Players - Jock McNab

Jock McNab
Birthdate: 17 April 1894
Birthplace: Cleland, Lanarkshire, Scotland
Other clubs: Bellshill Athletic, Queens Park Rangers (1928-30)
Signed from: Bellshill Athletic
Signed for LFC: November 1919
International debut: 17.03.1923 vs. Wales
International caps: 1/0
Liverpool debut: 01.01.1920
Last appearance: 28.01.1928
Debut goal: 15.04.1922
Last goal: 17.09.1927
Contract expiry: 14.06.1928
Win ratio: 48.2% W:107 D:60 L:55
Honours: League Championship 1921/22, 1922/23
League games / goals: 200 / 6
Total games / goals: 222 / 6

Player Profile

John McNab was more commonly known as 'Jock' because of his Scottish ancestry. He arrived on Merseyside in November 1919 and made his debut for the club at home to Manchester United on New Year's Day, 1920. He also played in the next first division fixture at Sheffield United two days later but those were his only 'starts' in 1919/20 and he was only selected once in the following season. John Bamber started 1921/22 at right-half but four games into the season he was struck down with appendicitis. Francis Checkland deputised for Bamber in the next five appearances but McNab came in for the tenth match against Preston North End and only missed four first division games until the end of the season, picking up a League Championship medal in the process, something he would also experience a year later, when he missed just three of the 42 matches. McNab continued to be a regular in the club's defence for another four years, but missed two months of the 1923/24 season when he suffered major facial injuries when he hit the windshield of a taxi he was travelling in. McNab moved south to join Queens Park Rangers at the end of the 1927/28 season.

Scotsman McNab was a tough customer on the field described as "tall, stouthearted, and of great staying power. He has fitted the Liverpool half-back line, added weight and strength to it, and his enthusiasm carries him far." The Derby Day Telegraph reckoned his "robustness is sometimes a mistaken idea, he’s so big and strong that he can’t help opponents tumbling down when they barge into him." Evidently his enthusiasm got the better of him on 14 February 1925 when he was sent off for kicking a Newcastle player. His teammate Walter Wadsworth was sent off as well along with Newcastle's Urwin. An amusing postscript to the game was when Wadsworth and McNab were bemoaning their luck after being sent off, there was a knock on the dressing room door. 'Who is it?', asked McNab, and was told it was one of the club's directors. 'Bloody hell, has the ref started to send the directors off now?', came McNab's response.

After he finished playing, McNab went into the licensing trade, taking charge of the Jawbone in Bootle. He died there on 2nd January 1949 and is buried in Bootle Cemetery.
Appearances per season
Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
Totals 200 21 0 0 1 222
1919-1920 2 0 0 0 0 2
1920-1921 1 0 0 0 0 1
1921-1922 29 3 0 0 1 33
1922-1923 39 4 0 0 0 43
1923-1924 30 4 0 0 0 34
1924-1925 29 2 0 0 0 31
1925-1926 34 3 0 0 0 37
1926-1927 29 4 0 0 0 33
1927-1928 7 1 0 0 0 8
A more detailed look at the player's appearances
Apps Minutes Opponent
14 1260 Arsenal
13 1156 Bolton Wanderers
12 1080 Sunderland
11 990 Huddersfield Town
11 990 Everton
11 990 Birmingham City
11 990 Burnley
11 990 Tottenham
10 900 WBA
10 900 Aston Villa
10 810 Newcastle United
9 810 Cardiff City
9 810 Blackburn Rovers
7 630 Sheffield United
7 630 Middlesbrough
7 630 Bury
7 630 Manchester United
6 540 Preston North End
6 540 Manchester City
6 540 Notts County
5 450 Nottingham Forest
4 360 Leeds United
4 360 Southampton
3 270 West Ham United
3 270 Leicester City
2 180 Bournemouth
2 180 Chelsea
2 180 Derby
2 180 Stoke City
1 90 Bristol City
1 90 Oldham Athletic
1 90 Bradford City
1 90 Fulham
1 90 Sheffield Wednesday
1 90 Wolves
1 90 Southport
Total Venue
113 Home
108 Away
1 Neutral
Total Competition
200 League
21 FA Cup
1 Charity Shield
Total W D L Win % Manager
157 69 46 42 43.9% Matt McQueen
55 30 12 13 54.5% David Ashworth
10 8 2 0 80% Caretaker Manager
Goals per season
Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
Totals 6 0 0 0 0 6
1919-1920 0 0 0 0 0 0
1920-1921 0 0 0 0 0 0
1921-1922 2 0 0 0 0 2
1922-1923 1 0 0 0 0 1
1923-1924 0 0 0 0 0 0
1924-1925 2 0 0 0 0 2
1925-1926 0 0 0 0 0 0
1926-1927 0 0 0 0 0 0
1927-1928 1 0 0 0 0 1
A more detailed look at the player's goalscoring
Total Competition
6 League
Total Goal origin
6 Open play
Milestone Appearances
# Date Against Stadium Competition
1 01.01.1920 Manchester United Anfield League
50 11.11.1922 Tottenham Anfield League
100 01.03.1924 Arsenal Highbury League
150 26.09.1925 Everton Anfield League
200 12.02.1927 Everton Anfield League
Milestone Goals
# Minute Date Against Stadium Competition
1 73 15.04.1922 Cardiff City Anfield League
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Related Quotes

"McNab’s physique is tremendous. He has height, weight and determination, and never knows when he is beaten. In addition he has a very strong shot."

Jock McNab described in a match report in Football Echo in 1921

McNab was a real hard nut, whose idea of getting ready for a match was to have a couple of pints of Guinness. In one match at Newcastle, which got a bit out of hand, McNab was sent off for throwing a handful of mud at another player and he was followed to the dressing room by Wadsworth a few minutes later.

While the two of them were bemoaning their luck, there was a knock on the dressing room door. 'Who is it?', asked McNab, and was told it was one of the club's directors. 'Bloody hell, has the ref started to send the directors off now?', came McNab's response.

Liverpool Echo reporter on Jock McNab, who was sent off against Newcastle on 14th of February 1925

Scrapbook
Derby Day at Anfield (sketch) - 7 October 1922
Derby Day at Anfield (sketch) - 7 October 1922
Liverpool Echo sketch - 13 October 1923
Liverpool Echo sketch - 13 October 1923
Liverpool Echo spotlight on McNab
Liverpool Echo spotlight on McNab
Liverpool's footballers in training by the sea - 20 January 1926
Liverpool's footballers in training by the sea - 20 January 1926
Sketch from Liverpool Echo - 7 February 1925
Sketch from Liverpool Echo - 7 February 1925
Other Clubs
Club Season Club rank League apps League goals Total apps Total goals
Belshill Athletic Scotland N/A N/A N/A N/A
QPR 1928-1929 England Third Division South 32 2 33 2
QPR 1929-1930 England Third Division South 22 0 26 0
Total 54 2 59 2