From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

James Henry "Jimmy" Bloomfield (February 15, 1934 – 3 April 1983) was an English football player and manager.

Born in Kensington, London, Bloomfield started his career at non-league Hayes before joining Second Division side Brentford in 1952. After Brentford were relegated in 1954, Bloomfield was snapped up by Arsenal for £8,000.

Bloomfield made his debut at the start of the season, against Everton on August 25, 1954, though he only played 19 times that season. It wasn't until 1955-56 did he become a first-team regular. A powerful central midfielder with a high work rate and accurate passing, Bloomfield became Arsenal's "midfield general" during the second half of the 1950s, one of Arsenal's few stars during a mediocre period for the club. He won caps for England at U-23 level (but never at full level), and also played in the London XI that lost the first Inter-Cities Fairs Cup final against Barcelona in 1959.

Bloomfield played 227 times for Arsenal, scoring 56 goals. However, with the arrival of George Eastham in 1960, Bloomfield lost his place in the team, and was sold to Birmingham City in November that year. Bloomfield spent four seasons with the Blues, reaching and losing another Fairs Cup final in 1961 (this time to Roma). In the summer of 1964 he returned to Brentford, and later had spells with West Ham United, Plymouth Argyle and Leyton Orient.

In 1969 he became Orient's player-manager, and won the Third Division in his first season. He was appointed by newly-promoted Leicester City in 1971, and kept the Foxes in the First Division for six years. They also reached the FA Cup semi-finals in 1974 (which they lost, after a replay, to Liverpool). After his departure in 1977, Leicester went straight down the next season under Frank McLintock.

Bloomfield returned to manage Orient again in 1977, and his second spell in charge included a run to the FA Cup semi-finals in 1978, where they were defeated by Bloomfield's old club Arsenal. Bloomfield left in 1981 and after that he was a coach at Luton Town, until his sudden death in 1983, from bowel cancer^{[citation needed]} at the age of 49.