Players - Robert Neill

Robert Neill
Birthdate: 24 September 1875
Birthplace: Govan, Glasgow, Scotland
Date of death: 2 March 1913
Other clubs: Ashfield (1891-94), Hibernian (1894-96), Rangers (1897-1904), Airdrieonians (1904-05)
Signed from: Hibernian (loan) / Hibernian
Signed for LFC: on loan, 24.04.1895 / 02.05.1896
International debut: 21.03.1896 vs. Wales
International caps: 2/2 (at Hibernian and Rangers) - 03.02.1900
Liverpool debut: 27.04.1895
Last appearance: 10.04.1897
Debut goal: 19.12.1896
Last goal: 27.03.1897
Contract expiry: 30.04.1895 / April 1897
Win ratio: 37.04% W:10 D:9 L:8
Games/goals ratio: 9
League games / goals: 22 / 2
Total games / goals: 27 / 3

Player Profile

Glaswegian centre-half, Robert Neill, was probably our shortest-ever player in that position, at 5 foot, 4 inches (165 cm.). Neill was loaned to Liverpool from Hibernian as they were missing several regulars in the Test match against Bury in the 1894/95 season. Liverpool lost 1-0 and were relegated to the Second Division. Neill continued his career at Hibernian and made his international debut against Wales on 21 March 1896 where he scored two goals in a 4-0 win. Liverpool bought the twenty-year-old Neill in May 1896 after Hibs suffered a 3-1 loss to Hearts in the Scottish Cup final. Following his arrival he was so described by the Athletic News: "Neill is a clever little half back, quiet and unassuming in style, but very quick and effective." Liverpool had just made an immediate return to the First Division and finished in a creditable fifth place in the 1896/97 season. Neill finally replaced Joe McQue in the first 11 after being in the reserves for the first six weeks of the campaign, said to be certainly the most expensive reserve in Liverpool's ranks. Neill scored two League goals for Liverpool, with one more coming in the FA Cup against West Bromwich Albion in February 1897.

The Scotsman returned to his homeland after just one season because of family bereavement and had quite a successful career with Rangers where in seven years he won four League Championships and one Scottish Cup. He made 109 appearances for Rangers and scored 28 goals. After retirement, he became a restaurateur. According to the Dundee Courier "he had a most winsome manner, and he was a prime public favourite. He was beloved by his clubmates, and admired by his opponents for the beauty and fairness of his play." In 1909 the Montreal Daily Witness reported that Neill was along with other footballers from the British Isles working on the construction of the new Congregational Church in Pointe St. Charles in Montreal. "Thick-set and sturdy, with the arm of a Hercules, it is easy to understand why Robert Neill occupied a prominent place in the Association game in 'Bonnie Scotland'." The Montreal newspaper conducted an interview, a pretty rare one for a Liverpool footballer from the 19th century. “I played football for seven years. The dear old Glasgow Rangers was my team, and I also played for Liverpool previous to that. Edinburgh Hibernian also claimed me for some time," Neill said. "My most exciting match took place in 1897, when for Liverpool I played in the semi-final of the English Cup. We were defeated by a narrow margin.” Apparently Neill was still turning out for local sides in some capacity. “I am somewhat tired of football, though I have played for Westmount here and the M.A.A.A. [Montreal Amateur Athletic Association]. Still, I may take it up again." Four years later Robert Neill died in his hometown of Govan, Glasgow in March 1913, aged 37.
Appearances per season
Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
Totals 22 4 0 0 1 27
1894-1895 0 0 0 0 1 1
1896-1897 22 4 0 0 0 26
A more detailed look at the player's appearances
Apps Minutes Opponent
3 270 Aston Villa
3 270 Nottingham Forest
2 180 Wolves
2 180 WBA
2 180 Burnley
2 180 Bury
2 180 Preston North End
2 180 Sheffield United
2 180 Stoke City
2 180 Sunderland
1 90 Derby
1 90 Blackburn Rovers
1 90 Sheffield Wednesday
1 90 Bolton Wanderers
1 90 Everton
Total Venue
13 Away
12 Home
2 Neutral
Total Competition
22 League
4 FA Cup
1 Test Match
Total W D L Win % Manager
26 10 9 7 38.5% Tom Watson
1 0 0 1 0% William Edward Barclay
Goals per season
Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
Totals 2 1 0 0 0 3
1894-1895 0 0 0 0 0 0
1896-1897 2 1 0 0 0 3
A more detailed look at the player's goalscoring
Total Opponent
1 Derby
1 WBA
1 Burnley
Total Competition
2 League
1 FA Cup
Total Goal minute period
2 16-30 minutes
1 46-60 minutes
Total Goal origin
3 Open play
Milestone Appearances
# Date Against Stadium Competition
1 27.04.1895 Bury Ewood Park Other
Milestone Goals
# Minute Date Against Stadium Competition
1 60 19.12.1896 Derby Baseball Ground League
Other Clubs
Club Season Club rank League apps League goals Total apps Total goals
Ashfield 1891-1894 Scotland N/A N/A N/A N/A
Hibernian 1894-1895 Scotland Division 1 14 0 14 0
Hibernian 1895-1896 Scotland Division 1 17 6 17 6
Rangers 1897-1898 Scotland Division 1 12 3 19 5
Rangers 1898-1899 Scotland Division 1 18 6 22 7
Rangers 1899-1900 Scotland Division 1 15 3 19 4
Rangers 1900-1901 Scotland Division 1 9 1 10 1
Rangers 1901-1902 Scotland Division 1 16 3 17 3
Rangers 1902-1903 Scotland Division 1 17 8 17 8
Rangers 1903-1904 Scotland Division 1 5 0 5 0
Airdrieonians 1904-1905 Scotland Division 1 N/A N/A N/A N/A
Total 123 30 140 34