| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Robert McNab | ||
| Date of birth | (1943-07-20)20 July 1943 (age 81) | ||
| Place of birth | Huddersfield,Yorkshire, England | ||
| Position(s) | Left-back | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1963–1966 | Huddersfield Town | 68 | (0) |
| 1966–1975 | Arsenal | 278 | (4) |
| 1975–1976 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | 13 | (0) |
| 1976 | San Antonio Thunder | 12 | (1) |
| 1976–1977 | Barnet | 16 | (1) |
| 1979 | Vancouver Whitecaps | 2 | (0) |
| 1983–1984 | Tacoma Stars (indoor) | 1 | (0) |
| Total | 390 | (6) | |
| International career | |||
| 1968–1969 | England | 4 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1980 | Vancouver Whitecaps | ||
| 1983 | Tacoma Stars | ||
| 1983–1985 | Tacoma Stars (assistant) | ||
| 1985–1986 | Tacoma Stars | ||
| 1994–1995 | San Jose Grizzlies (indoor) | ||
| 1999–2000 | Portsmouth (caretaker) | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Robert McNab (born 20 July 1943) is an English formerfootballer who played as a defender. McNab featured for clubsHuddersfield Town,Arsenal,Wolverhampton Wanderers,San Antonio Thunder,Barnet,Vancouver Whitecaps andTacoma Stars in his playing career. He also played forEngland's national football team.[1]
As a manager he was at the helm ofVancouver Whitecaps,Tacoma Stars,San Jose Grizzlies andPortsmouth.
Born inHuddersfield,Yorkshire, McNab started out at local club,Huddersfield Town, where he made close to seventy appearances. In October 1966 he was signed byBertie Mee forArsenal for £50,000.[2][3]
He made his debut for the club in a defeat toLeeds United on 15 October 1966. McNab went on to become a regular and to play in the1969 Football League Cup Final which Arsenal lost toSwindon Town.
With Arsenal he won the1969–70 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. In the back line alongsidePat Rice andFrank McLintock, McNab played 62 matches in Arsenal's Double-winning season, missing just two games, and winning aLeague and FA Cup Double in1970–71.[2][3]
He missed much of the1971–72 season due to injury, withSammy Nelson deputising for him, though he was able to play atWembley in the1972 FA Cup Final which Arsenal lost toLeeds United.[2]
McNab returned to full fitness, playing over 50 matches the following season. However, in1973–74 he suffered another curtailing injury and again had to share the role of left back. With the younger Nelson being in favour, the 32-year-old McNab left the club on afree transfer in the summer of 1975. In total he played 365 matches for Arsenal, scoring six goals.[2]
After leaving Arsenal, he at first played forWolverhampton Wanderers before linking up in the U.S. with theNASL'sSan Antonio Thunder. He then returned to England to join upBarnet,[4] only to move back across the Atlantic to Canada where he played for the NASL'sVancouver Whitecaps, where he brought his playing days to a close.[3]
McNab went on to coach the Whitecaps and thereafter theTacoma Stars of theMajor Indoor Soccer League. He left being at the helm of the Stars in December 1983 only to become the club's assistant manager. During the 1983–84 season, whilst in the aforesaid role he also played a solo game for the Stars. He was reappointed as the side's manager in March 1985.[5]
McNab later emigrated toLos Angeles,California, where he presently lives and works as a property developer. In 1999, he was part of a consortium led byMilan Mandaric that took overPortsmouth.[6] He was for an instance acaretaker manager of the side until the appointment ofTony Pulis within the following month.[3]
McNab made his debut forEngland on 6 November 1968 againstRomania. He made a sum total of four appearances for England. These caps came in home and away draws to Romania as well as a 3–1 win overNorthern Ireland in Belfast and a 1–1 draw atWembley againstBulgaria.[3]
As well as being a footballer, Bob McNab was a media personality in the 1970s, appearing on the panel for ITV's coverage of the1970 FIFA World Cup,[7] and he had a cameo role in the 1973On The Buses episode "The Football Match".[8] His daughterMercedes McNab is a retired actress known for her recurring role asHarmony Kendall on the American television seriesBuffy the Vampire Slayer and its spinoff series,Angel.[9]
McNab was injured for the majority of the 1971–72 season and was thus doubtful for the FA Cup semi final played at the neutral venue ofVilla Park against Stoke City. This scenario was referenced in the filmFever Pitch, where Paul Ashworth correctly predicts part of the game's lineup with the line, "McNab won't play. Bertie Mee wouldn't risk him."[10]
Arsenal[1]