Bob McPhail
Encyclopedia
Robert Lowe "Bob" McPhail (25 October 1905 – 24 August 2000) was a Scottish
professional footballer, who played for Airdrieonians
, Rangers
and represented Scotland
.
, McPhail started his career at Glasgow Junior side Pollok
. He signed for Airdrie
, where he helped them to a Scottish Cup
triumph in 1924
, aged 18. He formed a potent partnership with Hughie Gallacher
.
McPhail was signed by Rangers in 1927 for a then substantial fee of £5,000 and went on to become one of the most prolific strikers ever to play for the club, scoring 261 goals in 408 appearances. He made his first appearance for Rangers on 13 August 1927 in a 3-2 win over Aberdeen
at Pittodrie
. He netted his first goals on 3 September 1927, a double in a 5-1 win over St Johnstone
at Ibrox. Rangers won both the League title and the Scottish Cup
in McPhail's first season with the club and McPhail scored a total of 23 goals in 42 appearances, including a goal in the 4-0 win over Celtic
in the Scottish Cup Final.
McPhail continued to be an important member of Rangers' team in what was a highly successful period for the club. During McPhail's 12 years at Ibrox, he won 9 League championships and 6 Scottish Cups - a joint record number of Scottish Cup wins for a Rangers player (Dougie Gray
also won 6) and a record shared with former Celtic stars Jimmy McMenemy
and Billy McNeill
. He scored a total of 230 League goals for the club, a record which stood for over 50 years before being broken by Ally McCoist
in 1997.
McPhail also had a successful Scotland career, winning 17 caps and scoring 7 goals, most notably a double in a 3-1 win over England
at Hampden
on 17 April 1937 in front of a Hampden record crowd of 149,415. He also represented the Scottish League XI
.
McPhail died in August 2000, two months before what would have been his 95th birthday. He was the last surviving member of the great Rangers team of the late 1920s early 1930s.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
professional footballer, who played for Airdrieonians
Airdrieonians F.C.
Airdrieonians Football Club, more commonly known as Airdrie, were a Scottish professional football team from the town of Airdrie, in the Monklands area of Lanarkshire....
, Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
and represented Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
.
Career
Born in BarrheadBarrhead
Barrhead is a town in East Renfrewshire, Scotland, southwest of Glasgow on the edge of the Gleniffer Braes. As of the 2001 census its population was 19,813....
, McPhail started his career at Glasgow Junior side Pollok
Pollok F.C.
Pollok Football Club are a Scottish football club based in Newlands in the southside of the city of Glasgow. They are one of the biggest football clubs operating in Scottish Junior football, regularly attracting crowds of around 550, more than many clubs in the third division and even some in the...
. He signed for Airdrie
Airdrieonians F.C.
Airdrieonians Football Club, more commonly known as Airdrie, were a Scottish professional football team from the town of Airdrie, in the Monklands area of Lanarkshire....
, where he helped them to a Scottish Cup
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,, commonly known as the Scottish Cup or the William Hill Scottish Cup for sponsorship purposes, is the main national cup competition in Scottish football. It is a knockout cup competition run by and named after the Scottish Football Association.The...
triumph in 1924
Scottish Cup 1923-24
The 1923-24 Scottish Cup was the 46th staging of Scotland's most prestigious football knockout competition. The Cup was won by Airdrieonians, who defeated Hibernian 2–0 in the final.-Semi-finals:-----Replay:-----Second Replay:-----Final:...
, aged 18. He formed a potent partnership with Hughie Gallacher
Hughie Gallacher
Hugh Kilpatrick "Hughie" Gallacher was a Scottish football player in the 1920s and 1930s. In 624 senior games, Gallacher scored 463 times....
.
McPhail was signed by Rangers in 1927 for a then substantial fee of £5,000 and went on to become one of the most prolific strikers ever to play for the club, scoring 261 goals in 408 appearances. He made his first appearance for Rangers on 13 August 1927 in a 3-2 win over Aberdeen
Aberdeen F.C.
Aberdeen Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen...
at Pittodrie
Pittodrie Stadium
Pittodrie Stadium is an all-seated football stadium situated in the Scottish city of Aberdeen. It was first used in 1899 and from 1903 has been the home of Aberdeen Football Club...
. He netted his first goals on 3 September 1927, a double in a 5-1 win over St Johnstone
St Johnstone F.C.
St. Johnstone F.C. is a professional football club based in Perth, Scotland. Although it is officially recorded as being formed in 1884, the club did not play its first game until February 1885. The club's home since 1989 has been McDiarmid Park....
at Ibrox. Rangers won both the League title and the Scottish Cup
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,, commonly known as the Scottish Cup or the William Hill Scottish Cup for sponsorship purposes, is the main national cup competition in Scottish football. It is a knockout cup competition run by and named after the Scottish Football Association.The...
in McPhail's first season with the club and McPhail scored a total of 23 goals in 42 appearances, including a goal in the 4-0 win over Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
in the Scottish Cup Final.
McPhail continued to be an important member of Rangers' team in what was a highly successful period for the club. During McPhail's 12 years at Ibrox, he won 9 League championships and 6 Scottish Cups - a joint record number of Scottish Cup wins for a Rangers player (Dougie Gray
Dougie Gray
Douglas Herbert Gray was a Scottish footballer who spent his entire senior career with Rangers.Born in Alford, Aberdeenshire, Gray joined the Ibrox club from Aberdeen Mugiemoss in June 1925. A full back, he played for the club 490 times between 1925 and 1947, earning ten league championship and...
also won 6) and a record shared with former Celtic stars Jimmy McMenemy
Jimmy McMenemy
James "Jimmy" McMenemy was a Scottish footballer, who played for Celtic from 1902 to 1920. He made 515 appearances and scored 168 goals....
and Billy McNeill
Billy McNeill
William "Billy" McNeill MBE is a former Scottish footballer and manager. He is best known for captaining Celtic to the European Cup triumph in 1967 and he later went on to manage the club. He is now the official Club Ambassador at Celtic....
. He scored a total of 230 League goals for the club, a record which stood for over 50 years before being broken by Ally McCoist
Ally McCoist
Alistair Murdoch "Ally" McCoist, MBE ; 24 September 1962) is a Scottish football manager and former player. He is the current manager of Rangers in Scotland....
in 1997.
McPhail also had a successful Scotland career, winning 17 caps and scoring 7 goals, most notably a double in a 3-1 win over 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...
at Hampden
Hampden Park
Hampden Park is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The 52,063 capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland...
on 17 April 1937 in front of a Hampden record crowd of 149,415. He also represented the Scottish League XI
Scottish League XI
The Scottish League XI is a representative side of the Scottish Football League. The team regularly played against the Football League and other national league select teams between 1892 and 1980. For a long period the annual fixture between the English and Scottish leagues was only second in...
.
McPhail died in August 2000, two months before what would have been his 95th birthday. He was the last surviving member of the great Rangers team of the late 1920s early 1930s.
International goals
- Scores and results list Scotland's goal tally first.
# Date Venue Opponent Score Result Competition 1 September 19, 1931 Ibrox Park Ibrox StadiumIbrox Stadium is a football stadium located on the south side of the River Clyde, on Edmiston Drive in the Ibrox district of Glasgow. It is the home ground of Scottish Premier League club Rangers and has an all-seated capacity of 51,082...
, GlasgowGlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
3-1 3-1 BHC 1932 British Home ChampionshipThe 1932 British Home Championship was a football tournament played between the British Home Nations during the 1931–32 football season. It was won by England, who succeeded in beating all three of their rivals during the course of the competition....2 September 12, 1932 Windsor Park Windsor ParkWindsor Park is a football stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland and the home ground of Linfield F.C. and the Northern Ireland national football team. It is also where the Irish Cup and Irish League Cup finals are played.-History:...
, BelfastBelfastBelfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
2-0 4-0 BHC 1933 British Home ChampionshipThe 1933 British Home Championship was a football tournament played between the British Home Nations during the 1932–33 season. It was won by the strong Welsh side which claimed several tournaments during the 1930s, the last undisputed victories Wales would achieve.The tournament began with...3 September 12, 1932 Windsor Park Windsor ParkWindsor Park is a football stadium in Belfast, Northern Ireland and the home ground of Linfield F.C. and the Northern Ireland national football team. It is also where the Irish Cup and Irish League Cup finals are played.-History:...
, BelfastBelfastBelfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
3-0 4-0 BHC 1933 British Home ChampionshipThe 1933 British Home Championship was a football tournament played between the British Home Nations during the 1932–33 season. It was won by the strong Welsh side which claimed several tournaments during the 1930s, the last undisputed victories Wales would achieve.The tournament began with...4 September 16, 1933 Celtic Park Celtic ParkCeltic Park is a football stadium in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which is the home ground of Celtic FC. Celtic Park, an all-seater stadium with a capacity of 60,832, is the largest football stadium in Scotland and the sixth-largest stadium in the United Kingdom, after Murrayfield, Old Trafford,...
, GlasgowGlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
1-2 1-2 BHC 1934 British Home ChampionshipThe 1934 British Home Championship was an annual international football tournament played between the British Home Nations during the 1933–34 football season. It was won by Wales, whose run of form during the 1930s was their last sustained period of international success in the team's history...5 April 17, 1937 Hampden Park Hampden ParkHampden Park is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The 52,063 capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland...
, GlasgowGlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
2-1 3-1 BHC 1937 British Home ChampionshipThe 1937 British Home Championship was a football tournament played between the British Home Nations during the 1936–37 seasons. The trophy was won by Wales with Scotland coming second. This was the last Home Championship that Wales would win exclusively, all subsequent victories would be...6 April 17, 1937 Hampden Park Hampden ParkHampden Park is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The 52,063 capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland...
, GlasgowGlasgowGlasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
3-1 3-1 BHC 1937 British Home ChampionshipThe 1937 British Home Championship was a football tournament played between the British Home Nations during the 1936–37 seasons. The trophy was won by Wales with Scotland coming second. This was the last Home Championship that Wales would win exclusively, all subsequent victories would be...7 May 22, 1937 Stadion Sparta-Letna, Prague PraguePrague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
2-1 3-1 Friendly
External links
- International stats at Londonhearts.com