James McArthur
Encyclopedia
James McArthur is a Scottish
footballer who currently plays as a central midfielder for Premier League club Wigan Athletic
. He has also represented Scotland
at full international level. McArthur started his career at Hamilton Academical
and was part of the team that won the 2007–08 Scottish First Division title. He made over 190 appearances for Hamilton before joining Wigan in July 2010.
, McArthur joined Hamilton Academical
as a youth in 2003. He made his debut in January 2005 against Ross County
. He established himself in the Hamilton team the following season and scored his first goal in April 2006 against St. Johnstone.
Such was his progress that he was given the captaincy for his previous club Hamilton against Aberdeen
in February 2008 for a Scottish Cup
tie and nominated for the First Division Player of the Year for the 2007–08
season. In May 2008 after helping his side to the Scottish Premier League
, McArthur was awarded with a new three-year contract.
and Premier League clubs, including , , and , showed an interest in McArthur. On 5 April 2010, McArthur went on a three-day visit to Premier League club with a view to a permanent move in the summer. He signed a four-year contract at the DW Stadium on 23 July for a fee of around £500,000. The move reunited him with former Hamilton team-mate James McCarthy
, who transferred to Wigan at the beginning of the 2009–10 season.
squad in February 2008. He made his debut against Ukraine
that month and his competitive debut against Lithuania
in a UEFA qualifier
in August 2008.
On 16 November 2010, McArthur made his senior international debut as a second half substitute for Charlie Adam
against the Faroe Islands
.
On 9 February 2011, he was called up as a replacement for Scott Brown in a Nations Cup
match against Northern Ireland
in which he scored a spectacular goal from just outside the box, chipping the ball perfectly over goalkeeper Jonathan Tuffey
and into the top corner.
|2004-05||rowspan="6"|Hamilton Academical
||rowspan="4"|First Division
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|2005-06
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|2006-07
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|2007-08
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|2008–09||rowspan="2"|Premier League
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|2009–10
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Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
footballer who currently plays as a central midfielder for Premier League club Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic F.C.
Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW...
. He has also represented Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
at full international level. McArthur started his career at Hamilton Academical
Hamilton Academical F.C.
Hamilton Academical Football Club, often known as Hamilton Academical, or Accies, are a Scottish football club from Hamilton in South Lanarkshire. They were established in 1874 from the school football team at Hamilton Academy. They remain the only professional club in British football to have...
and was part of the team that won the 2007–08 Scottish First Division title. He made over 190 appearances for Hamilton before joining Wigan in July 2010.
Early career
Before joining Hamilton Academical as a youth in 2003, McArthur used to play for Rangers South BC, St Johnstone pro youth, Rangers SABC, Clyde before moving to Hamilton Academical.Hamilton Academical
Born in GlasgowGlasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, McArthur joined Hamilton Academical
Hamilton Academical F.C.
Hamilton Academical Football Club, often known as Hamilton Academical, or Accies, are a Scottish football club from Hamilton in South Lanarkshire. They were established in 1874 from the school football team at Hamilton Academy. They remain the only professional club in British football to have...
as a youth in 2003. He made his debut in January 2005 against Ross County
Ross County F.C.
Ross County Football Club are a Scottish professional football team from the town of Dingwall, Ross and Cromarty. Founded in 1929 they currently compete in the Scottish Football League First Division and play their home matches at Victoria Park. Prior to the 1994–95 season they played in the...
. He established himself in the Hamilton team the following season and scored his first goal in April 2006 against St. Johnstone.
Such was his progress that he was given the captaincy for his previous club Hamilton against Aberdeen
Aberdeen F.C.
Aberdeen Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen...
in February 2008 for a Scottish Cup
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,, commonly known as the Scottish Cup or the William Hill Scottish Cup for sponsorship purposes, is the main national cup competition in Scottish football. It is a knockout cup competition run by and named after the Scottish Football Association.The...
tie and nominated for the First Division Player of the Year for the 2007–08
Scottish First Division 2007-08
The 2007–08 First Division season was the thirteenth season of the First Division in its current format of ten teams.The team which finished first were automatically promoted to the Scottish Premier League...
season. In May 2008 after helping his side to the Scottish Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
, McArthur was awarded with a new three-year contract.
Wigan Athletic
In the 2009–10 campaign, several English ChampionshipFootball League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
and Premier League clubs, including , , and , showed an interest in McArthur. On 5 April 2010, McArthur went on a three-day visit to Premier League club with a view to a permanent move in the summer. He signed a four-year contract at the DW Stadium on 23 July for a fee of around £500,000. The move reunited him with former Hamilton team-mate James McCarthy
James McCarthy (footballer)
James McCarthy is an Irish footballer who plays for Wigan Athletic as a midfielder. McCarthy made over 100 appearances for Hamilton Academical as a teenager, before being transferred to Wigan in 2009 for an initial £1.2 million...
, who transferred to Wigan at the beginning of the 2009–10 season.
International career
He was called up to the Scotlands under-21Scotland national under-21 football team
The Scotland national under-21 football team, controlled by the Scottish Football Association, is Scotland's national under 21 football team and is considered to be a feeder team for the Scotland national football team....
squad in February 2008. He made his debut against Ukraine
Ukraine national under-21 football team
The Ukraine national under-21 football team is the national under-21 football team of Ukraine and is controlled by the Football Federation of Ukraine.After Ukrainian Independence in 1991, the Ukraine senior team played their first match in April 1992...
that month and his competitive debut against Lithuania
Lithuania national under-21 football team
The Lithuania national under-21 football team is the feeder team for the Senior team.Coach: Vitalijus StankevičiusCaptain:-Goalkeepers:-Defenders:-Midfielders:-Forwards:-External links:*...
in a UEFA qualifier
UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
The European Under-21 Football Championship is a football competition organised by the sport's European governing body, UEFA. It is held every two years. The competition has existed in its current form since 1978. It was preceded by the Under 23 Challenge Cup which ran from 1967 to 1970...
in August 2008.
On 16 November 2010, McArthur made his senior international debut as a second half substitute for Charlie Adam
Charlie Adam
Charles Graham "Charlie" Adam is a Scottish footballer who plays as a midfielder for Liverpool and the Scotland national football team....
against the Faroe Islands
Faroe Islands national football team
The Faroe Islands national football team represents the Faroe Islands in association football and is controlled by the Faroe Islands Football Association, the governing body for football in the Faroe Islands. The Faroe Islands became a member of FIFA in 1988 and UEFA in 1990 and are the third...
.
On 9 February 2011, he was called up as a replacement for Scott Brown in a Nations Cup
Nations Cup
The Nations Cup is a rugby union competition that was first held in 2006 at Estádio Universitário in Lisbon with Argentina A, Italy A, Portugal and Russia taking part...
match against Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland national football team
The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. Before 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association...
in which he scored a spectacular goal from just outside the box, chipping the ball perfectly over goalkeeper Jonathan Tuffey
Jonathan Tuffey
Jonathan "Jonny" Tuffey is a Northern Irish professional association football player who plays as a goalkeeper for Inverness Caledonian Thistle.- Club career :...
and into the top corner.
International goals
- Scores and results list Scotland's goal tally first.
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 9 February 2011 | Aviva Stadium Aviva Stadium The Aviva Stadium is a sports stadium located in Dublin, Ireland, with a capacity for 50,000 spectators. The stadium is built on the site of the old Lansdowne Road venue, which was demolished in 2007, and replaces that stadium as home to its chief tenants: the Irish rugby union team and the... , Dublin |
2–0 | 3–0 | 2011 Nations Cup | |
Career Statistics
|-|2004-05||rowspan="6"|Hamilton Academical
Hamilton Academical F.C.
Hamilton Academical Football Club, often known as Hamilton Academical, or Accies, are a Scottish football club from Hamilton in South Lanarkshire. They were established in 1874 from the school football team at Hamilton Academy. They remain the only professional club in British football to have...
||rowspan="4"|First Division
Scottish Football League First Division
The Irn-Bru Scottish Football League First Division Championship is the highest division of the Scottish Football League and the second highest in the Scottish football league system....
||6||0||-||-||-||-||-||-||6||0
|-
|2005-06
||20||1||5||0||2||0||-||-||27||1
|-
|2006-07
||36||1||1||1||1||0||-||-||38||2
|-
|2007-08
||34||5||3||0||4||1||-||-||41||6
|-
|2008–09||rowspan="2"|Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
||37||2||1||0||3||0||-||-||42||2
|-
|2009–10
2009–10 Scottish Premier League
The 2009–10 Scottish Premier League season was the twelfth season of the Scottish Premier League. Rangers were the defending champions and they retained the championship with three games to spare by winning 1–0 against Hibernian at Easter Road on 25 April...
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168||10||12||1||11||1||-||-||191||12
Honours
Hamilton AcademicalHamilton Academical F.C.
Hamilton Academical Football Club, often known as Hamilton Academical, or Accies, are a Scottish football club from Hamilton in South Lanarkshire. They were established in 1874 from the school football team at Hamilton Academy. They remain the only professional club in British football to have...
- Scottish Football League First DivisionScottish Football League First DivisionThe Irn-Bru Scottish Football League First Division Championship is the highest division of the Scottish Football League and the second highest in the Scottish football league system....
: 2007–08Scottish First Division 2007-08The 2007–08 First Division season was the thirteenth season of the First Division in its current format of ten teams.The team which finished first were automatically promoted to the Scottish Premier League...