Bob McNab
Encyclopedia
Robert "Bob" McNab is an English
former footballer.
McNab started out at his local club, Huddersfield Town
, playing nearly seventy times in three seasons. He was signed by Bertie Mee
for Arsenal
in October 1966, and immediately won a place in the Arsenal side, making his debut against Leeds United
October 15, 1968 and 1969
League Cup
finals (both of which Arsenal lost, to Leeds United
and Swindon Town
respectively).
McNab made his debut for England
on November 6, 1968 against Romania
; McNab made four appearances in all for England, but never became a regular. However, he certainly had success domestically, winning the 1969-70
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
and then the Double
in 1970-71
. A stalwart in the back line alongside Pat Rice
and Frank McLintock
, McNab played 62 matches in Arsenal's double-winning season, missing just two games.
McNab continued to play through much of the early 1970s for Arsenal, including the FA Cup
final loss to Leeds United
in 1972
; however he missed much of the 1971-72
season due to injury (with Sammy Nelson
deputising). This was referenced in the film Fever Pitch
, when Paul Ashworth (played by Luke Aikman) correctly predicts part of the lineup for the FA Cup Semifinal between Arsenal and Stoke City, on neutral ground at Villa Park in Birmingham: "McNab won't play. Bertie Mee wouldn't risk him."
McNab returned to play over 50 matches the following season. However, in 1973-74
he again got injured and shared the left back position with Nelson for the next two seasons. With Nelson six years his junior, by 1975 the 32-year-old McNab was told he was no longer needed at the club, and he was released on a free transfer in the summer of 1975. In total he played 365 matches for Arsenal, scoring six goals.
After leaving Arsenal, he played first for Wolves
before trying his luck in the NASL
in the United States
with San Antonio Thunder
. He then returned to England and played for Barnet
, before moving back across the Atlantic to Canada
to first play for, then coach the Vancouver Whitecaps
, before retiring from the game completely. McNab then coached the Tacoma Stars of the Major Indoor Soccer League until being fired in December 1983. He remained with the Stars as an assistant until he was elevated to head coach in March 1985. During the 1983-1984 season, he played one game with the Stars.
McNab later emigrated to Los Angeles
, California
, where he still lives today, working as a property developer. In 1999 he was part of a consortium led by Milan Mandaric
that took over Portsmouth
in 1999, and briefly came out of retirement and took over as caretaker manager
of the side after the sacking of Alan Ball in December 1999, until the appointment of Tony Pulis
the following month.
As well as being a footballer, Bob McNab was a media personality in the 1970s, appearing on the panel for ITV's coverage of the 1970 World Cup
, and he had a cameo role in the 1973 On The Buses
episode "The Football Match". His daughter, Mercedes McNab
is a notable actress.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
former footballer.
McNab started out at his local club, Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield Town F.C.
Huddersfield Town Football Club is an English football club formed in 1908 and based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. They currently play in League One...
, playing nearly seventy times in three seasons. He was signed by Bertie Mee
Bertie Mee
Bertram "Bertie" Mee OBE was an English football player and manager, noted for managing Arsenal to their first Double win in 1971. He was the younger brother of fellow footballer Georgie Mee.-Early life:...
for Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
in October 1966, and immediately won a place in the Arsenal side, making his debut against Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
October 15, 1968 and 1969
1969 Football League Cup Final
The 1969 Football League Cup Final took place on 15 March 1969 at Wembley Stadium. It was the ninth final and the third to be played at Wembley. It was contested between Arsenal and Swindon Town.-Pre-match:...
League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
finals (both of which Arsenal lost, to Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
and Swindon Town
Swindon Town F.C.
Swindon Town Football Club are a team based in Swindon, Wiltshire. Currently in League Two, Swindon have been managed by Paolo Di Canio since 23 May 2011...
respectively).
McNab made his debut for England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
on November 6, 1968 against Romania
Romania national football team
The Romania national football team is the national football team of Romania and is controlled by the Romanian Football Federation.Romania is one of only four national teams, the other three being Brazil, France, and Belgium, that took part in the first three World Cups.However, after that...
; McNab made four appearances in all for England, but never became a regular. However, he certainly had success domestically, winning the 1969-70
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup 1969-70
The twelfth Inter-Cities Fairs Cup was played over the 1969-'70 season. The competition was won by Arsenal FC over two legs in the final against Anderlecht...
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup was a European football competition played between 1955 and 1971. The competition was the idea of Swiss pools supremo Ernst Thommen, Ottorino Barassi from Italy, and the English Football Association general secretary Stanley Rous, all of whom later became senior officials...
and then the Double
The Double
The Double is a term in association football which refers to winning a country's top tier division and its primary cup competition in the same season...
in 1970-71
1970-71 in English football
The 1970–71 season was the 91st season of competitive football in England.-First Division:Arsenal won the league championship at the end of a season which would soon be followed by their FA Cup final tie with Liverpool. Arsenal secured the league title at White Hart Lane, the home of bitter rivals...
. A stalwart in the back line alongside Pat Rice
Pat Rice
Patrick James "Pat" Rice is a former Northern Irish football player and coach. As a player he made over 400 appearances for Arsenal, winning the Double, and later made a hundred more appearances for Watford. He also won 49 caps for Northern Ireland...
and Frank McLintock
Frank McLintock
Francis "Frank" McLintock MBE is a Scottish former football defender who played for Leicester City, Arsenal and QPR.-Leicester City:...
, McNab played 62 matches in Arsenal's double-winning season, missing just two games.
McNab continued to play through much of the early 1970s for Arsenal, including the FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
final loss to Leeds United
Leeds United A.F.C.
Leeds United Association Football Club are an English professional association football club based in Beeston, Leeds, West Yorkshire, who play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system...
in 1972
1972 FA Cup Final
The 1972 FA Cup Final took place on 6 May 1972 at Wembley Stadium. It was the Centenary final and the 44th to be played at Wembley....
; however he missed much of the 1971-72
1971-72 in English football
The 1971–72 season was the 92nd season of competitive football in England.-FA Cup:Leeds United overcame holders Arsenal to win the 1972 FA Cup Final...
season due to injury (with Sammy Nelson
Sammy Nelson
Samuel "Sammy" Nelson is a Northern Ireland former football player, who joined London club Arsenal on his 17th birthday in 1966....
deputising). This was referenced in the film Fever Pitch
Fever Pitch (1997 film)
Fever Pitch is a 1997 film starring Colin Firth based loosely on the book of the same name by Nick Hornby.-Synopsis:Hornby adapted the book for the screen and fictionalized the story, concentrating on Arsenal's First Division championship-winning season in 1988-89 and its effect on the...
, when Paul Ashworth (played by Luke Aikman) correctly predicts part of the lineup for the FA Cup Semifinal between Arsenal and Stoke City, on neutral ground at Villa Park in Birmingham: "McNab won't play. Bertie Mee wouldn't risk him."
McNab returned to play over 50 matches the following season. However, in 1973-74
1973-74 in English football
The 1973–74 season was the 94th season of competitive football in England.-First Division:Don Revie marked his last season as Leeds United's manager by guiding them to league championship glory, before taking over from Sir Alf Ramsey as the England national football team manager, with England...
he again got injured and shared the left back position with Nelson for the next two seasons. With Nelson six years his junior, by 1975 the 32-year-old McNab was told he was no longer needed at the club, and he was released on a free transfer in the summer of 1975. In total he played 365 matches for Arsenal, scoring six goals.
After leaving Arsenal, he played first for Wolves
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
before trying his luck in the NASL
North American Soccer League
North American Soccer League was a professional soccer league with teams in the United States and Canada that operated from 1968 to 1984.-History:...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
with San Antonio Thunder
San Antonio Thunder
The San Antonio Thunder were an American soccer team founded in 1975 as a member of the North American Soccer League. The team existed only two seasons in San Antonio, Texas before moving to Hawaii.-History:...
. He then returned to England and played for Barnet
Barnet F.C.
Barnet Football Club is an English football team from High Barnet, London, England, currently playing in Football League Two. The ground is in the town of Barnet within the London Borough of Barnet....
, before moving back across the Atlantic to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
to first play for, then coach the Vancouver Whitecaps
Vancouver Whitecaps (NASL)
The original Vancouver Whitecaps were founded on December 11, 1973 and during the 1970s and 1980s played in the North American Soccer League . The Whitecaps achieved success, winning the 1979 Soccer Bowl. The Whitecaps of that era included international players such as Alan Ball, but also "home...
, before retiring from the game completely. McNab then coached the Tacoma Stars of the Major Indoor Soccer League until being fired in December 1983. He remained with the Stars as an assistant until he was elevated to head coach in March 1985. During the 1983-1984 season, he played one game with the Stars.
McNab later emigrated to Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where he still lives today, working as a property developer. In 1999 he was part of a consortium led by Milan Mandaric
Milan Mandaric
Milan Mandarić is a Serbian-American business tycoon who has owned a string of successful businesses and football clubs including Portsmouth, Leicester City and Sheffield Wednesday. He currently is the chairman of Sheffield Wednesday...
that took over Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
in 1999, and briefly came out of retirement and took over as caretaker manager
Caretaker manager
In association football, a caretaker manager is someone who takes temporary charge of the management of a football club, usually when the regular manager is dismissed or leaves for a different club. However, a caretaker may also be appointed if the regular manager is ill or unable to attend to his...
of the side after the sacking of Alan Ball in December 1999, until the appointment of Tony Pulis
Tony Pulis
Anthony Richard "Tony" Pulis is a Welsh former football player and is currently the manager of Stoke City. Pulis obtained his FA coaching badge at the age of 19, followed by his UEFA 'A' licence aged 21 – making him one of the youngest professional players ever to have obtained the qualification...
the following month.
As well as being a footballer, Bob McNab was a media personality in the 1970s, appearing on the panel for ITV's coverage of the 1970 World Cup
1970 FIFA World Cup
The 1970 FIFA World Cup, the ninth staging of the World Cup, was held in Mexico, from 31 May to 21 June. The 1970 tournament was the first World Cup hosted in North America, and the first held outside South America and Europe. In a match-up of two-time World Cup champions, the final was won by...
, and he had a cameo role in the 1973 On The Buses
On The Buses
On the Buses was a British situation comedy created by Ronald Wolfe and Ronald Chesney which was broadcast in the UK from 1969 to 1973. The writers' previous successes with The Rag Trade and Meet the Wife were for the BBC, but the Corporation rejected On the Buses, not seeing much comedy potential...
episode "The Football Match". His daughter, Mercedes McNab
Mercedes McNab
Mercedes Alicia McNab is a Canadian-born actress perhaps best known for playing Harmony Kendall on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spinoff Angel...
is a notable actress.