Tommy Muirhead

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Tommy Muirhead

| fullname = Thomas Allan Muirhead

| image =

| birth_date = {{birth date|1897|1|24|df=y}}

| birth_place = Cowdenbeath, Scotland

| death_date = {{death date and age|1979|5|27|1897|1|24|df=y}}

| death_place = Helensburgh, Scotland

| height =

| position = {{ublist|Forward|Wing half}}

| youthyears1 =

| youthclubs1 =

| years1 = –

| years2 = 1915–1917

| years3 = 1917–1924

| years4 = 1924

| years5 = 1924–1930

| clubs1 = Hearts of Beath

| clubs2 = Hibernian

| clubs3 = Rangers

| clubs4 = Boston Soccer Club

| clubs5 = Rangers

| caps1 =

| caps2 = 29

| caps3 = 154

| caps4 = 14

| caps5 = 137

| goals1 =

| goals2 = 3

| goals3 = 23

| goals4 = 0

| goals5 = 15

| totalcaps = 334

| totalgoals = 41

| nationalyears1 = 1921–1924

| nationalteam1 = Scottish League XI

| nationalcaps1 = 5

| nationalgoals1 = 0

| nationalyears2 = 1922–1929

| nationalteam2 = Scotland

| nationalcaps2 = 8

| nationalgoals2 = 0

| manageryears1 = 1924

| manageryears2 = 1931–1936

| manageryears3 = 1936–1937

| managerclubs1 = Boston Soccer Club

| managerclubs2 = St Johnstone

| managerclubs3 = Preston North End

}}

Thomas Allan Muirhead (24 January 1897 – 27 May 1979) was a Scottish footballer who played for Hibernian, Rangers and Scotland.{{cite journal|title=A Record of pre-war Scottish League Players|author=John Litster|publisher=Scottish Football Historian magazine|date=October 2012}}

Playing career

=Hibernian and Rangers=

Muirhead, a forward who was occasionally deployed as a half-back,{{cite book | last = Lamming | first = Douglas | title = A Scottish Soccer Internationalists Who's Who, 1872-1986 | publisher = Hutton Press | year = 1987 | isbn = 0-907033-47-4 }} was signed by Rangers for £20 from Hibernian in May 1917.[http://www.fitbastats.com/hibs/player.php?playerid=5743 Hibernian player Muirhead, Thomas], FitbaStats He made his debut against his former club in a 3–0 win at Ibrox on 15 September 1917, although he did not become a regular until the following season.

=American Soccer League=

Muirhead's Rangers career was interrupted by a brief stint in the US in 1925. Cash-rich American Soccer League club Boston Soccer Club lured him across the Atlantic to assume the role of player-manager. However, despite the presence of several other Scots, including internationalists such as Alex McNab and Barney Battles, he could not settle in Boston and returned to Glasgow after only 14 games.{{cite book | last = Jose | first = Colin | title = American Soccer League, 1921-1931 | publisher = The Scarecrow Press | year = 1998 | isbn = 0-8108-3429-4 }}

=Return to Scotland=

Muirhead returned to Rangers where he played until 1930. He scored 46 goals in 349 overall appearances for Rangers and won eight Scottish Football League championship medals (he never won the Scottish Cup, playing in the lost finals of 1921 and 1929, but not in the long-awaited win of 1930). He was also captain of the club for a spell.[http://www.fitbastats.com/rangers/player.php?playerid=1679 Rangers player Muirhead, Tommy], FitbaStats

=International=

Muirhead was capped at international level, making eight appearances for Scotland.{{SFA Profile|id=113561}} He captained Scotland in a 1–0 defeat against Ireland on 25 February 1928.{{cite web |url=http://www.scottishfa.co.uk/international_fixture_details.cfm?page=1921&matchID=57798 |title=Scotland v Northern Ireland |work=scottishfa.co.uk |publisher=Scottish Football Association |access-date=27 March 2015}}

Managerial career

After his playing career, Muirhead had further spells in management with St Johnstone (1931–36) and Preston North End (1936–37) and he also worked as a sports journalist.[https://rangers.co.uk/club/history/hall-of-fame/tommy-muirhead/ Hall of Fame | Tommy Muirhead], Rangers FC