Sunday Times magazine/Jimmy McIlroy

[BurnleyBob]

The Sunday Times magazine commemorated it's 60th anniversary on Sunday the 6th. It was first published on the 4th of February 1962 and had a picture of Jimmy McIlroy on the front cover. Today's magazine says the cover consisted of a series of fashion shots and one of a footballer. It said: "The footballer was Jimmy McIlroy of Burnley, whose club are said to be paying him the staggering sum of £80 a week. With other earnings, he must be making close on £5000 a year, the equivalent of £115,00 now."

[CleggHall]

....and within a year the “overpaid” McIlroy was sold to Stoke. The daftest decision in the Club’s history, thanks Bob.

[Silkyskills1]

Just had a check to confirm and that magazine was just after we'd beaten Man City 6-3 which I still rate as one of my all-time favourite games with Mc at his imperious best and just after that we beat Birmingham City 7-1 again with Mc just running the show. Absolutely at the very top of his game at that time.

[JohnDearyMe]

Did any of our better paid players at that time move into relatively swish houses? I know they weren't paid anywhere near the sums players get nowadays but I'm presuming players like McIlroy would have been paid a lot more than most of the local population

[Silkyskills1]

Thinking back,JDM, anybody I was friends with/ knew at that time lived in a terrace style house. Progression came with a semi detached, I guess and a garden and luxury of an indoor toilet. That was 'swish' compared to the terraces of Haslingden that had none of those 'comforts'.

[Paul Waine]

The Sunday Times magazine commemorated it's 60th anniversary on Sunday the 6th. It was first published on the 4th of February 1962 and had a picture of Jimmy McIlroy on the front cover. Today's magazine says the cover consisted of a series of fashion shots and one of a footballer. It said: "The footballer was Jimmy McIlroy of Burnley, whose club are said to be paying him the staggering sum of £80 a week. With other earnings, he must be making close on £5000 a year, the equivalent of £115,00 now."

1962: Close to £5,000 per year. Average weekly earnings in 1963 - when figures started to be collected - were £10 and 12s (£10.60 in decimal), roughly £550 per year.

It looks like we brought on our money challenges ourselves paying footballers so much more than average earnings. Who's have thought it?

Yes, the earnings gap has got a little bigger since then... or, maybe we should welcome the footballers' "very good fortunes."

UTC

[Hipper]

Johnny Haynes at Fulham was earning £100 per week. This was a year after the abolition of the maximum wage in 1961:

https://spartacus-educational.com/Fwages.htm

[FCBurnley]

I started work in 1962 as a 15 year old and got £2-10-0 a week for a 5 and a half day week ( 50 hours)

[Paul Waine]

Johnny Haynes at Fulham was earning £100 per week. This was a year after the abolition of the maximum wage in 1961:

https://spartacus-educational.com/Fwages.htm

Thanks, Hipper. Very interesting to read the history of footballers' wages.

[BillyIngham'sShorts]

Jimmy Mac lived in a tidy semi on rose hill avenue just off manny road , about 100 yards from where I lived. We used to knock on his door to ask him to sign programmes and he was always charming.

[ClaretTony]

Jimmy Mac lived in a tidy semi on rose hill avenue just off manny road , about 100 yards from where I lived. We used to knock on his door to ask him to sign programmes and he was always charming.

I think he lived there from getting married until he moved closer to his daughter Anne as his illness took effect.

He really was charming to talk to.

[cbx750]

I saw an interview with Jimmy Mac (could have been on the A Rhapsody in Claret and Blue video) JM said Bob Lord asked him what he thought he was worth as Haynes was on £100 a week, JM said £60 BL said you'll have to pay tax on that you'd better have £80.

[IanMcL]

He was a superstar alright!

How lucky were were that the superstar was an ordinary nice man.

[mdd2]

Bobby Seith lived in a terraced house near me
I think Billy Elliot lived in a semi on Briercliffe Road near the hospital