Albert Stubbins
Encyclopedia
Albert Stubbins was an English
footballer. He played in the position of centre forward, although his career was limited by the onset of World War II
.
, Tyne and Wear
, England, but brought up in the United States, Stubbins first played for Newcastle United
in 1937, appearing in official games 30 times and scoring six goals for the team. In wartime games (classified as friendlies) he scored 188 goals in just 231 appearances.
In 1946 he was signed by Liverpool
for a then club record of £12,500. Stubbins had also been approached by Liverpool's closest rivals, Everton
, and he settled the decision with a toss of the coin. The coin should have been framed by manager George Kay
as he made an immediate impact at the club, making his debut on the 14 September 1946 in a league match at Burnden Park
he scored an 82nd minute goal as the Reds left it late to claim all the spoils in a 3-1 victory over Bolton Wanderers
.
His move to Liverpool gained him most of his fame and success; Stubbins scored 28 goals (24 league goals) in the 1946-7 season (making him joint top scorer with Jack Balmer
) helping Liverpool to win the League Championship, the first time in 24 years.
Stubbins also scored 24 goals the following season. Although a contractual dispute in the 1948-9 season limited his appearances for the Merseyside club, he then helped Liverpool reach the 1950 FA Cup
final, the first time Liverpool had ever appeared at Wembley. However, they lost to Arsenal
by two goals to nil.
On 18 October 1950, at Blackpool
's Bloomfield Road
, Stubbins netted five goals in the Football League
's 6–3 victory over the Irish League
in an exhibition match.
Injuries forced him to retire in 1953, having scored 83 goals in 178 appearances, or 1 every 2.1 games. For a player with such an impressive goal ratio, it is astonishing that he was constantly overlooked by Walter Winterbottom, the England manager at the time. He played for the England
once in an unofficial 'victory' international against Wales
in 1945, a game England lost 1-0.
Following his retirement, Stubbins entered a full-time career in sports journalism, although he briefly coached an American semi-professional side, the New York Americans
in 1960.
Stubbins' later claim to fame was an appearance on the front cover of The Beatles
' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
album, the only footballer to be given that honour. He also has a Liverpool FC fan club named in his honour. He also featured as a minor character in Stephen Baxter's time-travelling novel The Time Ships
. He died in 2002, aged 82, after a short illness.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
footballer. He played in the position of centre forward, although his career was limited by the onset of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Life and playing career
Born in WallsendWallsend
Wallsend is an area in North Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England. Wallsend derives its name as the location of the end of Hadrian's Wall. It has a population of 42,842.-Romans:...
, Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear is a metropolitan county in north east England around the mouths of the Rivers Tyne and Wear. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972...
, England, but brought up in the United States, Stubbins first played for Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
in 1937, appearing in official games 30 times and scoring six goals for the team. In wartime games (classified as friendlies) he scored 188 goals in just 231 appearances.
In 1946 he was signed by Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
for a then club record of £12,500. Stubbins had also been approached by Liverpool's closest rivals, Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
, and he settled the decision with a toss of the coin. The coin should have been framed by manager George Kay
George Kay
George Kay was an English football player and manager of Luton Town, Southampton and Liverpool.The highlight of his playing career was when he captained West Ham United in the first FA Cup final to be played at Wembley, the so-called White Horse Final.He was manager of Liverpool for 15 years and...
as he made an immediate impact at the club, making his debut on the 14 September 1946 in a league match at Burnden Park
Burnden Park
Burnden Park was the home of English FA Premier League football club Bolton Wanderers who played home games here between 1895 and 1997. As well as hosting an FA Cup Final replay it was the scene of one of the greatest disasters in English football and the subject of an L. S...
he scored an 82nd minute goal as the Reds left it late to claim all the spoils in a 3-1 victory over Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
.
His move to Liverpool gained him most of his fame and success; Stubbins scored 28 goals (24 league goals) in the 1946-7 season (making him joint top scorer with Jack Balmer
Jack Balmer
Jack Balmer was a footballer who played Centre Forward, for Liverpool Football Club.-Life and playing career:...
) helping Liverpool to win the League Championship, the first time in 24 years.
Stubbins also scored 24 goals the following season. Although a contractual dispute in the 1948-9 season limited his appearances for the Merseyside club, he then helped Liverpool reach the 1950 FA Cup
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's...
final, the first time Liverpool had ever appeared at Wembley. However, they lost to Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
by two goals to nil.
On 18 October 1950, at Blackpool
Blackpool F.C.
Blackpool Football Club are an English football club founded in 1887 from the Lancashire seaside town of Blackpool. They are competing in the 2011–12 season of the The Championship, the second tier of professional football in England, having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of the...
's Bloomfield Road
Bloomfield Road
Bloomfield Road is an all-seater football stadium in the English town of Blackpool, Lancashire. It has been the permanent home of Blackpool F.C. since 1901 and is named after the road on which the stadium's main entrance used to stand. The stadium has been in a process of redevelopment since 2000...
, Stubbins netted five goals in the Football League
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
's 6–3 victory over the Irish League
IFA Premiership
The IFA Premiership – formerly the Irish Premier League, and before that the Irish Football League–and still known in popular parlance simply as the Irish League, is the national football league in Northern Ireland, and was historically the league for the whole of Ireland. Clubs in the league are...
in an exhibition match.
Injuries forced him to retire in 1953, having scored 83 goals in 178 appearances, or 1 every 2.1 games. For a player with such an impressive goal ratio, it is astonishing that he was constantly overlooked by Walter Winterbottom, the England manager at the time. He played for the England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
once in an unofficial 'victory' international against Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
in 1945, a game England lost 1-0.
Following his retirement, Stubbins entered a full-time career in sports journalism, although he briefly coached an American semi-professional side, the New York Americans
New York Americans (soccer)
The New York Americans were an American soccer club founded in 1931. Based in New York, New York, it played in both the first and second American Soccer Leagues.-History:...
in 1960.
Stubbins' later claim to fame was an appearance on the front cover of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is the eighth studio album by the English rock band The Beatles, released on 1 June 1967 on the Parlophone label and produced by George Martin...
album, the only footballer to be given that honour. He also has a Liverpool FC fan club named in his honour. He also featured as a minor character in Stephen Baxter's time-travelling novel The Time Ships
The Time Ships
The Time Ships is a 1995 science fiction novel by Stephen Baxter. A sequel to The Time Machine by H. G. Wells, it was officially authorized by the Wells estate to mark the centenary of the original's publication. It won the John W. Campbell Memorial Award and the Philip K. Dick Award in 1996, as...
. He died in 2002, aged 82, after a short illness.
Career details
- Wartime guest games (1939–1946) - 231 appearances, 188 goals
- Liverpool FC (1946–1953) - 178 appearances, 83 goals, Football League First DivisionFootball League First DivisionThe First Division was a division of The Football League between 1888 and 2004 and the highest division in English football until the creation of the Premier League in 1992. The secondary tier in English football has since become known as the Championship....
(Level 1) championship winners medal (1947), F.A Cup runners-up medal (1950)
Statistics
| Club | Season | League The Football League The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football... |
FA Cup FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, commonly known as the FA Cup, is a knockout cup competition in English football and is the oldest association football competition in the world. The "FA Cup" is run by and named after The Football Association and usually refers to the English men's... |
League Cup Football League Cup The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis... |
Europe Europe Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting... |
Others | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | App | Goals | ||
| Liverpool FC | 1952-53 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||
| 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||||||||||
| 1951-52 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 0 | |||||||||
| 0 | 0 | 12 | 5 | ||||||||||
| 1950-51 | 23 | 6 | 1 | 0 | |||||||||
| 0 | 0 | 24 | 6 | ||||||||||
| 1949-50 | 28 | 10 | 7 | 1 | |||||||||
| 0 | 0 | 35 | 11 | ||||||||||
| 1948-49 | 15 | 6 | 3 | 1 | |||||||||
| 0 | 0 | 18 | 7 | ||||||||||
| 1947-48 | 40 | 24 | 2 | 2 | |||||||||
| 0 | 0 | 42 | 26 | ||||||||||
| 1946-47 | 36 | 24 | 6 | 4 | |||||||||
| 0 | 0 | 42 | 28 | ||||||||||
| Total | 159 | 75 | 19 | 8 | - | - | - | - | 0 | 0 | 178 | 83 | |