It is suggested in many reports that Mackie demanded a pet monkey in place of a signing-on fee, a request Arsenal managed to satisfy thanks to chairman Sir Henry Norris's contacts in international trade.
[2] Mackie was a young, strong right back, and made his debut on 9 December 1922 against Birmingham City.
Although Mackie would return to first-team football, managing 35 league appearances in 1925–26, future Arsenal skipper Tom Parker joined in spring 1926 and soon ousted Mackie from the side altogether.
At Portsmouth, Mackie became a stalwart for the next seven seasons; he made over 250 league appearances for Pompey, and played in two FA Cup Finals – against Bolton Wanderers in 1929 and Manchester City in 1934, losing both.
He left Portsmouth in 1936, and finished his career at non-league Northampton Town and then Sittingbourne.