View source for Jimmy Melia

{{short description|English association football player}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{fan POV|date=January 2017}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name           = Jimmy Melia
| image          = 
| fullname       = James Melia
| birth_date     = {{birth date and age|1937|11|1|df=y}}
| birth_place    = [[Liverpool]], England
| death_date     = 
| height         = {{height|ft=5|in=7}}<ref name="ITN" />
| position       = [[Midfielder]]
| youthyears1    = 1952–1954
| youthclubs1    = [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]]
| years1         = 1954–1964
| clubs1         = [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]]
| caps1          = 269
| goals1         = 76
| years2         = 1964
| clubs2         = [[Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.|Wolverhampton Wanderers]]
| caps2          = 24
| goals2         = 4
| years3         = 1964–1968
| clubs3         = [[Southampton F.C.|Southampton]]
| caps3          = 139
| goals3         = 11
| years4         = 1968–1972
| clubs4         = [[Aldershot F.C.|Aldershot]]
| caps4          = 135
| goals4         = 14
| years5         = 1972
| clubs5         = [[Crewe Alexandra F.C.|Crewe Alexandra]]
| caps5          = 4
| goals5         = 0
| totalcaps      = 571
| totalgoals     = 105
| nationalyears1 = 1963
| nationalteam1  = [[England national football team|England]]
| nationalcaps1  = 2
| nationalgoals1 = 1
| manageryears1  = 1969–1972
| managerclubs1  = [[Aldershot F.C.|Aldershot]]
| manageryears2  = 1972–1974
| managerclubs2  = [[Crewe Alexandra F.C.|Crewe Alexandra]]
| manageryears3  = 1975
| managerclubs3  = [[Southport F.C.|Southport]]
| manageryears4  = 1979
| managerclubs4  = [[Cleveland Cobras]]
| manageryears5  = 1982–1983
| managerclubs5  = [[Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.|Brighton & Hove Albion]]
| manageryears6  = 1983–1986
| managerclubs6  = [[C.F. Os Belenenses]]
| manageryears7  = 1986
| managerclubs7  = [[Stockport County F.C.|Stockport County]]
}}

'''James Melia''' (born 1 November 1937) is an English former [[association football|footballer]] who spent most of his career playing for [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]] and went on to become a manager.

==Playing career==

===Liverpool===
{{BLP sources section|date=January 2017}}
Melia joined the Reds straight from St. Anthony's School<ref>{{cite web | title = St. Anthony's Church – Scotland Road | work = Scotland Road 2003 | publisher = Scottie Press | url = http://www.scottiepress.org/sr2003/sr2003.htm | access-date = 5 February 2008 | archive-date = 11 July 2003 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20030711162414/http://www.scottiepress.org/sr2003/sr2003.htm | url-status = dead }}</ref> as a 15-year-old, when manager [[Don Welsh]] saw the potential in the young schoolboy international's feet. Melia signed professional forms on his 17th birthday, 1 November 1954. After 23 appearances for [[Liverpool F.C. Reserves and Academy|Liverpool's reserve team]], Melia made his début aged 18 on 17 December 1955 at [[Anfield]] in a [[Football League Division Two|2nd Division]] fixture against [[Nottingham Forest F.C.|Nottingham Forest]].<ref name = "Melia debut">{{cite news| url=http://kjellhanssen.com/1955/12/15/youth-star-melia-to-make-his-debut/|date=15 December 1955|access-date=19 June 2014|newspaper=Daily Mirror| title=Youth star Melia to make his debut}}</ref> The visitors came up against an in-form [[Billy Liddell]] who scored a [[hat-trick]] in the 5–2 victory. Melia also scored his first goal for the club in the 48th minute, [[John Evans (footballer, born 1929)|John Evans]] got the other.

It wasn't until the following season that he got a real run in the side starting 27 matches. Melia followed this up with a 36-match season scoring 10 goals.

Melia did well in the [[Football League Division One|first Division]] and played 39 times as Liverpool finished in eighth place. Unfortunately for the red half of [[Merseyside]] Everton won the league and were 17 points better.

During this spell Melia caught the eye of [[England national football team|England]] manager [[Alf Ramsey]] who gave him his debut on 6 April 1963 in the 2–1 [[British Home Championship|British Championship]] loss at [[Wembley Stadium (1923)|Wembley]] to [[Scotland national football team|Scotland]]. Melia's one and only goal came in his second and final appearance for his country, on 5 June 1963 at St. Jakob Park, [[Basel]] as England beat [[Switzerland national football team|Switzerland]] 8–1.

The next season Liverpool won the [[Football League Division One|championship]] by four points from Manchester United. Melia, now aged 27, could add a championship medal to the second division title medal he already owned. By this time, however, he had joined [[Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.|Wolves]], moving in March 1964 for a club record transfer fee of £48,000,<ref>{{cite news|title=Wolves pay up £48,000 for Jimmy Melia|url=http://kjellhanssen.com/1964/03/09/wolves-pay-up-48000-for-jimmy-melia/|newspaper=Daily Mirror|date=9 March 1964|access-date=19 June 2014}}</ref> but had played enough games for Liverpool to get the medal.

===Wolverhampton Wanderers===
His stay in the [[English Midlands|Midlands]] was a short one. While he had a good run in the first team, this came to an abrupt end when manager [[Stan Cullis]] was sacked and replaced by [[Andy Beattie]]. Beattie decided that Melia was not the type of player he wanted and quickly offloaded him to [[Southampton F.C.|Southampton]].

===Southampton===
In December 1964, Melia was signed for a fee of £30,000 by [[Southampton F.C.|Southampton]]'s manager [[Ted Bates (footballer)|Ted Bates]] "who was keen to acquire his scheming visionary skills".<ref name = "ITN">{{cite book | author=Duncan Holley & Gary Chalk | title= In That Number – A post-war chronicle of Southampton FC  | publisher=Hagiology Publishing | year=2003| isbn=0-9534474-3-X|page=551}}</ref> Melia was reluctant to move to the south coast, but when he was eventually persuaded, "Saints' (then) record signing added finesse"<ref name = "ITN"/> to the midfield. Although Saints missed out on promotion at the end of the 1964–65 season, Melia linked up well with [[Terry Paine]] and [[Martin Chivers]] in the [[1965–66 in English football|following season]], helping them to promotion from Division 2, finishing five points behind champions [[Manchester City F.C.|Manchester City]].

He remained an ever-present for Southampton in [[1966–67 in English football|their first season]] in Division 1, as they narrowly hung on to their place in the top flight, with Melia's crosses helping [[Ron Davies (footballer born 1942)|Ron Davies]] and Chivers score 37 and 14 goals respectively, adding four for himself, the best being a header in a 2–1 victory over [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]] on 27 December 1966.<ref>{{cite book | author= Holley & Chalk | title= In That Number |page=90 }}</ref>

He continued to make a valuable contribution to the team but lost his place to [[Mick Channon]] and in November 1968 he moved on to Aldershot for a £10,000 fee and the player manager's job.

In his four years at [[The Dell (Southampton)|The Dell]] he made a total of 152 appearances, scoring 12 goals.

==Management career==

===Aldershot and Crewe Alexandra===
Melia joined [[Aldershot F.C.|Aldershot]] as player-coach in November 1968, taking the management position in April 1969. Melia moved on from Aldershot in February 1972 to take up a similar role at [[Crewe Alexandra F.C.|Crewe Alexandra]]; after retiring as a player in May 1972, he took on the managerial role at [[Gresty Road]] full-time. While at Aldershot, Melia gained a reputation for his hard-hitting and occasionally controversial column in the club's match day programme.

===United States===
Melia moved to the United States of America as an assistant to [[Laurie Calloway]] with the [[Southern California Lazers]] in 1978 and became head coach of the [[Cleveland Cobras]] in 1979.<ref name=ipswich/>

===Brighton & Hove Albion===
Melia became [[Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.|Brighton & Hove Albion]]'s chief scout. When [[Mike Bailey (footballer)|Mike Bailey]] left as manager in December 1982, Melia was promoted to jointly manage Albion with reserve team manager [[George Aitken (footballer, born 1928)|George Aitken]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/896181.tributes-to-an-albion-stalwart/|title = Tributes to an Albion stalwart| date=27 August 2006 }}</ref> They shared the duties for three months with Aitken taking more of a background role.<ref name=ipswich>{{cite book|date=29 December 2015|title=Seagull: Ipswich Town|page=75}}</ref> His greatest managerial feat occurred when he took Albion to the [[1983 FA Cup Final]]. The run took Melia back to his old stomping ground of Anfield where a goal from another ex-Liverpool player [[Jimmy Case]] won the game.<ref name = "Joy of Six">{{cite news|title=The Joy of Six: FA Cup semi-final memories|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2011/apr/15/joy-of-six-fa-cup-semi-memories|work=The Guardian|date=15 April 2011|access-date=19 June 2014|author=Rob Smyth}}</ref> During the cup run Melia became famous for his 'disco' style of dress and his glamorous younger girlfriend, Val Lloyd.<ref name="Joy of Six" /> Melia was appointed permanently as manager in March 1983 after Albion reached the FA Cup semi-final for the first time, beating [[Norwich City F.C.|Norwich City]].<ref name=ipswich/> They beat [[Sheffield Wednesday F.C.|Sheffield Wednesday]] in the semi-final to face [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]] in the final. Brighton drew the final, and then lost the replay. That season they were also relegated from the First Division, finishing bottom, ending their four-year spell in the top division.<ref name=ipswich/> During the summer, former Albion player [[Chris Cattlin]] was appointed as first-team coach by chairman [[Mike Bamber]] in an attempt to instil discipline into the side.<ref name=ipswich/> Melia resigned his post on 19 October 1983, reportedly due to his disdain of backroom meddling by Cattlin, who had started to have an influence on team selection.<ref>{{cite news|title=Dark deed at Brighton|work=Shoot View!|publisher=Shoot!|date=12 November 1983|access-date=19 June 2014|url=http://thegoldstonewrap.com/2013/10/19/jimmy-melia-has-gone/}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Jimmy Melia: So near but yet so far|url=http://www.vivabrighton.com/may2014/52-53.pdf|work=vivabrighton.com|publisher=Viva Brighton|access-date=19 June 2014|author=Kuen-Wah Cheung|page=53|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310071231/http://www.vivabrighton.com/may2014/52-53.pdf|archive-date=10 March 2016}}</ref> The following home game, Melia attended as a supporter in the North Terrace and was lifted onto the shoulders of fans with the fans chanting "Melia In, Bamber Out".<ref name=ipswich/> Albion had won just 7 out of 35 League games with him in charge.<ref name=ipswich/>

===After Brighton===
Melia went on to take charge of Portuguese side [[C.F. Os Belenenses|Belenenses]], helping them get promoted to the [[Primeira Liga]].<ref name=ipswich/> In 1986, he was appointed as manager of [[Stockport County F.C.|Stockport County]].<ref name=ipswich/>

In 1989 he had a stint in youth training when he travelled to [[Sharjah (city)|Sharjah]] in the [[United Arab Emirates]] where he set up an academy.<ref name=ipswich/> He currently coaches youth teams for [[Liverpool FC America (youth soccer)|Liverpool FC America]] in [[The Colony, Texas]], after joining them in 2008.<ref>{{cite news|title=Jimmy Melia|url=http://www.liverpoolfcamerica.com/page/show/316841-jimmy-melia|work=liverpoolfcamerica.com|publisher=Liverpool FC America|access-date=19 June 2014}}</ref>

==Honours==

===As a player===
'''Liverpool'''
* [[Football League]] Division 1 championship: [[1963–64 in English football|1963–64]]
* [[Football League Division 2]] championship: [[1961–62 in English football|1961–62]]

'''Southampton'''
* [[Football League Division 2]] runner-up: [[1965–66 in English football|1965–66]]

===As a manager===
'''Brighton & Hove Albion'''
* [[FA Cup]] finalists [[1983 FA Cup Final|1983]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.lfchistory.net/player_profile.asp?player_id=376 Player profile at LFChistory.net]
*{{Soccerbase|10176|Jimmy Melia player profile}}
*{{Soccerbase manager|736}}
*{{NeilBrownPlayers|player/jimmymelia}}

{{Aldershot F.C. managers}}
{{Crewe Alexandra F.C. managers}}
{{Southport F.C. managers}}
{{Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. managers}}
{{C.F. Os Belenenses managers}}
{{Stockport County F.C. managers}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Melia, Jimmy}}
[[Category:1937 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:English men's footballers]]
[[Category:England men's international footballers]]
[[Category:English Football League players]]
[[Category:Aldershot F.C. players]]
[[Category:Liverpool F.C. players]]
[[Category:Southampton F.C. players]]
[[Category:Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. players]]
[[Category:English football managers]]
[[Category:Aldershot F.C. managers]]
[[Category:Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. managers]]
[[Category:Crewe Alexandra F.C. managers]]
[[Category:Stockport County F.C. managers]]
[[Category:C.F. Os Belenenses managers]]
[[Category:American Soccer League (1933–1983) coaches]]
[[Category:Footballers from Liverpool]]
[[Category:English Football League managers]]
[[Category:Southport F.C. managers]]
[[Category:English Football League representative players]]
[[Category:Crewe Alexandra F.C. players]]
[[Category:Men's association football midfielders]]
[[Category:Player-coaches]]
[[Category:English expatriate football managers]]
[[Category:Expatriate soccer coaches in the United States]]
[[Category:English expatriate sportspeople in the United States]]