Billy McPhail

William S. McPhail (2 February 1928 – 4 April 2003) was a Scottish football player who played for Queen's Park, Clyde and Celtic. He scored three goals in Celtic's record 7–1 victory over Rangers in the 1957 Scottish League Cup Final. After retiring, he developed a neurodegenerative disease, which he believed to be a result of brain damage acquired from heading footballs. He was the younger brother of John McPhail.

Billy McPhail
Personal information
Full name William S. McPhail
Date of birth (1928-02-02)2 February 1928
Place of birth Glasgow, Scotland
Date of death 4 April 2003(2003-04-04) (aged 75)
Place of death Glasgow, Scotland
Playing position(s) centre forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1941–1947 Queen's Park 12 (2)
1947–1956 Clyde 137 (90)
1956–1958 Celtic 33 (13)
National team
1952 Scottish Division B XI[1] 1 (3)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Career

McPhail's 17-year playing career began when he signed for Queen's Park in 1941.[2] He was a centre forward and soon earned the nickname "Teazy Weazy."[3] He was, according to football historian Bob Crampsey, "an extremely graceful player... a particularly good header of a ball"[4]

He was then sold to Clyde in 1947, but his career there was interrupted with recurring injuries. He had an excellent scoring record whilst with the Bully Wee, scoring 90 goals in 137 league games. At Clyde, McPhail missed the 1955 Scottish Cup Final and was forced to withdraw from the Scotland national team for a game against Wales, both through injury.[5]

In May 1956 he signed for Celtic, the team his elder brother John had previously captained. He made his debut in a 2–1 Scottish League Cup win against Aberdeen. Later that season, McPhail scored twice in the League Cup final, helping Celtic lift the trophy for the first time. The following year, he starred in the Celtic team that played fierce Old Firm rivals Rangers in the final of the same competition. The match, referred to by fans in poem[6] and song[3] as "Hampden in the sun", resulted in a record 7–1 victory to Celtic, with McPhail scoring a hat-trick.[2][7]

A knee and ankle injury forced McPhail to retire the following year, after just two seasons with Celtic.[2] He played just 57 games in all competitions for the club, however he is widely described as a "hero" or "idol" for his three goals in the 1957 final which remains a record margin of victory in the fixture.[4][6][8] John McPhail had also scored three goals against Rangers, in the 1950 Glasgow Merchants Charity Cup; this is the only occasion in Old Firm history that brothers achieved this feat.[9]

Health problems

According to his wife Ophelia, McPhail discovered in the 1990s that the left hemisphere of his brain was damaged. Then aged in his 70s, he had displayed signs of dementia since his 30s, and was eventually diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease.[4] McPhail, with the support of medical specialists, associated the neurological symptoms with heading the leather football used in the 1950s, explaining how "the ball used to get very heavy when it rained – when you took that full in the forehead it nearly knocked you over."[8]

In 1999 McPhail launched a legal case claiming he was entitled to disability payments. However, an industrial tribunal did not accept that a clash of heads during his playing career could have caused the dementia. The tribunal would not consider whether heading the ball might have contributed, as it categorised that as "part of the job [as a footballer]" and not an industrial injury. The decision was upheld by the Social Security Commissioner of Scotland.[4][10]

McPhail's condition and its possible causes were discussed during a BBC Scotland investigative television programme on the subject in 2000, also featuring another former Celtic forward Jock Weir who was suffering from a similar illness.[4] His mental health continued to deteriorate and he died in Glasgow on 4 April 2003.[2][6]

See also

References
  1. Scottish League Division B team scottishleague.net. Retrieved 28-10-2013.
  2. Alford, Mark (12 April 2003). "So Farewell Billy McPail". The Independent – via FindArticles.
  3. "Hampden in the Sun". The North American Federation of Celtic Supporters Clubs. Archived from the original on 11 January 2002. Retrieved 22 June 2007.
  4. Heading for Trouble (transcript), Frontline Scotland, 2 May 2000
  5. "Billy McPhail Stylish Celtic forward whose career was marred by injuries". Herald Scotland. 8 April 2013. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  6. Hoops bid farewell to hat-trick legend Billy, News of the World, 6 April 2003
  7. Rej, Arindam . Veterans battle to prove brain damage link, The Guardian, 23 December 2004
  8. Headers harmed my brain, says footballer, The Independent, 16 April 1998
  9. Tom Campbell, Glasgow Celtic 1945–1970, Civic Press, 1970
  10. Wade, Mike (12 November 2002). "Coroner rules heading ball killed striker". The Scotsman. Archived from the original on 20 May 2005.
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