Introduction
Robert Lowe "Bob" McPhail (25 October 1905 – 24 August 2000) was a Scottish professional footballer, who played for Airdrieonians, Rangers and represented Scotland.
Career
Airdrieonians
Born in Barrhead, McPhail started his career at Glasgow Junior side Pollok. McPhail signed for Airdrieonians forming a potent partnership with Hughie Gallacher at Broomfield Park. They won the Scottish Cup in 1924 beating Hibernian 2-0 when McPhail was aged 18. McPhail said, "The terror-like attitude of Gallacher caused havoc with the Hibs defenders. He and Russell were easily our best forwards". Willie Russell scored both goals.
Rangers
McPhail was signed by Rangers in 1927 for a then substantial fee of £5,000 and went on to become one of the most prolific strikers ever to play for the club, scoring 261 goals in 408 appearances. He made his first appearance for Rangers on 13 August 1927 in a 3-2 win over Aberdeen at Pittodrie. He netted his first goals on 3 September 1927, a double in a 5-1 win over St Johnstone at Ibrox. Rangers won both the League title and the Scottish Cup in McPhail's first season with the club and McPhail scored a total of 23 goals in 42 appearances, including a goal in the 4-0 win over Celtic in the Scottish Cup Final.
McPhail continued to be an important member of Rangers' team in what was a highly successful period for the club. During McPhail's 12 years at Ibrox, he won 9 League championships and 6 Scottish Cups - a joint record number of Scottish Cup wins for a Rangers player (Dougie Gray also won 6) and a record shared with former Celtic stars Jimmy McMenemy and Billy McNeill. He scored a total of 230 League goals 354 League Apps for the club, a record which stood for over 50 years before being broken by Ally McCoist in 1997.
International
McPhail also had a successful Scotland career, winning 17 caps and scoring 7 goals, most notably a double in a 3-1 win over England at Hampden on 17 April 1937 in front of a Hampden record crowd of 149,415. He also represented the Scottish League XI.
| # | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 September 1931 | Ibrox Park, Glasgow |  Ireland |
3–1 | 3–1 | BHC |
| 2 | 12 September 1932 | Windsor Park, Belfast | Ireland |
2–0 | 4–0 | BHC |
| 3 | 12 September 1932 | Windsor Park, Belfast | Ireland |
3–0 | 4–0 | BHC |
| 4 | 16 September 1933 | Celtic Park, Glasgow | Ireland |
1–2 | 1–2 | BHC |
| 5 | 17 April 1937 | Hampden Park, Glasgow |  England |
2–1 | 3–1 | BHC |
| 6 | 17 April 1937 | Hampden Park, Glasgow | England |
3–1 | 3–1 | BHC |
| 7 | 22 May 1937 | Stadion Sparta-Letna, Prague |  Czechoslovakia |
2–1 | 3–1 | Friendly |
Death
McPhail died in 24 August 2000. He was the last surviving member of the Rangers team of the late 1920s early 1930s.