Players - John McLean

John McLean
Birthdate: 22 May 1870
Birthplace: Port Glasgow, Scotland
Other clubs: Greenock Volunteers (1890-94), Grimsby Town (1897-98), Bristol City (1898-1902), Bristol Rovers (1902-04), Millwall (1904-06), Queens Park Rangers (1906-09)
Signed from: Greenock Volunteers
Signed for LFC: 10.10.1894
Liverpool debut: 10.11.1894
Last appearance: 09.11.1895
Contract expiry: June 1897
Win ratio: 44.83% W:13 D:5 L:11
League games / goals: 26 / 0
Total games / goals: 29 / 0

Player Profile

McLean was yet another of Liverpool's early Scottish contingent and he arrived at Anfield during the 1894/95 season to try and shore up a defence that was leaking goals all over the place, 31 in the first dozen fixtures of a traumatic debut season in the top division. McLean made his Liverpool debut in a 3-1 loss to Stoke on 10 November 1894. The Liverpool Mercury reported on his debut: "J. McLean turned out a real champion. He is the rough diamond, and only requires polishing to be a really first-class player." A swift return to the Second Division was inevitable long before it was confirmed. In March 1895 McLean was criticized as he had "fostered a desire for dribbling and forward work, which is of no earthly use to his side, for, as generally is the case, he is robbed or his final pass interposed, and when the ball is sent to his opposing forwards he is in nine cases out of ten out of his place, and consequently a much larger share of work fell to the backs." McLean could play as right or left half-back but those two positions were mostly taken by John McCartney and John Holmes in 1895/96 so he only added a further eight appearances to his total.
Appearances per season
Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
Totals 26 2 0 0 1 29
1894-1895 18 2 0 0 1 21
1895-1896 8 0 0 0 0 8
A more detailed look at the player's appearances
Apps Minutes Opponent
2 180 Derby
2 180 Sunderland
2 180 Preston North End
2 180 Nottingham Forest
2 180 Birmingham City
2 180 Sheffield Wednesday
2 180 Port Vale
2 180 Barnsley
1 90 Grimsby Town
1 90 Notts County
1 90 Burton Wanderers
1 90 Loughborough
1 90 Everton
1 90 Wolves
1 90 Bolton Wanderers
1 90 Leicester City
1 90 WBA
1 90 Newcastle United
1 90 Bury
1 90 Stoke City
1 90 Sheffield United
Total Venue
14 Away
14 Home
1 Neutral
Total Competition
26 League
2 FA Cup
1 Test Match
Total W D L Win % Manager
21 7 5 9 33.3% William Edward Barclay
8 6 0 2 75% John McKenna
Milestone Appearances
# Date Against Stadium Competition
1 10.11.1894 Stoke Victoria Ground League
Other Clubs
Club Season Club rank League apps League goals Total apps Total goals
Greenock Volunteers 1890-1894 N/A N/A N/A N/A
Grimsby Town 1897-1898 England Second Division 30 2 31 2
Bristol City 1901-1902 England Second Division 34 1 37 1
Bristol Rovers 1902-1904 Southern League N/A N/A N/A N/A
Millwall 1904-1906 Southern League N/A N/A N/A N/A
QPR 1906-1907 Southern League 32 0 34 0
QPR 1907-1908 Southern League 28 0 30 0
QPR 1908-1909 Southern League 13 0 13 0
Total 137 3 145 3