Willie Reid (footballer)

Willie Reid

Personal information
Full name	William Reid
Date of birth	(1884-05-03)3 May 1884
Place of birth	Baillieston, Scotland
Date of death
Place of death	Baillieston, Scotland
Height
Position(s)	Striker
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1903–1906	Morton		(19)
1906–1907	Third Lanark
1907–1908	Motherwell		(32)
1909	Portsmouth
1909–1920	Rangers	217	(188)
1920–1922	Albion Rovers		(36)
International career
1911–1914	Scotland	9	(4)
1910–1915	Scottish League XI	8	(10)
Managerial career
1922–1929	Albion Rovers
1931–1934	Dundee United
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

William Reid (3 May 1884 – 1 May 1966) was a Scottish international footballer and manager, who played as a striker.

Career

Born in the Glasgow suburb of Baillieston, Reid began his senior career in 1903 with Morton, whom he joined from Baillieston Thistle. He scored nineteen league goals in two seasons with the Ton, earning a move to Third Lanark in April 1906 and playing in their Scottish Cup final defeat to Hearts later that month. A transfer to Motherwell followed, where he scored 32 times in just over a year before a brief sojourn in England with Portsmouth.

Reid returned to Scotland in April 1909 when signed by Rangers, where – during his eleven seasons at Ibrox – he won three league titles. He was the club's top scorer for six consecutive seasons, between 1910 and 1916. He received all his caps for Scottish national side while with the Ibrox side. Reid made his Scotland debut in a 2–2 draw with Wales in 1911 and earned his last cap three years later, against England. Reid also represented the Scottish League XI.

His football career was interrupted by the First World War, during which Reid served as a Gunner in the Royal Field Artillery 52nd Lowland Division.

In 1920 Reid moved to Albion Rovers as player-manager, where he finished his playing career with 36 league goals for the club. He held the role of secretary/manager with the Wee Rovers before becoming Dundee United manager in 1931. Reid was unable to keep United up following their promotion and left in 1934 with the club in financial trouble. It was his final post in senior football.

Reid remains the fourth top goalscorer of all-time in the Scottish top flight with 275 goals, fifteen ahead of Ally McCoist. Of these goals, 188 were scored during his time at Rangers.

Honours

• Scottish First Division: 3

1910–11, 1911–12, 1912–13

• Scottish First Division Top goalscorer: 2

1910–11, 1911–12

See also

• List of footballers in England and Scotland by number of league goals

External links

• Willie Reid at scottishfa.co.uk