 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Robert Shearer | ||
| Date of birth | (1931-12-29)29 December 1931 | ||
| Place of birth | Hamilton, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 5 November 2006(2006-11-05) (aged 74) | ||
| Position | Right-back | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Burnbank Athletic | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1951–1955 | Hamilton Academical | 73 | (13) |
| 1955–1965 | Rangers | 267 | (2) |
| 1965–1966 | Queen of the South | 30 | (0) |
| Total | 370 | (15) | |
| International career | |||
| 1961[1] | SFL trial v SFA | 1 | (0) |
| 1961[2] | Scottish League XI | 2 | (0) |
| 1961 | Scotland | 4 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1965–1966 | Queen of the South | ||
| 1967 | Third Lanark | ||
| 1970–1971 | Hamilton Academical | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Bobby Shearer (29 December 1931 – 5 November 2006)[3] was a Scottish professionalfootball player andmanager. Shearer representedScotland in four full international games.
Shearer, aright-back, played 423 times in all competitions forRangers between 1955 and 1965,[4] including a run of 165 consecutive games.[5] He previously played forHamilton Academical, his hometown club, and also forHighland League clubInverness Thistle while onNational Service in the Army in the early 1950s, at Fort George Barracks just outsideInverness. His combative playing style led to him being nicknamed 'Captain Cutlass'.
He made his fullScotland debut on 15 April 1961, in the infamous 9–3 defeat againstEngland atWembley.[3] It was frequently joked afterwards that as an orange football had been used, Shearer andRangers teammateEric Caldow had refused to kick it, whileCeltic playersFrank Haffey andBilly McNeill had refused to touch it.[3] Despite this inauspicious start, Shearer won further caps against theRepublic of Ireland (twice) andCzechoslovakia inWorld Cup qualifiers the following month, his final game being a 4–0 defeat inBratislava.
Shearer captained Rangers to their seconddomestic treble in 1963–64.[5] In all, he won five league championships, threeScottish Cups and fourScottish League Cups during his time atIbrox.[4][5]
He alsodeputised as goalkeeper (at least) twice, by coincidence againstHearts atTynecastle Park on both occasions, taking over fromNorrie Martin in a League Cup fixture in 1958 which Hearts won 2–1,[6][7] and more impressively an 82-minute shift in place of the injuredBilly Ritchie in a 3–1 Rangers victory in 1960.[8]
After leaving Rangers, Shearer moved toDumfries clubQueen of the South as player-coach in the era of players such asAllan Ball,Iain McChesney andBilly Collings. In January 1967, Shearer was appointed manager of ill-fatedThird Lanark, who folded later that year. He moved back to his hometown club Hamilton Academical and served as their manager, amongst other tasks.[3]
He died following a short illness on 5 November 2006, aged 74.[3]
