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Birthdate:
20.02.1951
Birthplace: Irchester, England
Other clubs: Northampton, Bolton
Bought from: Northampton
Signed for LFC: £66000 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: December 1985
LFC league games/goals: 455 / 41
Total LFC games/goals: 650 / 59
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Player Notes:
One of the most-decorated players in English football history, Phil 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. Vastly experienced already with the league scene even at the relatively young age of 23, being pitched into the Goodison derby with Everton just days after his arrival on Merseyside didn't bother him in the slightest. Phil missed the next 3 matches after that goalless debut but then played in the last 22 fixtures of the 1974-75 season, mostly at left-back even though he preferred to be on the right. That started a quite astonishing run of consecutive appearances for Liverpool; 417 games in a row for Liverpool between 23rd of October 1976 to 24th of September 1983. A Liverpool record.
Phil won a League championship medal in his first full season at Anfield (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. Phil's cool penalty in 1977 had sealed that first triumph in the continent's premier club tournament and he scored again - 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, Phil had the chance to emulate the great Real Madrid players di Stefano & Gento by picking up a fifth winners' medal in the Champions' 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.
Phil played 50 times for England, a clear recognition that he was one of the finest full-backs of his time. Even though he took penalties for a number of years, his final goals total for Liverpool in all competitions has only been bettered from full-back by Chris Lawler. In the aftermath of Heysel, which caused English clubs to be banned from European competition for five years (Liverpool's punishment was extended by a further year), Phil approached the 1985-86 season under Kenny Dalglish's leadership at the age of 34 but after playing in the opening 8 First Division fixture he lost his place, only for one game it is true but Dalglish was already looking to the future and it wasn't long before Steve Nicol took over Neal's place in the side. Knowing that his playing days were nearing the end anyway, Phil accepted an offer from Bolton Wanderers to be their manager but continued to be registered as a player until 1989. He lost his job at Burnden Park after six a half years and shortly afterwards was appointed assistant manager at Coventry City.
Phil Neal's record speaks for itself. Only Ian Callaghan, Emlyn Hughes & Ray Clemence stand before him so far as competitive appearances for Liverpool goes. He played in a staggering total of 701 Football League games for Northampton, Liverpool and Bolton. Added to that are no fewer than 180 cup appearances for Liverpool alone which when added to those he made for his first and last League clubs plus the representative honours he gained take his total close to the 1,000 mark, a quite astonishing achievement.
Phil was lucky never to be seriously injured but he looked after himself well 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, or that of ANY British club come to that, success that he could only have dreamed about when he was a young man during his early days in the Fourth Division at Northampton.
He became one of Liverpool's all-time greats and was very much aware that it is the TEAM that counts and not so much individual performances, but having said that his own 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. |
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