John McLean

McLean was yet another of Liverpool's early Scottish contingent and he arrived at Anfield during the 1894/95 season to try and shore up a defence that was leaking goals all over the place, 31 in the first dozen fixtures of a traumatic debut season in the top division. McLean made his Liverpool debut in a 3-1 loss to Stoke on 10 November 1894. The Liverpool Mercury reported on his debut: "J. McLean turned out a real champion. He is the rough diamond, and only requires polishing to be a really first-class player." A swift return to the Second Division was inevitable long before it was confirmed. In March 1895 McLean was criticized as he had "fostered a desire for dribbling and forward work, which is of no earthly use to his side, for, as generally is the case, he is robbed or his final pass interposed, and when the ball is sent to his opposing forwards he is in nine cases out of ten out of his place, and consequently a much larger share of work fell to the backs." McLean could play as right or left half-back but those two positions were mostly taken by John McCartney and John Holmes in 1895/96 so he only added a further eight appearances to his total.