_(cropped).jpg) McQueen playing forManchester United in 1983 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Gordon McQueen[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1952-06-26)26 June 1952[1] | ||
| Place of birth | Kilbirnie, Scotland[2] | ||
| Date of death | 15 June 2023(2023-06-15) (aged 70) | ||
| Place of death | Hutton Rudby, England | ||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)[3] | ||
| Position | Defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1970–1972 | St Mirren | 57 | (5) |
| 1972–1978 | Leeds United | 141 | (15) |
| 1978–1985 | Manchester United | 184 | (20) |
| 1985–1986 | Seiko | ||
| Total | 381 | (40) | |
| International career | |||
| 1974–1981 | Scotland | 30 | (5) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1987–1989 | Airdrieonians | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Gordon McQueen (26 June 1952 – 15 June 2023) was a Scottish professionalfootballer who played as acentre-back forSt Mirren,Leeds United andManchester United, in addition to theScotland national team.
McQueen started his footballing career at St Mirren in 1970, but in 1972 was bought by Leeds for £30,000 to replaceJack Charlton. He was a central figure during the1973–74 campaign, during which the Leeds team were undefeated for the first 29 matches and won the title. McQueen scored three times during the club'sEuropean Cup campaign the following season, but was suspended forthe final, which Leeds lost. After a controversial move to Leeds' arch-rivals Manchester United, he won the1983 FA Cup Final. McQueen joinedSeiko in Hong Kong for one season in 1985, before retiring and moving into coaching; in that capacity, he managedAirdrieonians and St Mirren for periods in the 1980s.
McQueen played thirty times for Scotland, scoring five goals and winning the1976–77 British Home Championship.
McQueen was agoalkeeper (the position in which his fatherTom had played professionally)[3][4] as a schoolboy but later switched to centre-back. He was signed at the age of 18 bySt Mirren from Ayrshire Junior teamLargs Thistle. He soon had scouts from other clubs monitoring his progress and it wasLeeds United who finally offered £30,000 (£500,000 today) in the 1972 close season, seeing him as a long-term replacement for the ageingJack Charlton.[5] Charlton played for some of the1972–73 season but had decided to retire as the season was drawing to a close.[6] McQueen played on six occasions in his first season at Leeds, including asubstitute appearance in the1973 European Cup Winners' Cup final, which Leeds lost toA.C. Milan.[7]
With Charlton retired and Madeley playing in many positions, McQueen was in the team for most of the1973–74 season. Leeds won theLeague Championship, with a run of 29 matches without a defeat from the start of the season with McQueen playing alongsideNorman Hunter as Leeds' first-choice centre back pairing.[7] Known for hisheading, his 6 feet 3 inches (191 cm) stature and his stubborn attitude, McQueen played a significant role in the team's success.[7][8] McQueen and Hunter excelled at the back the following season, notably in Leeds' campaign in theEuropean Cup, during which McQueen scored three goals. He was suspended for the1975 European Cup Final after being sent off in the semi-final versusBarcelona. Leeds went on to lose 2–0 in the final versusBayern Munich.[6]
In February 1978, McQueen moved from Leeds to their arch-rivalsManchester United for £500,000[3] (£3,600,000 today). On signing, he said that "99% of players want to play for Manchester United and the rest are liars."[9] He had declared only weeks earlier inShoot magazine that he wanted to stay atElland Road for his entire career. He played in the1979 FA Cup Final againstArsenal, scoring United's first of two goals in the 86th minute, but again finished on the losing side.[10]
McQueen finally gained anFA Cup winner's medal in the1983 FA Cup final, which United won after a replay versusBrighton & Hove Albion.[11] Earlier that season he was also in the team defeated byLiverpool in theLeague Cup final,[12] in which he was used as a centre-forward because he was injured and United had already made their only permitted substitution.[12] He leftOld Trafford in the 1985 close season, having suffered from persistent knee injuries.[13] After one season withSeiko in theHong Kong First Division, he retired from playing.[13]
At the end of the 1973–74 season McQueen was called up to theScotland squad and made his international debut versusBelgium.[14][15] He was selected for the1974 World Cup squad, but did not play.[15] He soon became a regular for Scotland, and hecaptained the team and also scored his first international goal in a 1–1 draw againstRomania on 1 June 1975.[15][16] He achieved great success with Scotland in 1977, as he scored goals againstNorthern Ireland atHampden thenEngland atWembley as the Scots won theBritish Home Championship[15][17] and later that year he helped the team qualify for the1978 World Cup by beatingWales atAnfield.[15] Although he was selected for the 1978 World Cup squad,[15] he could not play due to injury. McQueen played his last match for Scotland in 1981, having gained thirtycaps and scored five goals.[18]
McQueen coached abroad before managingAirdrieonians from 1987 to 1989,[19] before coaching at his first clubSt Mirren.[3] When McQueen's friend and former team-mateBryan Robson was appointed the manager ofMiddlesbrough, McQueen joined him as reserve-team coach.[20] He held this position for five years, and was then a first-team coach for two years.[20] McQueen left theTeesside club in June 2001, following the departure of Robson and the appointment ofSteve McClaren.[20] McQueen then joinedSky Sports as a pundit, working on theirSoccer Saturday results show.[21]
On 29 April 2008, McQueen returned to Middlesbrough as assistant scout, alongsideDavid Mills.[22]
After coaching Middlesbrough, McQueen and his wife lived in the village ofHutton Rudby, North Yorkshire. The couple had a son and two daughters, includingHayley, who is a sports journalist.[23] Politically, McQueen was aLabour supporter.[24]
In October 2011, McQueen was diagnosed withlaryngeal cancer and started treatment at theJames Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough.[25] In January 2021, he was diagnosed withvascular dementia.[26] This highlighted the issue of injuries caused to footballers by persistent heading of a ball.[27][28] He died from complications of dementia at home on 15 June 2023, at the age of 70.[29][30]
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scotland | 1974 | 2 | 0 |
| 1975 | 7 | 1 | |
| 1976 | 2 | 0 | |
| 1977 | 6 | 2 | |
| 1978 | 6 | 1 | |
| 1979 | 6 | 1 | |
| 1980 | – | ||
| 1981 | 1 | 0 | |
| Total | 30 | 5 | |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 June 1975 | Stadionul 23 August,Bucharest |  Romania | 1–1 | 1–1 | UEFA Euro 1976 qualifying |
| 2 | 1 June 1977 | Hampden Park, Glasgow |  Northern Ireland | 3–0 | 3–0 | 1976–77 British Home Championship |
| 3 | 4 June 1977 | Wembley Stadium, London |  England | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1976–77 British Home Championship |
| 4 | 20 September 1978 | Praterstadion, Vienna |  Austria | 1–3 | 2–3 | UEFA Euro 1980 qualifying |
| 5 | 7 June 1979 | Ullevaal Stadion, Oslo |  Norway | 4–0 | 4–0 | UEFA Euro 1980 qualifying |
Leeds United[32]
Individual
As much as having a dad in football [Gordon McQueen] goes against me sometimes because I have the nepotism card thrown in my face, it helps because no one is going to mess with a 6ft 5in defender who was part of the Dirty Leeds crew.
Scotland squads | |||||||
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