- Birthdate: 27 February 1948
- Birthplace: Bury, England
- Other clubs: Bury (1963-69), Stoke City (1977-78), Oakland Stompers (1978), Toronto Blizzard (1979), Newton (1982-85)
- Signed from: Bury
- Signed for LFC: £67,000, 13.03.1969
- International debut: 22.05.1974 vs. Argentina
- International caps: 4/0 - 05.06.1974
- Liverpool debut: 16.09.1969
- Last appearance: 16.05.1977
- Debut goal: 16.09.1969
- Last goal: 10.09.1975
- Contract expiry: 12.09.1977
- Win ratio: 53.63% W:133 D:66 L:49
- Games/assists ratio: 14.59
- Honours: League Championship 1972/73; FA Cup 1974; European Cup 1977; UEFA Cup 1973
- League games / goals / assists: 170 / 12 / 10
- Total games / goals / assists: 248 / 18 / 17
Player Profile
Lindsay was signed by Liverpool from his hometown club Bury in March 1969 when he was 21-years-old. Bill Shankly gave him his first-team debut in a 10-0 Fairs Cup thrashing of Dundalk in September that year but he didn't taste any first division action until the middle of October, when he came off the bench to strike an equaliser against Ipswich Town at Portman Road. But that was one of just six League matches he figured in that debut season being tried all over the forward line. Shankly was left questioning whether he had bought the right player. "'Listen son. I want you to take men on, go past them and lash in those shots that brought you the goals when you were playing at Gigg Lane,'' Shankly demanded. 'But that wasn't me boss. That was Jim Kerr,' protested Lindsay. 'Jesus Christ, Bob,' said Shankly to Paisley. 'We've signed the wrong bloody player.'" Lindsay was frustrated with life at Liverpool and handed in a transfer request which was accepted, but then his Reds' career changed unexpectedly for the better. Lindsay had been a half-back before arriving at Liverpool and Shankly moved the naturally right-footed player to left-back against Newcastle on 12 September 1970, having experimented with Ian Ross and Roy Evans earlier. Despite lacking pace this decision launched his Liverpool career. Shankly was happy: "The lad looked as if he had been playing at left-back all his life. He places passes up the touchline with tremendous accuracy."
Liverpool had moved Lindsay further back but he still put his attacking skills to good use. He was clever at overlapping the defence on the left flank. He always chipped in with a couple of goals himself, possessing a powerful left foot. He only missed four League matches the following season and just five in 1972/73, when he was an important part of the team that won the League Championship and the UEFA Cup. He took over from Kevin Keegan as the club's penalty-taker a year later. That was also the season when he wiped out the disappointment of the cup final defeat to Arsenal in 1971 by being a member of the side that outplayed Newcastle United at Wembley. In that game, with the score still locked at 0-0, his strong run and thunderous shot into Iam McFaul's net was harshly deemed to be offside, when television replays later showed that the ball had come to him not from Kevin Keegan but a Newcastle defender. Lindsay was naturally disappointed. "It was quite funny because Keegan and me were celebrating on the greyhound track and we turned round to see that the ref hadn’t given it. He called Kevin offside, Emlyn Hughes was rowing with him and we had to get back because the game had kicked off again."
Lindsay lost his place to Phil Neal, Bob Paisley's first signing, midway through the 1974/75 season but remained at Anfield until September 1977 when he was loaned for a month and then transferred to Stoke City. Paisley was disappointed with how Lindsay's career progressed once Shankly retired and he took over as manager. "Alec peaked at the end of that successful 1973/74 season but was never the same player again after his life was overtaken by a series of personal problems," Paisley revealed in his book, "My 50 Golden Reds". "Unfortunately they badly affected his game and he began to lose heart and it showed in his performances. Sadly Alec was one of those players who wasted a lot of his talent and I am sure he would admit that himself now when he looks back at his career. It all went wrong when he was at the top of his profession." Lindsay received four international caps, a run which began when Joe Mercer was caretaker England manager and whilst deliberating on his squad for a forthcoming European summer tour said to one of his colleagues: 'Let's have that Lindsay from Liverpool. He's always smiling!' Lindsay's career at the Potteries didn't work out as he had three managers there in a short space of time. Lindsay made a clean break and moved to Oakland, playing in the North American Soccer League and was voted MVP in his debut season but then the club moved lock, stock and barrel to Edmonton, Canada. After four appearances for Toronto Blizzard in 1979 he returned to the North-West and later turned out for non-league team, Newton, and became a publican at Foundry Arms in Leigh.
Teammate Brian Hall was impressed by Lindsay. "One of the best left foots I've ever seen. Alec was one of those players who had such a lovely sweet movement and motion when he kicked a ball with his left foot that he could kick it three quarters the length of the pitch and made it look so easy."
Appearances per season
A more detailed look at the player's appearances
Apps |
Minutes |
Opponent |
14 |
1260 |
Leeds United |
13 |
1170 |
Tottenham |
13 |
1107 |
Ipswich Town |
11 |
1020 |
Arsenal |
11 |
990 |
Coventry City |
11 |
893 |
Southampton |
10 |
900 |
Manchester City |
10 |
900 |
Wolves |
10 |
900 |
Leicester City |
9 |
810 |
Everton |
9 |
810 |
Newcastle United |
9 |
810 |
Stoke City |
8 |
720 |
Chelsea |
8 |
720 |
West Ham United |
7 |
660 |
WBA |
7 |
630 |
Burnley |
7 |
630 |
Derby |
7 |
630 |
Sheffield United |
5 |
450 |
Manchester United |
4 |
360 |
Norwich City |
4 |
360 |
Bristol City |
4 |
360 |
Birmingham City |
4 |
360 |
Crystal Palace |
4 |
360 |
Ferencvaros |
4 |
360 |
Carlisle United |
3 |
270 |
QPR |
2 |
180 |
Doncaster Rovers |
2 |
180 |
Nottingham Forest |
2 |
180 |
Hull City |
2 |
180 |
Middlesbrough |
2 |
180 |
Frankfurt |
2 |
180 |
AEK Athens |
2 |
180 |
Dynamo Berlin |
2 |
180 |
Red Star Belgrade |
2 |
180 |
Strømsgodset |
2 |
180 |
Bayern Munich |
2 |
180 |
Servette |
2 |
180 |
Gladbach |
2 |
180 |
Din. Bucharest |
2 |
180 |
Dyn. Dresden |
2 |
165 |
Hibernian |
1 |
120 |
Mansfield Town |
1 |
90 |
Dundalk |
1 |
90 |
Sunderland |
1 |
90 |
Aston Villa |
1 |
90 |
Huddersfield Town |
1 |
90 |
Luton Town |
1 |
90 |
Jeunesse d'Esch |
1 |
90 |
Brentford |
1 |
90 |
Real Sociedad |
1 |
90 |
Swindon Town |
1 |
90 |
Oxford United |
1 |
90 |
York City |
Total |
Started/substitutions |
246 |
Started |
7 |
On the bench |
2 |
Substitute |
2 |
Substituted |
Total |
Venue |
126 |
Home |
116 |
Away |
6 |
Neutral |
Goals per season
A more detailed look at the player's goalscoring
Assists per season
A more detailed look at the player's assists
Milestone Appearances
Milestone Goals
# |
Minute |
Date |
Against |
Stadium |
Competition |
1 |
56 |
16.09.1969 |
Dundalk |
Anfield |
Europe |
Related Articles
Bob Paisley's opinion on Alec Lindsay.
The Coventry Evening Telegraph report on Liverpool- Leicester City on 24.08.1974.
Related Quotes
"One of the best left foots I've ever seen. Alec was one of those players who had such a lovely sweet movement and motion when he kicked a ball with his left foot that he could kick it three quarters the length of the pitch and made it look so easy."
Brian Hall on Alec Lindsay
"It was quite funny because Keegan and me were celebrating on the greyhound track and we turned round to see that the ref hadn’t given it. He called Kevin offside, Emlyn Hughes was rowing with him and we had to get back because the game had kicked off again."
Alec Lindsay on his disallowed goal vs. Newcastle in the 1974 FA cup final
Scrapbook
Color images of Liverpool's key men in the 1971 FA Cup final
Evans welcomes Lindsay as the 1969/70 season begins
Haunted by my transfer fee - 1972
Heartbreaker - Lindsay's penalty topples York on 10 September 1975
LFC Official Matchday Magazine interview 2000/01
Lindsay clears - match image - 12 April 1971
Lindsay signs
Lindsay's penalty clincher - 10 September 1975
Lindsay's unlucky day - 12 April 1971
Luckless Sheffield rocked by Anfield goal blast - 23 September 1972
Poster of Alec Lindsay - Football Monthly February 1972
Shankly parades another star - 12 September 1970
Star Choice from the Liverpool match programme in 1971
Welcome for Alec - 14 March 1969
Where are they now? - Liverpool club magazine
Other Clubs
Club |
Season |
Club rank |
League apps |
League goals |
Total apps |
Total goals |
Bury |
1964-1965 |
England Second Division |
6 |
2 |
6 |
2 |
Bury |
1965-1966 |
England Second Division |
17 |
4 |
17 |
4 |
Bury |
1966-1967 |
England Second Division |
32 |
1 |
35 |
1 |
Bury |
1967-1968 |
England Third Division |
41 |
6 |
48 |
8 |
Bury |
1968-1969 |
England Second Division |
31 |
0 |
33 |
1 |
Stoke City |
1977-1978 |
England Second Division |
20 |
3 |
22 |
3 |
Oakland Stompers |
1978 |
NASL |
28 |
1 |
28 |
1 |
Toronto Blizzard |
1979 |
NASL |
4 |
0 |
4 |
0 |
Newton |
1982-1983 |
North West Counties League |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
Total |
179 |
17 |
193 |
20 |