Quick Facts
Biography
James Duncan "Jim" McAlister (born 2 November 1985 in Rothesay) is a Scottish footballer who plays for Blackpool. Jim was raised on the Isle of Bute and attended Rothesay primary school. His secondary school education was at Rothesay Academy where he studied along side well known names such as Ashley Powers.
McAlister, although predominantly right footed, played on the left hand side of midfield whilst at Greenock Morton and was transformed into a right wing back while at Hamilton Academical. At Dundee he established himself as a centre midfielder.
Career
Greenock Morton
McAlister made his Morton début as a substitute against Peterhead at Cappielow Park on 28 December 2002 at 17 years old. His first start was made a few months later on 15 February 2003 away at Elgin City as an attacker.
Over the next couple of seasons McAlister flirted with the first team while playing regularly for Morton's reserve side. Morton manager John McCormack introduced McAlister to the Morton first team as a result of his performances in the reserve team.
By season 2004/05 McAlister had forced his way into Morton's first team and such were his performances that he went on to start in every league match that season; barring one in which he appeared as a substitute. As a result, he was offered a new three-year contract which he signed in July 2004.
Some of his performances led to comparisons with Barcelona player Ronaldinho and resulted in a number of fans giving him the, tongue-in-cheek, nickname 'Jimaldinho'.
McAlister started 107 consecutive league (including the two playoff games against Peterhead in 2006) matches for Morton, with the last game he missed being the meaningless game against Forfar Athletic at the end of the 2005–2006 season. However, this run came to an end as he missed the game on 2 May 2009, due to suspension for accumulating five yellow cards.
On 21 July 2009, after a friendly loss to Romania's champions Unirea Urziceni, McAlister was approached by head coach Dan Petrescu to join Unirea, also offering him the chance to play in the UEFA Champions League.
McAlister went on trial to Football League Championship side Watford in August 2009.
Watford manager Malky Mackay told the club that they intended to keep an eye on McAlister over the weeks following the trial.
He has also attracted interest from Morton's rivals St Mirren, as claimed by the Greenock Telegraph towards the end of the January 2010 transfer window.
In April 2010, McAlister broke his foot in a 3–3 draw with Queen of the South.
Hamilton Academical
He was released by Morton at the end of the 2009–10 season, and joined Hamilton Academical. He scored his first and only goal for the club in a 5-1 loss at Ross County on 28 April 2012.
Dundee
After his release by Hamilton, McAlister went on trial at English side Carlisle United after being recommended by former boss at Morton, Davie Irons and then trained at his previous club Greenock Morton. In August 2012, he signed for Scottish Premier League side Dundee. At Dundee, he went on to be an almost ever present in the midfield, playing 125 times, scoring 12 times.
Blackpool
McAlister signed with Blackpool on 29 July 2015 after playing three pre-season friendlies for them. He joined on a free transfer in a two-year deal with an option for a third year. He scored his first goal for Blackpool in a 4-2 EFL Cup win against Bolton Wanderers on 9 August 2016.
Career statistics
| Club | Season | League | Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Greenock Morton | 2002–03 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| 2003–04 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |
| 2004–05 | 36 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 2 | |
| 2005–06 | 35 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 44 | 4 | |
| 2006–07 | 36 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 44 | 5 | |
| 2007–08 | 36 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 45 | 6 | |
| 2008–09 | 35 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 42 | 1 | |
| 2009–10 | 30 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 37 | 1 | |
| Total | 224 | 16 | 18 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 20 | 1 | 272 | 19 | |
| Hamilton Academical | 2010–11 | 19 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 0 |
| 2011–12 | 36 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 44 | 1 | |
| Total | 55 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 66 | 1 | |
| Dundee | 2012–13 | 38 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 5 |
| 2013–14 | 36 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 42 | 5 | |
| 2014–15 | 37 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 2 | |
| Total | 111 | 9 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 125 | 12 | |
| Blackpool | 2015–16 | 44 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 46 | 0 |
| Career total | 434 | 26 | 28 | 3 | 18 | 2 | 29 | 1 | 509 | 32 | |
Honours
Morton
- Scottish Football League Second Division: 1
- Scottish Football League Third Division: 1
Dundee
- Scottish Championship: 1