run as a substitute in a 1-3 home defeat by Southampton, followed immediately by a game at right-half in the infamous 1-4 defeat at Derby County, when he was installed as Captain for the game, in which United were fined for playing an under-strength team. He had his photo taken with the Derby County Captain, but he had been looking forward to it being Dave McKay, but he was missing and Willie Carlin was the Derby Captain for the day. Leeds Manager Don Revie, was forced to accept that his side’s strength-sapping quest for three trophies was an impossible demand on the usual eleven or so players, and he effectively forfeited the challenge for the Division One title as he did not include a single first-team regular in the side that took the field. He was conscious that a European Cup semi-final first-leg with Celtic was two days away and was mindful that his players were all carrying injuries from their exhausting fixture congestion after every last ounce of strength and determination to get past Manchester United in an FA Cup Semi-Final Second Replay at Burnden Park just seven days previous and the ninth game they had played in the thirty days of March. A feat that did not impress the F.A. Secretary! Although he was often captain of the Reserves, first team oppurtunities had been rare but he did not move until September 1970, when he joined Southend United. There he had just twelve League games. He signed for Greenock Morton in June 1971 and was ever-present in 1971-72, scoring once in thirty-four League games and had scored twice more in five starts and three substitute appearances in 1972-73 before he moved to St Mirren in December 1972. He played thirteen League games without scoring before joining Cork Hibernians, along with Tommy Henderson for the 1973-74 season. He rejoined Morton in November 1973 and scored twice in twenty-eight League games before, in June 1975, he joined Clydebank and won a Scottish League Division Two medal and promotion to the Premier Division the following year. He gave good service to the West Dunbartonshire club and in his three seasons there he scored three times, on 14th February 1976 in a 2-2 home draw with Albion Rovers, from the penalty spot in a 2-0 home win over Dumbarton and in a 3-2 home victory over Celtic on 8th April 1978, in sixty four starts and five games from the bench in the League. He also scored twice in six starts in the Scottish Cup, made seventeen starts and came on twice as a substitute in the Scottish League Cup, made two starts in the Anglo-Scottish Cup and scored twice, both in the one game in a 4-1 home win over Albion Rovers on 14th April 1976 in nine starts in the Stirlingshire Cup. He finished his football playing career with Celtic, who he signed for in the 1978 closed season, when he became Billy McNeill's first signing for Celtic, when he paid Clydebank £10,000 for his services. He made his one and only appearance in a 2-1 win over Clyde at Parkhead in an Anglo-Scottish Cup tie on 3rd August 1978, but he was also used as an unused substitute several times in the 1978-79 season. He was not bought for first team service but rather to bring on the young Celtic players in the reserves and he was helpful in bringing on such talents as Pat Bonner, Mark Reid, Jim Duffy, John Halpin and Charlie Nicholas. Lumsden was promoted to the position of Coach and Youth Team Manager but moved to Leeds United to become Assistant Manager to Eddie Gray in June 1982. A position for which he is probably best known at Leeds. But when his great friend Eddie Gray was appointed Manager at Leeds he quickly moved to make him his Assistant. The pair were dismissed in October 1985 but linked up again at Rochdale in December 1986. Two weeks before Christmas 1987, Lumsden was made redundant in a cost-cutting exercise and later assisted Joe Jordan at Bristol City. When Jordan left for Hearts, Lumsden took over as Manager at Ashton Gate, but after a poor run of results was sacked in February 1992. He returned as First Team Coach at Preston, then in the Second Division, under the stewardship of David Moyes. When Gary Peters quit the club in February 1998, Moyes, to that point a thirty-four year old defender, replaced him. With the help of Moyes, Kelham O'Hanlon and Lumsden, Preston quickly became promotion contenders, reaching the 1998-99 play-offs, but lost to Gillingham in the semi-finals before finally being promoted as champions a year later. They almost made it two promotions a row in 2001, but lost 0-3 to Bolton in the Division One play-off final. Following this Moyes took his trusted Coach over to Goodison Park when he succeeded Walter Smith as Everton boss. Lumsden joined Everton in the summer of 2002 as Head Coach, assisting David Moyes and Alan Irvine. Still with the club, Lumsden is instantly recognisable to the Toffee's faithful for his mop of white hair. He is still firm friends with Eddie Gray and they live near each other in North Yorkshire.