Players - Phil Neal

Phil Neal
Birthdate: 20 February 1951
Birthplace: Irchester, England
Other clubs: Northampton Town (1967-74), Bolton Wanderers (1985-89)
Signed from: Northampton Town
Signed for LFC: £66,000, 09.10.1974
International debut: 24.03.1976 vs. Wales
International caps: 50/5 - 21.09.1983
Liverpool debut: 16.11.1974
Last appearance: 09.11.1985
Debut goal: 04.11.1975
Last goal: 07.09.1985
Contract expiry: 18.12.1985
Win ratio: 57.23% W:372 D:164 L:114
Games/assists ratio: 14.44
Honours: League Championship 1975/76, 1976/77, 1978/79, 1979/80, 1981/82, 1982/83, 1983/84, 1985/86; League Cup 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984; European Cup 1977, 1978, 1981, 1984; UEFA Cup 1976: European Super Cup 1977
League games / goals / assists: 455 / 41 / 28
Total games / goals / assists: 650 / 59 / 45

Player Profile

One of the most decorated players in English football history, Neal made his name with Northampton Town and had played in nearly 200 Football League games for the Cobblers when he was transferred to Liverpool in November 1974 as Bob Paisley's first managerial signing. Paisley did waste a journey to see him as Neal recollects: "Paisley often used to pay to go through the terraces and talk to people about the players like: 'What's that Phil Neal like?'. When Bob Paisley saw me for the last time at Northampton he brought a Liverpool director with him, Mr Sidney Reaks. For the first twenty minutes I played at right-back but rest of the game I played in goal. Bob said: 'We came all that way to see you for the last time. I wanted to show my director what good right-back you were. The keeper got carried off and you put the green jersey on.'" Vastly experienced already on the League scene even at the relatively young age of 23, being thrown into the Goodison derby with Everton just days after his arrival on Merseyside didn't bother Neal in the slightest. Neal missed the next three matches after that goalless debut but then played in the last 22 fixtures of the 1974/75 season, mostly at left-back in place of Alec Lindsay even though he preferred to be on the right. That started a quite astonishing run of consecutive appearances for Liverpool; a total of 417 between 23 October 1976 and 24 September 1983. That is, needless to say, a Liverpool record! Incidentally, he missed three games due to that injury against Manchester United in September 1983 before making another 127 appearances in a row!

Few know Neal better than Ray Clemence as he revealed in 1977: "Most people know that Phil is my roommate and best friend at the club. Phil adds an extra dimension to the team with his ability to surge forward and set things up," Clem said. "It’s easy to see when you’re playing with him, that he’s got a tremendous awareness of every other player in the side and what their job is. I suppose he picked it up in his utility days at Northampton – in fact, he often tells me he’s a better goalkeeper than I am! Phil has so much skill on the ground that I don’t think he’d be lost in midfield. Add to that, his defensive qualities and the fact he’s no mean performer in the air and you’ve got a very good player indeed."

"Zico", so-called by the supporters for the number of goals he scored as a defender, won a League Championship medal in his first full season at Anfield in 1975/76, something he would achieve on no less than eight occasions. He also played in six European club finals for Liverpool and was the only member of the 1977 European Cup-winning side in Rome to return there seven years later for a similar but much sterner test against the Italian champions. Neal's cool penalty in 1977 sealed that first triumph in the continent's premier club tournament as Neal fondly remembers. "As I ran up to the ball I then did something I never did and which you should never do – I changed my mind. Instead, I hit it low to the other side of the 'keeper but it went in and up came Cally in delight. I still get a tingle when I see the videos of Bob Paisley and Ronnie Moran and the lads leaping up off the bench with joy." Neal scored again in a European final - this time from open play - in 1984 before adding another tidy penalty in the shoot-out that followed the 1-1 draw, setting the scene for Alan Kennedy's dramatic clincher from 12 yards. A year later, having succeeded Graeme Souness as captain, Neal had the chance to emulate the great Real Madrid players, di Stefano and Gento, by picking up a fifth winners' medal in the European Cup. Sadly, on a night of mayhem and madness in Brussels, his European dream was taken away from him on one the blackest days football has ever known.

Neal played 50 times for England, a clear recognition that he was one of the finest full-backs of his time. Neal approached the 1985/86 season under Kenny Dalglish's leadership at the age of 34 still bitterly disappointed that he was overlooked for the manager's job that he claimed he was practically "promised". After playing in the opening eight first division fixtures he lost his place. Dalglish was already looking to the future and it wasn't long before Steve Nicol took Neal's place in the side. Knowing that his playing days were nearing the end anyway, Neal accepted an offer from Bolton Wanderers to be their manager. He lost his job at Burnden Park after six a half years and was shortly afterwards appointed Graham Taylor's right-hand man during his spell in charge of the England team. Neal was the manager at Coventry City from October 1993 to February 1995 when the Sky Blues were seventeenth in the Premier League. Following his dismissal, he had short spells as manager of Cardiff City and assistant manager at Manchester City and Peterborough United. Neal is especially proud of his time at Bolton. "I took them to Wembley three times in the lower league cups. I made a profit five out of the six years I was there. I built a club that when Bruce Rioch and Colin Todd took over they said you left a good disciplined club which was easy to kick-off from. They started to move up the tables and went into a new stadium which they had promised me. I walked. Then I went to Coventry. We finished eleventh in the First Division. I sold Phil Babb. I was the one responsible for getting £3.6 million for him while Kevin Kegan six months before at Newcastle with Terry McDermott tried to get him for £175,000. Terry Mac was on the phone every day before the deadline in March: 'You'll not get another penny more.' I convinced the Chairman to leave him until after the World Cup. Phil Babb had a great World Cup and it was a wonderful boost for Coventry's bank balance."

Phil Neal's record speaks for itself. He played in a staggering total of roughly 700 Football League games for Northampton, Liverpool and Bolton. Added to that are his cup appearances plus the representative honours he gained and that takes his total close to the 1,000 mark, a quite astonishing achievement. He became one of Liverpool's all-time greats and was very much aware that it is the TEAM that counts. Neal's performances throughout his long career were always of a very high standard. Never a flamboyant showman who courted attention or publicity, he just got on with his job through hard work and concentration and deservedly won as much as he did for the club he served so well. Neal was lucky never to be seriously injured but he looked after himself and his good positional sense, added to his ability to create openings for colleagues further afield and even be in the right place to finish them off himself, meant that his position in the team was never threatened until he was in his mid-30's. He was part of the most successful period in Liverpool's history, something that he could only have dreamt about when he was a young man during his early days in the Fourth Division at Northampton.

The first thing that comes to mind when thinking of Phil Neal is how is it possible to play 417 games in a row! LFChistory.net asked Neal that very question. "There were two occasions when I could have missed a game. One was when I got a fractured cheekbone. Roger Davis the centre forward at Derby gave me an elbow [on 24 January 1976]. I had my cheekbone lifted in line with the rest of my face to put my face back in shape (by the way... it's never recovered, [Neal quips]). Bob Paisley came to me on Wednesday and said: 'How are you feeling?' I said: 'I'm ok. I'm over the operation and everything else.' I chose to play against the specialist's wishes who said that I shouldn't play for a month. I got away with it. I got over a broken toe, but I had to play for six weeks with size eight and a half on one foot and size seven on the other. Ronnie Moran made me a plaster cast on the little toe I had broken. It was uncomfortable with my normal size shoes. I had to find some way to be still able to kick a ball, tackle and maybe have a little injection to keep the pain away for 90 minutes. There were little incidents when I could have missed a game but I was doubly determined not to. It was so exciting. I didn't miss a day's training in all those years I was there. I wouldn't ring in for a cold. Every day I had a smile on my face."
Appearances per season
Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
Totals 455 45 66 74 10 650
1974-1975 23 2 0 0 0 25
1975-1976 42 2 3 12 0 59
1976-1977 42 8 2 8 1 61
1977-1978 42 1 9 9 1 62
1978-1979 42 7 1 4 0 54
1979-1980 42 8 7 2 1 60
1980-1981 42 2 9 9 1 63
1981-1982 42 3 10 6 1 62
1982-1983 42 3 8 6 1 60
1983-1984 41 2 12 8 1 64
1984-1985 42 7 3 10 2 64
1985-1986 13 0 2 0 1 16
A more detailed look at the player's appearances
Apps Minutes Opponent
31 2880 Arsenal
29 2579 Everton
28 2568 Manchester United
28 2498 Ipswich Town
25 2280 Tottenham
24 2160 Nottingham Forest
24 2114 Coventry City
22 1980 Aston Villa
21 1920 West Ham United
21 1890 Birmingham City
20 1800 WBA
20 1800 Norwich City
19 1710 Stoke City
19 1710 Manchester City
17 1530 Middlesbrough
17 1486 Southampton
15 1350 Leeds United
14 1260 Wolves
14 1260 QPR
13 1170 Leicester City
13 1170 Derby
12 1080 Sunderland
12 1080 Newcastle United
10 900 Chelsea
10 900 Brighton & Hove Albion
8 720 Bristol City
8 720 Burnley
7 630 Luton Town
7 630 Watford
6 540 Benfica
6 540 Crystal Palace
6 540 Notts County
5 450 Swansea City
4 360 Sheffield United
4 360 Sheffield Wednesday
4 360 Dyn. Dresden
4 360 Oulun Palloseura
4 360 CSKA Sofia
4 297 Bolton Wanderers
3 330 Fulham
3 270 Oldham Athletic
3 270 Gladbach
3 270 Club Brugge
3 270 York City
3 270 Barnsley
3 270 Exeter City
2 210 Stockport County
2 180 Juventus
2 180 Athletic Bilbao
2 180 Anderlecht
2 180 Slask Wroclaw
2 180 Barcelona
2 180 Crusaders
2 180 Dundalk
2 180 Hibernian
2 180 Bayern Munich
2 180 Hamburg SV
2 180 Din. Bucharest
2 180 Real Sociedad
2 180 Tranmere Rovers
2 180 Dinamo Tbilisi
2 180 Bradford City
2 180 Southend
2 180 Carlisle United
2 180 Saint-Étienne
2 180 Zurich
2 180 Blackburn Rovers
2 180 Walsall
2 180 Aberdeen
2 180 AZ Alkmaar
2 180 HJK Helsinki
2 180 Widzew Lodz
2 180 Lech Poznan
2 180 Austria Vienna
2 180 Panathinaikos
1 120 Roma
1 90 Flamengo
1 90 Grimsby Town
1 90 Altrincham
1 90 Real Madrid
1 90 Odense BK
1 90 Chesterfield
1 90 Independiente
1 90 Bury
1 90 Portsmouth
1 90 Rotherham United
1 90 Swindon Town
1 90 Brentford
1 90 Oxford United
1 90 Trabzonspor
1 90 Wrexham
Total Started/substitutions
648 Started
1 On the bench
2 Substitute
5 Substituted
Total Venue
309 Home
307 Away
34 Neutral
Total Competition
455 League
66 League Cup
57 European Cup
45 FA Cup
12 UEFA Cup
7 Charity Shield
5 European Super Cup
2 World Club Championship
1 Screen Sport Super Cup
Total W D L Win % Manager
506 293 124 89 57.9% Bob Paisley
128 69 36 23 53.9% Joe Fagan
16 10 4 2 62.5% Kenny Dalglish
Goals per season
Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
Totals 41 3 4 11 0 59
1974-1975 0 0 0 0 0 0
1975-1976 6 0 0 1 0 7
1976-1977 7 2 0 4 0 13
1977-1978 4 0 1 2 0 7
1978-1979 5 0 0 0 0 5
1979-1980 1 0 0 0 0 1
1980-1981 2 0 0 1 0 3
1981-1982 2 0 1 0 0 3
1982-1983 8 0 1 2 0 11
1983-1984 1 0 1 1 0 3
1984-1985 4 1 0 0 0 5
1985-1986 1 0 0 0 0 1
A more detailed look at the player's goalscoring
Assists per season
Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
Totals 28 4 8 5 0 45
1974-1975 1 0 0 0 0 1
1975-1976 2 0 0 0 0 2
1976-1977 3 1 0 1 0 5
1977-1978 0 0 1 0 0 1
1978-1979 1 0 0 0 0 1
1979-1980 2 0 4 0 0 6
1980-1981 5 0 0 0 0 5
1981-1982 3 2 0 3 0 8
1982-1983 3 0 2 0 0 5
1983-1984 3 0 1 0 0 4
1984-1985 4 1 0 1 0 6
1985-1986 1 0 0 0 0 1
A more detailed look at the player's assists
Milestone Appearances
# Date Against Stadium Competition
1 16.11.1974 Everton Goodison Park League
50 26.11.1975 Slask Wroclaw Olimpijski Stadium Europe
100 27.10.1976 Leicester City Filbert Street League
150 30.08.1977 Chelsea Anfield League Cup
200 15.04.1978 Bristol City Ashton Gate League
250 07.04.1979 Arsenal Anfield League
300 19.02.1980 Nottingham Forest Anfield League
350 29.11.1980 Sunderland Roker Park League
400 28.10.1981 Exeter City St James' Park League Cup
450 04.09.1982 Arsenal Highbury League
500 12.04.1983 Coventry City Highfield Road League
550 25.02.1984 QPR Anfield League
600 26.12.1984 Leicester City Anfield League
650 09.11.1985 Coventry City Highfield Road League
Milestone Goals
# Minute Date Against Stadium Competition
1 79 04.11.1975 Real Sociedad Anfield Europe
50 14 16.03.1983 Widzew Lodz Anfield Europe
Related Articles
Rigore!

We are pleased to welcome columnist Declan Sloan aboard at LFChistory.net. He takes a look at important penalties for Liverpool throughout the years.

Liverpool book a passage to Rome

The Times report on FC Zurich - Liverpool on 06.04.1977.

Double Up - Neal and Thompson get the perm

The years 1977-1978 carried many alarming changes in society and Phil Thompson created an alarming trend at Liverpool.

Phil Neal - Mr. 417 games in a row

Phil Neal is a true gentleman and was a brilliant servant to Liverpool. He sat down with lfchistory.net and talked about his fantastic career.

Phil Neal exclusive: Gerrard best ever captain

lfchistory met briefly with Phil Neal. We asked him about the current state of affairs. Neal promised a detailed interview on lfchistory about his career with Liverpool in a not too distant future.

Related Quotes

"I took a long run up and was determined to put it low to the left of the German keeper, who I kept thinking was very tall. Ian Callaghan had said to me ‘Just knock it in Nealy’ so I tried to stay as calm as I could. But as I went to take it I could see Cally with his hands clenched as if in prayer. He was down on his haunches, almost kneeling, his hands clasped together.

As I ran up to the ball I then did something I never did and which you should never do – I changed my mind. Instead I hit it low to the other side of the keeper but it went in and up came Cally in delight. I still get a tingle when I see the videos of Bob Paisley and Ronnie Moran and the lads leaping up off the bench with joy."

Phil Neal on his penalty vs. Gladbach in 1977

"The Liverpool philosophy is simple, and is based on total belief. Maybe that has been the key to Liverpool's consistency. We were taught to go out there, play our own game and fear no one."

Phil Neal

"There was a big pressure to perform and we were expected to hammer Walsall. At one point I was trying to clear the ball off the line. It smacked Phil Neal in the back and bounced in for an own goal. Nealy gave me one of his stares."

Gary Gillespie's debut was not the best

"Most people know that Phil is my room-mate and best friend at the club. Phil adds an extra dimension to the team with his ability to surge forward and set things up. It’s easy to see when you’re playing with him, that he’s got a tremendous awareness of every other player in the side and what their job is. I suppose he picked it up in his utility days at Northampton – in fact he often tells me he’s a better goalkeeper than I am! Phil has so much skill on the ground that I don’t think he’d be lost in midfield. Add to that, his defensive qualities and the fact he’s no mean performer in the air and you’ve got a very good player indeed."

Ray Clemence in 1977 on Phil Neal

"I’d like to thank the fans for the nickname they gave me…Zico! He was a great Brazilian player and they started calling me by his name at a time when I was playing particularly well I guess and scoring goals – eleven I think in one season. But it was really down to them that I was roaring along because they gave me so much support and confidence."

Phil Neal applauds the Liverpool fans

"I can and that was the other adrenalin rush. We were staying in the Holiday Inn and everybody had told their friends that we were there. About 4,000 fans came to the hotel in Rome and I think it was probably the biggest bill the club have ever had for a European Cup final party. Everybody deserved to be there and it was just lovely to be around the supporters. They ate all the food and drank all of the beer but they deserved it because they had forked out loads of money for what turned out to be a great season. We all enjoyed the festivities. Then, the next day, I remember coming to blows with Kevin Keegan. People have said that Tommy Smith had smacked him in the eye because Kevin came home wearing dark sunglasses. He hadn't. It was me.

The morning after the game we were waiting to get the plane home. We were by the hotel pool in Rome having breakfast with the cup by our side and all the staff were there saying to us what a fantastic season it had been and were revelling in every moment. So here we are celebrating and messing about and I knew I would be thrown into the pool. I then told the lads I had just brought a pair of new shoes from Russel and Bromley so could they just let me slip them off before they threw me in the pool fully clothed! I didn't mind that but they wouldn't let me so I flicked out my hand and caught my nail just under Kevin's eye. It came up as if Frank Bruno had just punched him! It really did swell unbelievably. His eye was closed, Joe Fagan treated it and he came home some four or five hours later with a black mark under his eye."

Phil Neal asked if he remembers the celebrations after the European Cup win in 1977

Scrapbook
50 up in Europe! - 3 March 1982
50 up in Europe! - 3 March 1982
A family day out for Phil and son - Liverpool match programme in 1985
A family day out for Phil and son - Liverpool match programme in 1985
A Shoot! poster - 1983
A Shoot! poster - 1983
Arsenal hoodoo holds after spot kicks saga - 2 December 1975
Arsenal hoodoo holds after spot kicks saga - 2 December 1975
Business as usual, says new Liverpool skipper - 1984
Business as usual, says new Liverpool skipper - 1984
Euro KO for Neal - Smith steps in - 20 October 1976
Euro KO for Neal - Smith steps in - 20 October 1976
Focus on Phil Neal
Focus on Phil Neal
Fourth to first division - Match programme 1975
Fourth to first division - Match programme 1975
From small-time to big-time in quick-time - 1976
From small-time to big-time in quick-time - 1976
Game review of match against Southend on 10 January 1979
Game review of match against Southend on 10 January 1979
Goals that put the Reds on way to Wembley! - 1978
Goals that put the Reds on way to Wembley! - 1978
How they started!
How they started!
Kings rule! - 10 May 1978
Kings rule! - 10 May 1978
LFC Official Matchday Magazine interview 2000/01
LFC Official Matchday Magazine interview 2000/01
Liverpool will get the gold medals - December 1978
Liverpool will get the gold medals - December 1978
Match poster 1985
Match poster 1985
Medals record-holder - 1984
Medals record-holder - 1984
Named after Phil
Named after Phil
Neal needs a spot of luck - 27 December 1977
Neal needs a spot of luck - 27 December 1977
Neal penalty saver - 17 January 1984
Neal penalty saver - 17 January 1984
Neal walked into the first team - 8 May 1976
Neal walked into the first team - 8 May 1976
Neal's record under strain - September 1983
Neal's record under strain - September 1983
Neal's spot saver - 17 January 1984
Neal's spot saver - 17 January 1984
Nice one - 17 January 1984
Nice one - 17 January 1984
Perfect start for Phil! - 31 August 1983
Perfect start for Phil! - 31 August 1983
Phil Neal on the cover of Shoot! 13 July 1985
Phil Neal on the cover of Shoot! 13 July 1985
Phil Neal on the cover of Shoot! 8 January 1983
Phil Neal on the cover of Shoot! 8 January 1983
Phil saves blushes - 11 February 1984
Phil saves blushes - 11 February 1984
Shoot!
Shoot!
Shoot! Focus on Phil Neal from early 80s
Shoot! Focus on Phil Neal from early 80s
Shoot! poster 1979
Shoot! poster 1979
The game I remember - 16 November 1974
The game I remember - 16 November 1974
Top class signings all the way
Top class signings all the way
Unhappy Neal loses out to skipper Alan - June 1984
Unhappy Neal loses out to skipper Alan - June 1984
We'll pull out all the stops for Joe - 4 February 1984
We'll pull out all the stops for Joe - 4 February 1984
Wembley trailblazers - Shoot! on 8 February 1983
Wembley trailblazers - Shoot! on 8 February 1983
Other Clubs
Club Season Club rank League apps League goals Total apps Total goals
Northampton Town 1968-1969 England Third Division 21 4 22 4
Northampton Town 1969-1970 England Fourth Division 13 1 15 2
Northampton Town 1970-1971 England Fourth Division 17 3 18 3
Northampton Town 1971-1972 England Fourth Division 41 1 46 1
Northampton Town 1972-1973 England Fourth Division 38 9 40 9
Northampton Town 1973-1974 England Fourth Division 46 9 50 9
Northampton Town 1974-1975 England Fourth Division 10 2 13 3
Bolton Wanderers 1985-1986 England Third Division 20 2 26 2
Bolton Wanderers 1986-1987 England Third Division 28 1 36 1
Bolton Wanderers 1987-1988 England Fourth Division 8 0 12 0
Bolton Wanderers 1988-1989 England Third Division 8 0 11 0
Total 250 32 289 34