Jimmy McStay, who made over 400 appearances for Celtic as a player and captained the side, was appointed manager in 1940. However, his tenure would be during the war years, a period when Scottish football suffered huge disruption. He also had to contend with increased boardroom interference, which he never managed to quell. The result was stagnation with little tangible success. In the summer of 1945, McStay reluctantly resigned at the behest of the board and was succeeded by another celebrated former player, Jimmy McGrory. The early years of his reign were very poor, and in 1948 the club only narrowly avoided relegation. Matters improved in the early 1950s with the Coronation Cup win in 1953 and a league and cup double in 1954. He also led Celtic to their famous 7–1 Scottish League Cup Final win over Rangers in 1957, still a record score-line in a major British cup final. His time as manager, however, is considered largely a period of underachievement, and with chairman Robert Kelly's domineering influence in the running of the club, many questioned how much say McGrory had in team selection.