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_(cropped2).jpg) McPhail inRangers kit, c. 1928 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Robert Lowe McPhail | ||
| Date of birth | (1905-10-25)25 October 1905 | ||
| Place of birth | Barrhead, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 24 August 2000(2000-08-24) (aged 94) | ||
| Place of death | Netherlee, Scotland | ||
| Position(s) | Inside-left | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| Pollok | |||
| 1923–1927 | Airdrieonians | 114 | (75) |
| 1927–1940 | Rangers | 354 | (230) |
| International career | |||
| 1926–1936 | Scottish League XI | 6 | (5) |
| 1927–1937 | Scotland | 17 | (7) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Robert Lowe McPhail (25 October 1905 – 24 August 2000) was a Scottish professionalfootballer who played as aninside-left forAirdrieonians,Rangers and theScotland national team.[1]
Born inBarrhead, McPhail started his career at GlasgowJunior sidePollok. He signed forAirdrieonians in 1923, forming a potent partnership withHughie Gallacher atBroomfield Park. They won theScottish Cup in1924 when McPhail was aged 18, beatingHibernian 2–0. McPhail said, "The terror-like attitude of Gallacher caused havoc with the Hibs defenders. He and Russell were easily our best forwards" (Willie Russell scored both goals).[2] He later attested that the Airdrie team of that time were as good as any he played in subsequently.[3]
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 on 13 August 1927 in a 3–2 win overAberdeen atPittodrie. He netted his first goals on 3 September 1927, a double in a 5–1 win overSt Johnstone atIbrox. Rangers won both theScottish Football League title and theScottish Cup in McPhail's first season with the club and he scored a total of 23 goals in 42 appearances, including a goal in the 4–0 win overCeltic in the1928 Scottish Cup Final.
McPhail continued to be an important member of the Rangers team in what was a highly successful period for the club.[3] During his 12 years at Ibrox, McPhail won nineLeague championships and six Scottish Cups[3] – a joint record number of Scottish Cup wins (along withGers teammateDougie Gray, andJimmy McMenemy andBilly McNeill of Celtic). He scored a total of 230 League goals in 354 league appearances for the club, a record which stood for over 50 years before being broken byAlly McCoist in 1997.[3]
McPhail also had a successful Scotland career,[3] winning 17caps and scoring seven goals, most notably a double in a 3–1 win overEngland atHampden on 17 April 1937 in front of a Hampden record crowd of 149,415. He also represented theScottish League XI six times (five goals) over the course of a decade while playing for both Airdrieonians and Rangers.[4]
DuringWorld War II, McPhail was persuaded by his older brotherMalcolm (also formerly a footballer, who played mainly forKilmarnock)[3][5] to come out of retirement to play forSt Mirren in unofficial wartime competitions, playing alongside future Rangers playerJimmy Caskie.[5] He also worked atWeir Group and operated the Rangers reserve team during the conflict, after which he ran an electrical business.[3]
McPhail died on 24 August 2000.[3] He was the last surviving member of the Rangers team of the late 1920s / early 1930s.
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 September 1931 | Ibrox Park,Glasgow |  Ireland | 3–1 | 3–1 | BHC |
| 2 | 12 September 1932 | Windsor Park,Belfast | Ireland | 2–0 | 4–0 | BHC |
| 3 | 12 September 1932 | Windsor Park,Belfast | Ireland | 3–0 | 4–0 | BHC |
| 4 | 16 September 1933 | Celtic Park,Glasgow | Ireland | 1–2 | 1–2 | BHC |
| 5 | 17 April 1937 | Hampden Park,Glasgow |  England | 2–1 | 3–1 | BHC |
| 6 | 17 April 1937 | Hampden Park,Glasgow | England | 3–1 | 3–1 | BHC |
| 7 | 22 May 1937 | Stadion Sparta-Letna,Prague |  Czechoslovakia | 2–1 | 3–1 | Friendly |
