Frank McLintock
Encyclopedia
Francis "Frank" McLintock MBE
(born 28 December 1939) is a Scottish
former football
defender
who played for Leicester City
, Arsenal
and QPR
.
and brought up in the Gorbals
, McLintock started his career in the Scottish Juniors
with Shawfield
, before moving to Leicester City
in 1957 as a wing half
, making his debut for them in 1959. He spent seven years at Filbert Street
, where he forged a celebrated half-back partnership with Colin Appleton
and Ian King and was part of the revered "ice kings" team which chased the double in 1962-63
. With Leicester he reached, but lost, two FA Cup
finals (1961 and 1963
) and a winning League Cup
final (1964
).
During this time he also made his debut for Scotland
, against Norway
on 4 June 1963, and in his third appearance for Scotland, against Spain
on 13 June 1963, scored one of the goals in a 6–2 win. He made a total of 168 Football League appearances for Leicester.
for a then club record £80,000 and went straight into the first team. McLintock spent the next nine seasons with the Gunners, moving from midfield to centre half. He was a first-choice player throughout, and became the club's captain in 1967, and would go on to skipper the club during their period of success under Bertie Mee
. He reached another two League Cup finals (losing both, in 1968
and 1969
), and became so disheartened he handed in a transfer request in 1969. Arsenal manager Bertie Mee managed to persuade him to stay, and McLintock went on to win three major trophies in the space of two years.
McLintock led Arsenal to a Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
final win in 1969–70
, beating Anderlecht 4–3 on aggregate. The following year, he lifted the club's first League
and FA Cup Double
in 1970–71
; he also won the 1971 Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year
award.
As captain, he led Arsenal to their sixth Wembley
final in 1972
(which they lost to Leeds), and second place in the First Division following year, before being sold to QPR
in June 1973. In total, he had played 403 matches for Arsenal, scoring 32 goals.
after finishing a close second to Liverpool
in 1975–76
. McLintock made a total of 127 League appearances for QPR. He finally retired from the game in the 1977 close season. In all, he played over 700 times for his three clubs combined. He was made an MBE
in 1972.
.
He was later manager of Brentford
between 1984 and 1987, and then a coach at Millwall
, helping the club gain promotion to the old Division One. Mclintock and Docherty were sacked in February 1990. Mclintock was more successful as an after dinner speaker, and as a pundit for first BBC Radio
, and more recently Sky Sports
. In 2009, McLintock was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame
.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 28 December 1939) is a Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
former football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
defender
Defender (association football)
Within the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield player whose primary role is to prevent the opposition from attacking....
who played for Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
, 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...
and QPR
Queens Park Rangers F.C.
Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
.
Leicester City
Born in GlasgowGlasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
and brought up in the Gorbals
Gorbals
The Gorbals is an area on the south bank of the River Clyde in the city of Glasgow, Scotland. By the late 19th century, it had become over-populated and adversely affected by local industrialisation. Many people lived here because their jobs provided this home and they could not afford their own...
, McLintock started his career in the Scottish Juniors
Scottish Junior Football Association
The Scottish Junior Football Association is an affiliated national association of the Scottish Football Association and is the governing body for the Junior grade of football in Scotland. The term "Junior" refers to the level of football played...
with Shawfield
Shawfield F.C.
Shawfield were a Scottish football team that competed in the Scottish Junior set-up and won the Scottish Junior Cup in 1946-47. There are also a number of references to them being called Shawfield Juniors....
, before moving to Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
in 1957 as a wing half
Wing half
In association football, the position of wing half or wing half back) was popularly used in the late nineteenth and first half of the 20th centuries...
, making his debut for them in 1959. He spent seven years at Filbert Street
Filbert Street
Filbert Street, in Leicester, England, was a football stadium, and the home of Leicester City from 1891 to 2002. Although officially titled "The City Business Stadium" in the early 1990s, it remained known almost exclusively by its address, like many English football stadia.- Early years :The club,...
, where he forged a celebrated half-back partnership with Colin Appleton
Colin Appleton
Colin Appleton is a former footballer who played as a wing-half. Appleton began his career at Scarborough, but made his name making 333 appearances for Leicester City during a 12-year period, where he formed a legendary half-back partnership with Frank McLintock and Ian King.He was captain of the...
and Ian King and was part of the revered "ice kings" team which chased the double in 1962-63
1962-63 in English football
The 1962–63 season was the 83rd season of competitive football in England.-Overview:*Everton won the League Championship, their first post-war title.*Manchester United won the FA Cup, their first major trophy since the Munich Air Disaster in 1958....
. With Leicester he reached, but lost, two 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...
finals (1961 and 1963
1963 FA Cup Final
The 1963 FA Cup Final was the final of the 1962–63 FA Cup, the 82nd season of England's premier club football competition. The match was played at Wembley Stadium on 25 May 1963 and contested by Manchester United and Leicester City. United won 3–1, with a goal from Denis Law and two from...
) and a winning 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...
final (1964
1964 Football League Cup Final
The 1964 Football League Cup Final, the fourth to be staged since the competition's inception, was contested between Stoke City and Leicester City, both of the First Division, over two legs...
).
During this time he also made his debut for Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
, against Norway
Norway national football team
The Norway national football team represents Norway in association football and is controlled by the Football Association of Norway, the governing body for football in Norway. Norway's home ground is Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo and their head coach is Egil Olsen...
on 4 June 1963, and in his third appearance for Scotland, against Spain
Spain national football team
The Spain national football team represents Spain in international association football and is controlled by the Royal Spanish Football Federation, the governing body for football in Spain. The current head coach is Vicente del Bosque...
on 13 June 1963, scored one of the goals in a 6–2 win. He made a total of 168 Football League appearances for Leicester.
Arsenal
In October 1964, he was signed by ArsenalArsenal 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...
for a then club record £80,000 and went straight into the first team. McLintock spent the next nine seasons with the Gunners, moving from midfield to centre half. He was a first-choice player throughout, and became the club's captain in 1967, and would go on to skipper the club during their period of success under Bertie Mee
Bertie Mee
Bertram "Bertie" Mee OBE was an English football player and manager, noted for managing Arsenal to their first Double win in 1971. He was the younger brother of fellow footballer Georgie Mee.-Early life:...
. He reached another two League Cup finals (losing both, in 1968
1968 Football League Cup Final
The 1968 Football League Cup Final took place on 2 March 1968 at Wembley Stadium. It was the eighth final and the second to be played at Wembley. It was contested between Arsenal and Leeds United....
and 1969
1969 Football League Cup Final
The 1969 Football League Cup Final took place on 15 March 1969 at Wembley Stadium. It was the ninth final and the third to be played at Wembley. It was contested between Arsenal and Swindon Town.-Pre-match:...
), and became so disheartened he handed in a transfer request in 1969. Arsenal manager Bertie Mee managed to persuade him to stay, and McLintock went on to win three major trophies in the space of two years.
McLintock led Arsenal to a Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup was a European football competition played between 1955 and 1971. The competition was the idea of Swiss pools supremo Ernst Thommen, Ottorino Barassi from Italy, and the English Football Association general secretary Stanley Rous, all of whom later became senior officials...
final win in 1969–70
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup was a European football competition played between 1955 and 1971. The competition was the idea of Swiss pools supremo Ernst Thommen, Ottorino Barassi from Italy, and the English Football Association general secretary Stanley Rous, all of whom later became senior officials...
, beating Anderlecht 4–3 on aggregate. The following year, he lifted the club's first League
Football League First Division
The 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....
and FA Cup Double
The Double
The Double is a term in association football which refers to winning a country's top tier division and its primary cup competition in the same season...
in 1970–71
1970-71 in English football
The 1970–71 season was the 91st season of competitive football in England.-First Division:Arsenal won the league championship at the end of a season which would soon be followed by their FA Cup final tie with Liverpool. Arsenal secured the league title at White Hart Lane, the home of bitter rivals...
; he also won the 1971 Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year
Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year
The Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year is an annual award given to the player who is adjudged to have been the best of the season in English football...
award.
As captain, he led Arsenal to their sixth Wembley
Wembley Stadium
The original Wembley Stadium, officially known as the Empire Stadium, was a football stadium in Wembley, a suburb of north-west London, standing on the site now occupied by the new Wembley Stadium that opened in 2007...
final in 1972
1972 FA Cup Final
The 1972 FA Cup Final took place on 6 May 1972 at Wembley Stadium. It was the Centenary final and the 44th to be played at Wembley....
(which they lost to Leeds), and second place in the First Division following year, before being sold to QPR
Queens Park Rangers F.C.
Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
in June 1973. In total, he had played 403 matches for Arsenal, scoring 32 goals.
Queens Park Rangers
He spent four seasons with the Hoops, and was part of the side that qualified for the UEFA CupUEFA Cup
The UEFA Europa League is an annual association football cup competition organised by UEFA since 1971 for eligible European football clubs. It is the second most prestigious European club football contest after the UEFA Champions League...
after finishing a close second to 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...
in 1975–76
1975-76 in English football
The 1975–76 season was the 96th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :Liverpool won their first major trophy under Bob Paisley by narrowly winning the league title after heated competition from Queens Park Rangers. They also lifted the UEFA Cup for the second time in their...
. McLintock made a total of 127 League appearances for QPR. He finally retired from the game in the 1977 close season. In all, he played over 700 times for his three clubs combined. He was made an MBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in 1972.
International career
He was capped on nine occasions for ScotlandScotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
.
Management
After retiring from playing, he joined his old club Leicester City as manager in 1977. However, he endured a difficult time in charge, and City went through a spell where they had one win in 26 matches.He was later manager of Brentford
Brentford F.C.
Brentford Football Club are a professional English football club based in Brentford in the London Borough of Hounslow. They are currently playing in Football League One....
between 1984 and 1987, and then a coach at Millwall
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
, helping the club gain promotion to the old Division One. Mclintock and Docherty were sacked in February 1990. Mclintock was more successful as an after dinner speaker, and as a pundit for first BBC Radio
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
, and more recently Sky Sports
Sky Sports
Sky Sports is the brand name for a group of sports-oriented television channels operated by the UK and Ireland's main satellite pay-TV company, British Sky Broadcasting. Sky Sports is the dominant subscription television sports brand in the United Kingdom and Ireland...
. In 2009, McLintock was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame
English Football Hall of Fame
The English Football Hall of Fame is housed at the National Football Museum, currently being relocated to Manchester, England. The Hall aims to celebrate and highlight the achievements of the all-time top English footballing talents, as well as non-English players and managers who have become...
.