Bobby Shearer
Encyclopedia
Bobby Shearer was a Scottish
professional football player and manager
. He represented Scotland
in four full international games.
Shearer, a right-back
, played 407 times in all competitions for Rangers
between 1955 and 1965, including a run of 165 consecutive games. He previously played for Hamilton Academical
, his hometown club, and also for Highland League Club, Inverness Thistle, while on National Servive at Fort George Barracks just outside Inverness. His combative playing style led to him being nicknamed Captain Cutlass.
He made his full Scotland
debut on 15 April 1961, in the infamous 9-3 defeat against England
at Wembley. It was frequently joked afterwards that as an orange football had been used, Shearer and Rangers
teammate Eric Caldow
had refused to kick it, while Celtic
players Frank Haffey
and Billy McNeill
had refused to touch it. Despite this inauspicious start, Shearer won further caps against the Republic of Ireland
(twice) and Czechoslovakia
in World Cup
qualifiers the following month, his final game being a 4-0 defeat in Bratislava
.
Shearer captained Rangers to their second domestic treble in 1963-64. In all, he won five league championships, three Scottish Cup
s and four Scottish League Cup
s during his time at Ibrox
.
After leaving Ibrox
, Shearer moved to Dumfries
club Queen of the South
as player-coach in the era of players such as Allan Ball
, Iain McChesney and Billy Collings
. In January 1967, Shearer was appointed manager of ill-fated Third Lanark, who folded later that year. Shearer moved back to his hometown club Hamilton Academical and served as their manager, amongst other tasks.
He died following a short illness on 5 November 2006, aged 74.
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 football player and manager
Manager (association football)
In association football, a manager is responsible for running a football club or a national team. The manager of a professional club is responsible directly to the club president. The position of manager is almost exclusively used in British football...
. He 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...
in four full international games.
Shearer, a right-back
Defender (association football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
, played 407 times in all competitions for 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...
between 1955 and 1965, including a run of 165 consecutive games. He previously played for Hamilton Academical
Hamilton Academical F.C.
Hamilton Academical Football Club, often known as Hamilton Academical, or Accies, are a Scottish football club from Hamilton in South Lanarkshire. They were established in 1874 from the school football team at Hamilton Academy. They remain the only professional club in British football to have...
, his hometown club, and also for Highland League Club, Inverness Thistle, while on National Servive at Fort George Barracks just outside Inverness. His combative playing style led to him being nicknamed Captain Cutlass.
He made his full 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...
debut on 15 April 1961, in the infamous 9-3 defeat against 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 Wembley. It was frequently joked afterwards that as an orange football had been used, Shearer and 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...
teammate Eric Caldow
Eric Caldow
Eric Caldow is a former Scottish international footballer who played for Rangers, Stirling Albion and Scotland.-Early life:...
had refused to kick it, while 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...
players Frank Haffey
Frank Haffey
Francis Haffey was a football goalkeeper for Glasgow's Celtic F.C. and for the Scottish national team.Haffey, remembered as one of Celtic's great and more eccentric keepers, played more than two hundred matches for his club....
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....
had refused to touch it. Despite this inauspicious start, Shearer won further caps against the Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland national football team
The Republic of Ireland national football team represents Ireland in association football. It is run by the Football Association of Ireland and currently plays home fixtures at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, which opened in May 2010....
(twice) and Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia national football team
The Czechoslovakia national football team was the national association football team of Czechoslovakia from 1922 to 1993. At the dissolution of Czechoslovakia at the end of 1992, the team was participating in UEFA qualifying Group 4 for the 1994 World Cup; it completed this campaign under the name...
in World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
qualifiers the following month, his final game being a 4-0 defeat in Bratislava
Bratislava
Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia and, with a population of about 431,000, also the country's largest city. Bratislava is in southwestern Slovakia on both banks of the Danube River. Bordering Austria and Hungary, it is the only national capital that borders two independent countries.Bratislava...
.
Shearer captained Rangers to their second domestic treble in 1963-64. In all, he won five league championships, three 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...
s and four Scottish League Cup
Scottish League Cup
The Scottish League Cup is a football competition open to all Scottish Football League and Scottish Premier League clubs. At present it is also known as the Scottish Communities League Cup owing to the sponsorship deal in place with the Scottish Government. In the past it has been sponsored by...
s during his time at Ibrox
Ibrox Stadium
Ibrox 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...
.
After leaving Ibrox
Ibrox Stadium
Ibrox 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...
, Shearer moved to Dumfries
Dumfries
Dumfries is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth. Dumfries was the county town of the former county of Dumfriesshire. Dumfries is nicknamed Queen of the South...
club Queen of the South
Queen of the South F.C.
Queen of the South Football Club is a Scottish professional football club founded in 1919 and located in Dumfries. The club currently plays in the Scottish First Division, the second tier of Scottish football. They are officially nicknamed The Doonhamers, but usually referred to as Queens or QoS...
as player-coach in the era of players such as Allan Ball
Allan Ball
Allan Ball is an English former footballer. Born in Hetton-le-Hole, County Durham, Ball played as a goalkeeper, spending most of his professional career with Scottish club Queen of the South. Ball made 731 first team appearances for Queens, a club record, between 1963 and 1982...
, Iain McChesney and Billy Collings
Billy Collings
Billy Collings is a Scottish ex footballer who played for Greenock Morton, Dumbarton, Berwick Rangers, Cambuslang Rangers, Queen of the South, Stranraer and Gretna.-Greenock Morton, Dumbarton & Berwick Rangers:...
. In January 1967, Shearer was appointed manager of ill-fated Third Lanark, who folded later that year. Shearer moved back to his hometown club Hamilton Academical and served as their manager, amongst other tasks.
He died following a short illness on 5 November 2006, aged 74.
External links
- Bobby Shearer, Post War English & Scottish Football League A - Z Player's Database