Alex Massie

For the Scottish columnist, see Alex Massie (journalist).

Alex Massie

Personal information
Full name	Alexander C. Massie
Date of birth	(1906-03-13)13 March 1906
Place of birth	Possilpark, Scotland
Date of death	1977 (aged 70–71)
Position(s)	Wing Half
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
	Shawfield Juniors
	Petershill
	Benburb
	Ashfield
	Ayr United
1927?–1928	Bury	17	(4)
1928–1930	Bethlehem Steel	32	(12)
1930	Dolphin
1930–1935	Heart of Midlothian
1935–1939	Aston Villa	141	(5)
International career
1932–1938	Scotland	18	(1)
1932–1935	Scottish League XI	6	(1)
Managerial career
1945–1950	Aston Villa
1950–1951	Torquay United
1951–1952	Hereford United
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Alex C. Massie (13 March 1906 – 1977) was a Scottish international footballer of the 1920s and 1930s, who played mainly as a right-half. He was born in Possilpark, Glasgow.

Player

Massie began his career with Shawfield Juniors, and later played for Petershill, Benburb, Ashfield, Partick Thistle, and Ayr United before joining Football League side Bury in 1926/27.

In 1928 he left Gigg Lane to play in the United States for Bethlehem Steel, and in 1930 he joined Irish side Dolphin. Later that year he returned to his native Scotland to join Heart of Midlothian. His performances at wing-half, and occasionally at inside-forward soon won him international recognition, with his first full Scotland international cap coming on 19 September 1931 against Ireland. Massie went on to be capped 18 times for Scotland, with his final game coming on 30 October 1937 against Wales, which was also the occasion of his only international goal. He also represented the Scottish League XI.

Massie moved to Aston Villa in December 1935, but was unable to prevent their first ever relegation at the end of the 1935–36 season.

Manager

Aston Villa

He retired from playing at end of the 1944–45 wartime season, and was appointed manager of Aston Villa in August 1945 and lead them to top ten finishes in his first three seasons, despite not having complete control of the playing side of things at Villa Park, and twelfth place the following year. However, in August 1950 he left Villa.

Torquay United and Hereford United

In 1950 he was appointed as manager of Torquay United as successor to Bob John, although he only remained as manager until 1951.

He returned to management with Hereford United the following January, where he remained as manager until December 1952.