Jim McInyre arrived at Exeter City in 1993 as a young player on loan from Bristol City. He later played for Airdrie, Kilmarnock, Reading, Dundee United and Dunfermline before embarking on a management career in Scotland.

Jim, a ballboy at Dumbarton as a child, became an apprentice joiner on leaving school and played junior football whilst having unsuccessful trials with Hearts and Dundee United. Eventually in October 1991, at the age of nineteen, he was offered a contract by Bristol City.

Appearing in just one league match for the Ashton Gate club, Jim was loaned to Exeter City in February 1993 and made a goalscoring debut against Stockport County on 13 February 1993. Staying at St James’ Park for the remainder of the campaign, the new arrival appeared in a total of fifteen games and also scored against Bournemouth and Chester.

Back at Bristol City Jim moved on to Airdrieonians in September 1993, and quickly establishing himself as a regular first-teamer, left for Kilmarnock in March 1996 with whom he was to win a Scottish Cup winners medal in 1997. A £440,000 move to Reading followed in March 1998 where Jim was to score fourteen goals in 97 league matches and play for Scotland 'B'.

Jim returned to Scotland in July 2001 to sign for Dundee United - 35 goals in 141 league in a five-season stay - before switching to Dunfermline for whom he was to make around thirty league appearances prior to his appointment as manager in January 2008.     

Winning promotion to the top flight in 2011, Jim remained as manager until March 2012 shortly before he made a somewhat belated return to Bristol City as head coach. Staying in post until the following year, he moved back into management firstly with Queen of the South and later Ross County and Dundee ahead of briefly serving as manager of Cove Rangers between June 2022 and January 2023.