Players - Terry McDermott

Terry McDermott
Birthdate: 8 December 1951
Birthplace: Kirkby, Liverpool, England
Other clubs: Bury (1967-73), Newcastle United (1973-74), Newcastle United (2 / 1982-84), Cork City (1985), APOEL (1985-87)
Signed from: Newcastle United
Signed for LFC: £175,000, 13.11.1974
International debut: 07.09.1977 vs. Switzerland
International caps: 25/3 - 02.06.1982
Liverpool debut: 16.11.1974
Last appearance: 28.09.1982
Debut goal: 08.03.1975
Last goal: 30.03.1982
Contract expiry: 29.09.1982
Win ratio: 56.84% W:187 D:85 L:57
Games/goals ratio: 4.06
Games/assists ratio: 5.77
Honours: League Championship 1976/77, 1978/79, 1979/80, 1981/82; League Cup 1981, 1982; European Cup 1977, 1978, 1981, UEFA Cup 1976; European Super Cup 1977; PFA Player of the Year 1980, FWA Footballer of the Year 1980
Total games/goals opposite LFC: 5 / 0
League games / goals / assists: 232 / 54 / 40
Total games / goals / assists: 329 / 81 / 57

Player Profile

Terry Mac was a spectacular midfield player. He needed two years to settle into the Liverpool side, but when he did, he blossomed. He scored some truly memorable goals and his wizardry in midfield was justly rewarded in 1980 when he became the first player to win the Football Writers' and Professional Footballers' Association's Player of the Year awards in the same season. Kirkby-born McDermott supported Liverpool as a boy but his first professional club was Bury, from where he moved to Newcastle United in February 1973. He played in 56 League matches for the Magpies and just like Alan Kennedy, played against Liverpool in the 1974 FA Cup final before moving to Anfield. McDermott returned to his native Merseyside in November 1974 when he was a few weeks short of his twenty-third birthday as one of Bob Paisley's earliest signings. Three days after his arrival McDermott played in six successive League games in place of Brian Hall, but it was a frustrating time for him as he was in and out of the team as he settled in at his new club. In 1975/76 he was selected in the starting 11 for the opening eight games but was then replaced by Hall whose place was taken by Jimmy Case later in the season. McDermott was stuck in the reserves as Liverpool captured the League title and the UEFA Cup and looked like a change of club would be the only way to resurrect his career.

McDermott's patience was wearing thin but his reward finally came in the memorable 1976/77 season when he was finally accepted not just as a good squad-player but an important member of the side itself. He started 36 games and was a firm fixture at the business end of the season when Liverpool successfully defended their title. The disappointment of again finishing on the losing side in an FA Cup final was soon forgotten as a typical run into space to collect Steve Heighway's pass saw McDermott fire the Reds ahead in the European Cup final against Gladbach. McDermott would add two more winners' medals to his collection in the world's most prestigious knock-out competition. McDermott also became a regular member of the England squad and was capped 25 times from 1977-1982. McDermott had scored eight goals for two seasons running when he reached double figures in 1979/80 and followed that with a goal-spree of 20 and 22 goals in the next couple of seasons which was outstanding for a midfielder. He credits a stunning hat-trick in only 16 minutes when Kevin Keegan returned with Hamburg for the second leg of the Super Cup on 6 December 1977 as the making of him at Liverpool. It wasn't like his goals were tap-ins either. His first goal of the 1978/79 season on 2 September 1978 was perhaps his most memorable when a sweeping move from one end of the pitch to the other saw him race 70 yards to powerfully head Steve Heighway's cross into the net for the final blow in Tottenham's 7-0 humiliation at Anfield. His long-range shooting became a feature of his game to add to his vision and tactical awareness and his chip in the replayed FA Cup semi-final with Everton in 1977 was voted "Goal of the Season" by the BBC. Another awesome strike dumped Spurs out of the FA Cup in 1980 when he took the ball over his shoulder on the right-hand corner of the penalty box and hit a volley that curved into the far top corner for the only goal of the game. Absolute magic! His runs from deep were very well timed and would often provide the finishing touch to a well-rehearsed attack.

By the start of the 1982/83 season, it was clear that McDermott would finally have to look elsewhere for first-team football and he returned to St. James' Park in September 1982. Newcastle got promoted to the First Division in the 1983/84 season and after one more season in the top-flight McDermott joined Cork City in 1985 and spent two years playing in Cyprus. He signed for Newcastle for the third time when he was appointed Kevin Keegan's assistant manager in 1992. Even when Keegan left McDermott stayed on as Kenny Dalglish's number two until he was sacked in September 1998 and Ruud Gullit took over. McDermott joined the coaching staff at Celtic in 1999 appointed by the ill-fated management-team of John Barnes and Kenny Dalglish. McDermott returned for his fourth spell at Newcastle in January 2005 as the assistant to Graeme Souness. After Souness' sacking, he continued to serve under managers Glenn Roeder, Sam Allardyce and then eventually Keegan again. Once Keegan departed in September 2008 McDermott followed suit. A couple of months later McDermott became Lee Clark's assistant manager at Huddersfield Town. He was controversially dismissed along with Clark in February 2012 with the club in fourth place in League One. When Clark was appointed manager of Birmingham City in June 2012, McDermott soon followed as his assistant.

Kenny Dalglish talked admiringly about McDermott in his autobiography, My Liverpool home: "What a player Terry was, blessed with unbelievable stamina. 'You've got two pairs of lungs,' I said to Terry and I'm sure he did. Terry could run and run and his mind shifted as quickly. As a footballer, Terry was a creature of instinct and intelligence, a killer mix. If I even hinted at darting into a particular area, Terry read my mind. The ball was waiting for me, almost smiling at me. Not only could Terry see a great pass, he could deliver it. Vision and execution are qualities found in only the very best of players and Terry had those strengths. Along with his keen eye for goal, what made Terry even more special was his full-on, committed attitude. Surrender was for cowards, not for men like Terry, who'd never give up."
Appearances per season
Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
Totals 232 23 36 34 4 329
1974-1975 15 0 0 0 0 15
1975-1976 9 0 1 0 0 10
1976-1977 26 5 0 7 0 38
1977-1978 37 0 8 7 1 53
1978-1979 37 7 1 4 0 49
1979-1980 37 6 7 2 1 53
1980-1981 40 2 9 8 1 60
1981-1982 29 3 10 5 1 48
1982-1983 2 0 0 1 0 3
A more detailed look at the player's appearances
Apps Minutes Opponent
17 1590 Arsenal
16 1387 Nottingham Forest
16 1346 Ipswich Town
15 1296 Manchester United
13 1170 Coventry City
13 1077 Everton
13 1058 Middlesbrough
13 1022 Leeds United
12 1095 West Ham United
12 1053 Aston Villa
10 900 Wolves
10 840 Tottenham
10 830 Birmingham City
9 810 Manchester City
8 720 WBA
8 720 Norwich City
8 601 Southampton
7 630 Bristol City
7 630 Stoke City
7 620 QPR
6 528 Leicester City
6 518 Brighton & Hove Albion
6 470 Derby
5 450 Sunderland
5 430 Chelsea
4 360 Bolton Wanderers
4 308 Crystal Palace
4 295 Swansea City
4 288 Newcastle United
3 271 CSKA Sofia
3 270 Oulun Palloseura
3 270 Exeter City
3 270 Sheffield United
3 242 Gladbach
2 180 Trabzonspor
2 180 Zurich
2 180 Benfica
2 180 Tranmere Rovers
2 180 Dinamo Tbilisi
2 180 Bradford City
2 180 Aberdeen
2 180 Barnsley
2 180 AZ Alkmaar
2 180 Notts County
2 180 Anderlecht
2 180 Burnley
2 167 Southend
2 136 Bayern Munich
1 90 York City
1 90 Saint-Étienne
1 90 Swindon Town
1 90 Club Brugge
1 90 Hamburg SV
1 90 Chesterfield
1 90 Grimsby Town
1 90 Altrincham
1 90 Real Madrid
1 90 Wrexham
1 90 Dundalk
1 90 Portsmouth
1 90 Bury
1 90 Luton Town
1 65 Blackburn Rovers
1 52 Dyn. Dresden
1 51 Flamengo
1 27 Crusaders
Total Started/substitutions
317 Started
32 On the bench
12 Substitute
26 Substituted
Total Venue
159 Home
151 Away
19 Neutral
Total Competition
232 League
36 League Cup
31 European Cup
23 FA Cup
3 European Super Cup
3 Charity Shield
1 World Club Championship
Total W D L Win % Manager
329 187 85 57 56.8% Bob Paisley
Goals per season
Season League FA LC Europe Other Total
Totals 54 4 5 15 3 81
1974-1975 2 0 0 0 0 2
1975-1976 1 0 0 0 0 1
1976-1977 1 1 0 2 0 4
1977-1978 4 0 0 4 0 8
1978-1979 8 0 0 0 0 8
1979-1980 11 2 1 0 2 16
1980-1981 13 1 1 6 1 22
1981-1982 14 0 3 3 0 20
1982-1983 0 0 0 0 0 0
A more detailed look at the player's goalscoring
Milestone Appearances
# Date Against Stadium Competition
1 16.11.1974 Everton Goodison Park League
50 09.04.1977 Manchester City Anfield League
100 15.03.1978 Benfica Anfield Europe
150 20.03.1979 Wolves Anfield League
200 12.02.1980 Nottingham Forest Anfield League Cup
250 13.12.1980 Ipswich Town Portman Road League
300 01.12.1981 Arsenal Highbury League Cup
Milestone Goals
# Minute Date Against Stadium Competition
1 74 08.03.1975 Burnley Turf Moor League
50 39 11.10.1980 Ipswich Town Anfield League
Related Articles
Terry McDermott: I like Anfield when it's empty – that's when the memories come flooding back

By Tony Barrett for Joe.co.uk 2017.

Terry lives for the moment

A review of Terry McDermott's autobiography.

Four LFC Macs

Liverpool's first ever team was known as The team of the Macs back in 1892-93. John Martin picks out four other Macs from later in Liverpool's history.

Everton go into replay as underdogs with a pedigree

The Times report on Liverpool - Everton on 23.04.1977.

McDermott arrives in James Bond style

Phil Thompson explains in his autobiography how Terry Mac's arrival at Liverpool came about.

Terry has a pee - the Liverpool Lege Terry McDermott

There are many funny stories floating around of Terry McDermott's antics at Liverpool. This is possibly the funniest.

Great matches: Liverpool could have scored six!

The FA Cup final in 1974 was a one-sided affair for Liverpool vs. Alan Kennedy's and Terry McDermott's Newcastle.

Related Quotes

"I remember him going a week without alcohol so that’s good for Terry McDermott. That’s why he gets into this dream team of mine."

Alan Kennedy

"I will always remember this game. Not only because I scored two goals, but because I played a part in what I think was the greatest ever goal to be scored at Anfield. Why Terry McDermott ran 80 yards to make it seven I will never know, but that really summed up Liverpool for me."

David Johnson talking about McDermott’s goal in Liverpool’s 7-0 win over Tottenham

"Terry McDermott once got us hysterical in the dressing room, laughing at Bob Paisley’s expense. The boss had a habit of saying the word “doings” all the time. He’d refer to opposition players as “doings” instead of naming them. So Bob comes into the dressing room and starts a talk.

Terry stood behind him with a big grin on his face and every time Bob says “doings” he holds a finger up. By the time he gets to six, Terry is starting to titter and we’re trying not to laugh. Ray Kennedy is kicking me and when he gets to 10, Ray just turns and flees into the toilet, he’s in absolute fits. We were like a bunch of schoolkids."

Phil Neal

"I was 46 before I got rid of my perm. Kevin Keegan was the first to get it done, then came the two Phils, Thompson and Neal, before I followed suit. Thommo looked like Shirley Temple. I remember going to get my first perm with him in Kirkby.

Terry McDermott

"Terry’s strengths were running, passing and finishing. Along with his vision, Terry had another great quality: he was always upbeat. The banter at Liverpool was unbelievable particularly when Terry Mac was in full flow."

Kenny Dalglish on Terry McDermott

"Terry, for my money, must be one of the improved player in the country since he came into the side. As much as anyone, he has been responsible for us getting us to Wembley, to Rome and to the closing stages of the Championship. That’s how highly I rate his contributions." In the past he’d come in when someone was injured and done a good job for a few matches before, I thought, easing off and going out of the side again. What a difference now, - he just gets better and better!"

Emlyn Hughes in 1977 on Terry McDermott

"We’d talked about Lawson’s tendency to come out a long way and Terry kidded him with that chip. We all thought Terry was going to blast it until he pulled it back and floated it in. that, for me, is the hallmark of an exceptional player."

Emlyn Hughes in 1977 on Terry McDermott's great goal in the FA Cup semi-final vs. Everton on 23.04.1977

"I was in the player's lounge and the payphone rang. It was a reporter. He told me and I gave my famous quote: 'I can't believe a rag-bag like me has won a trophy like this. Look at all the players before me, like George Best, Billy Bremner and Norman Hunter, who have all won these awards but never done it in the one year."

Terry McDermott on when he became the first footballer to win the PFA and FWA awards in one season

"There were many times when I went to see Bob Paisley and slammed the door so it almost came off its hinges. On numerous occasions I told him to stick his club where he wanted it. I just felt aggrieved at times because there were days I thought I'd played well and the pop-up toaster would come up showing 8 or 11, or I never played the next game. Maybe that was just a learning curve for me, for them to say to me: 'Hey, you think you've made it. You bloody haven't'!"

Terry McDermott had a terrible first two years at Liverpool where he couldn't break into the team

"I used to enjoy my football. I used to enjoy going out at night. I enjoyed having a laugh. I enjoyed wind-ups. That was just my character. I loved having a laugh with the lads. It was just me. Kevin Keegan and Kenny Dalglish were two of the funniest people you could wish to meet. That's probably why all gelled together and got on so well. The camaderie in the dressing room was superb and that's so important. We were by far the best team for a lot of years. When you look back at it, bloody hell, the team that we had, no wonder nobody could beat us. We knew we were the best team in the country, if not in Europe."

Terry McDermott on his Liverpool career

"Someone was injured, I think it may have been Ian Callaghan. I was moved in rather than be out wide on the right. I scored a hat-trick and I always remember John Toshack saying: 'That's your position'. I got the confidence from John Toshack saying a thing like that. He probably won't remember, but I do."

Terry McDermott says his performance in the 6-0 demolition of Hamburg in the European Super Cup was the turning point in his Liverpool career

"Off the field he was one of the biggest jokers we have had and a man who enjoyed a pint or two. But no matter how well he celebrated he was always in at training the following morning and that is all that mattered to Liverpool Football Club."

Bob Paisley on Terry McDermott

"Terry McDermott blasted in an FA Cup sixth round super-goal at White Hart Lane in March 1980. Ossie Ardiles made the mistake of presenting Terry with the ball and before Barry Daines could blink, Terry’s shot was in the net. March was really Terry Mac’s month. He wrapped it up by winning the PFA Players’ Player award, and deservedly."

Kenny Dalglish recalls the high point of Terry McDermott's career

"I've never come across so much hatred and unrest over one person. I have experienced it from the inside, and it's across the board. What I've been told, not by players and coaches, but by people who have been at United for 30 and 40 years, hardly made for harmony. They've begged me not to let this guy back into the club. I've no axe to grind with Craig Bellamy. I've never met him and he's done me no personal harm. But, in the six days I've been here, what I've heard from many sources means I don't want to meet the guy. Some of the things said by him, not just last week but throughout his period here, have been disgraceful. I know about the voicemail message he sent because I was playing golf with Alan [Shearer] when he received it. That message alone should mean Bellamy never plays here again.

Former assistant manager at Newcastle Terry McDermott on Craig Bellamy’s legacy at Newcastle

"I'm not one of these people who like the adulation. I'd sooner be in the background. Even when I won the Player of the year in 80 I never turned up. I never went down to London to get it from the sportswriters. I think I am the only one who has ever done that. I'm not proud of that. I'm so proud now when I see it. I actually won that award. At that time that wasn't me. I'd sooner go on have a pint and a pie in the pub rather than go to a big function like that. That's no disrepect to anybody, that's just way I was and still am like that now. I don't go to any functions with the former players because I don't like the adulation. People might think that´s strange, because he's an outgoing fellow, but that's just the way I am."

The unique Terry Mac

"Who voted for that by the way? Some of the players who got in front of me.. I thought... Stevie Wonder must have voted. Just to be in the top 100... Things like that don't bother me. I get wound up by the guys at Newcastle, 'You're only 37, we thought you were a good player.' To be in the top 37 at Liverpool, I'm very proud of that... Maybe I should have been number 20, not 37."

Terry Mac on being voted number 37 in the 100 players who shook the Kop.

Scrapbook
3 May 1980
3 May 1980
Cup of glory as Liverpool turn on the style - May 1974
Cup of glory as Liverpool turn on the style - May 1974
Focus on Terry McDermott
Focus on Terry McDermott
It's that old Anfield magic! - 6 December 1977
It's that old Anfield magic! - 6 December 1977
Kings rule! - 10 May 1978
Kings rule! - 10 May 1978
LFC Official Matchday Magazine interview 2000/01
LFC Official Matchday Magazine interview 2000/01
Newcastle and Liverpool team profiles for the 1974 cup final
Newcastle and Liverpool team profiles for the 1974 cup final
Players of the year - LFC Official Matchday Magazine
Players of the year - LFC Official Matchday Magazine
Poster boy
Poster boy
Shoot! Focus on Terry Mac
Shoot! Focus on Terry Mac
Terry Mac hits back at critics - November 1983
Terry Mac hits back at critics - November 1983
Terry Mac scores in Euro final! - May 1977
Terry Mac scores in Euro final! - May 1977
Terry McDermott on the cover of Shoot! 25 April 1981
Terry McDermott on the cover of Shoot! 25 April 1981
Terry wades in for the Super Cup - 6 December 1977
Terry wades in for the Super Cup - 6 December 1977
Terry will kop out
Terry will kop out
Terry's change of heart - May 1974
Terry's change of heart - May 1974
The game I remember - 8 March 1980
The game I remember - 8 March 1980
The likely lads - 1975
The likely lads - 1975
The scoring spectacular in the sun - 2 September 1978
The scoring spectacular in the sun - 2 September 1978
The second chance semi-final! - 27 April 1977
The second chance semi-final! - 27 April 1977
Other Clubs
Club Season Club rank League apps League goals Total apps Total goals
Bury 1969-1970 England Third Division 12 0 12 0
Bury 1970-1971 England Third Division 16 3 17 3
Bury 1971-1972 England Fourth Division 35 3 40 4
Bury 1972-1973 England Fourth Division 27 2 32 3
Newcastle United 1972-1973 England First Division 8 1 8 1
Newcastle United 1973-1974 England First Division 36 4 46 7
Newcastle United 1974-1975 England First Division 12 1 14 1
Newcastle United 1982-1983 England Second Division 32 6 35 6
Newcastle United 1983-1984 England Second Division 42 6 45 7
Cork City 1985 League of Ireland 5 1 5 1
APOEL 1985-1987 Cyprus 1 50 1 52 1
Total 275 28 306 34