Alex Graham (footballer)

Alex Graham

Graham while with Brentford in 1925.
Personal information
Full name	John Alexander Graham
Date of birth	11 July 1889
Place of birth	Galston, Scotland
Date of death	9 August 1972(1972-08-09) (aged 83)
Place of death	Islington, England
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Playing position	Half back
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
	Hurlford United
	Larkhall United
	Larkhall Thistle
1911–1924	Arsenal	166	(17)
	→ Vale of Leven (guest)
1917–1918	→ Hamilton Academical (guest)	44	(22)
1918–1919	→ Third Lanark (guest)
1919	→ Hamilton Academical (guest)	1	(0)
1924–1926	Brentford	47	(10)
	Folkestone
National team
1921	Scotland	1	(0)
Teams managed
1925–1926	Brentford (assistant)
	Folkestone (player-manager)
	Botwell Mission
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

John Alexander "Alex" Graham (11 July 1889 – 9 August 1972) was a Scottish professional football half back, best remembered for his time with in the Football League with Arsenal either side of the First World War.

Graham was born in Galston, just outside Hurlford, Ayrshire and started playing for local club Hurlford United before moving to Lanarkshire where he played for Larkhall United and Larkhall Thistle.

Graham was taken on trial by Woolwich Arsenal in December 1911 and was signed permanently the following January. After a year in the reserves he made his debut in a First Division match on 25 December 1912 against Notts County and played another 14 games that season. Graham either played at centre half or left half, at first mainly deputising for more established players such as Angus McKinnon.

By 1914–15, with Woolwich Arsenal now relegated to the Second Division, Graham had become a regular, but World War I brought with it the suspension of League football in England. Graham left Woolwich Arsenal to return to his native Scotland, where he guested for Vale of Leven, Hamilton Academical (two spells) and Third Lanark. After football in England resumed in 1919, he re-signed for Arsenal (who had won back promotion to the First Division) and retook his regular place at centre half. He was a regular for Arsenal's first three seasons after the war (from 1919 until 1922), but the arrival of Jack Butler meant Graham had competition for his place and at the start of 1922–23 he lost his regular centre half berth, though he continued to be used as a bit-part player deputising in other half-back positions for that season and the next one. He played 179 times for Arsenal in total, scoring 20 goals (many of them penalties) and departed Highbury in December 1924.