Malcolm Macdonald

Malcolm Ian Macdonald (born 7 January 1950) is an English former professional footballer, manager and media figure. Nicknamed 'Supermac', Macdonald was a quick, powerfully built prolific goalscorer. He played for Fulham, Luton Town, Newcastle United, Arsenal and England.[1][2] Macdonald is Newcastle United's fifth highest goalscorer of all time. He also won England's Golden Boot with Newcastle in 1975 and with Arsenal in 1977.[1][2]

This article is about the English footballer. For other people named Malcolm Macdonald, see Malcolm MacDonald (disambiguation).

Malcolm Macdonald

Personal information
Full name	Malcolm Ian Macdonald
Date of birth	(1950-01-07) 7 January 1950
Place of birth	Fulham, England
Playing position(s)	Forward
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1967–1968	Tonbridge Angels	74	(11)
1968–1969	Fulham	13	(5)
1969–1971	Luton Town	88	(49)
1971–1976	Newcastle United	187	(95)
1976–1979	Arsenal	84	(42)
1979	Djurgården	9	(2)
Total		421	(204)
National team
1972–1975	England	14	(6)
Teams managed
1980–1984	Fulham
1987–1988	Huddersfield Town
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

Early years and Fulham

Born in Finlay Street, Fulham, a stone's throw from Craven Cottage, he attended the same school as former Genesis and GTR guitarist Steve Hackett.[3] Macdonald started his career as a full back before switching to centre forward. He started his career at Barnet.[4] After playing for non-league side Tonbridge Angels, his schoolboy hero Bobby Robson paid £1,000 to sign him for Fulham in 1968 just after their relegation from the Football League First Division.[5]

Luton Town

A year later he moved to Luton Town. At Luton he scored 58 times in 101 matches.

Newcastle United

Newcastle United manager Joe Harvey signed him for £180,000 in the summer of 1971. He made an immediate impact by scoring a hat-trick on his home debut against Liverpool.[6] It was in this game that MacDonald earned the nickname "Supermac", which came from a chant by the Newcastle fans to the tune of Jesus Christ Superstar, namely, "Supermac, superstar, how many goals have you scored so far?"[2]

In his first season Newcastle were bottom of the table on 30 October 1971 after Everton handed them their fifth consecutive defeat of the season. That match was the Newcastle debut of Tony Green. With Green and Macdonald teaming up affectively up front for Newcastle, the team prospered, with an unbeaten run of 5 wins and 2 draws to and climbed up the table. They finished the league eleventh, with Macdonald scoring 30 goals in 52 games in his first season to be Newcastle's top scorer in 1972.[7] He top scored again in 1973, 1974, 1975 and 1976. He also won the First Division's golden boot for that 1975–76 season.[8][9][10]

Macdonald scored twice, eliminating Burnley F.C. in the 1973–74 FA Cup semi-final. In the 1974 FA Cup Final Newcastle lost 3–0 to Liverpool.[11]

During the TV show Superstars in 1975, Macdonald ran 100m in 10.9 seconds.[12]

Arsenal

Macdonald left Newcastle for Arsenal in 1976, for an unusual fee of £333,333.34. He was the club's top scorer for two consecutive seasons and won the golden boot of 1977. Macdonald, at the time not fully fit, got to the FA Cup final of 1978 where he earned a runners up medal. At the start of the 1978–79 season, he suffered a knee injury in a League Cup match against Rotherham, an ailment from which he was unable to completely recover.[1][9][13]

Djurgården

He spent a couple of months in Sweden with Djurgården after which he announced his retirement from playing at the premature age of 29 in August 1979. In his footballing career, Macdonald scored a total of 193 goals.[14]

International career

While at Newcastle, he made his England debut against Wales. Macdonald was on the England scoresheet for the first time in a friendly 2–0 win over then World Champions West Germany.

On 16 April 1975, in a European Championship qualifier also held at Wembley Macdonald scored all five goals in a 5–0 victory for England against Cyprus equalling the record for the most goals scored in a single game by an England player. This feat has not been repeated since by any English footballer.[15] Although three pre-war players, Howard Vaughton, Steve Bloomer and Willie Hall, had previously scored five for England, Macdonald was the first, and remains the only, player to do so in a competitive international. His feat spawned the newspaper headline "SuperMac 5, Cyprus 0".[10]

In total he played 14 times for England scoring six goals.

Football management

After retirement from playing, he returned to Fulham as a manager in 1980. His time at Craven Cottage was initially successful, with promotion to the Second Division being achieved in 1982.[16]

In the 1982–83 season, they appeared certainties for promotion to the First Division for the majority of the season, but a slump in the later stages of the season allowed their lead to wither away and they finished 4th. The following season began as a struggle before a second half turnaround saw them into mid-table safety, with Macdonald, even before the season's end leaving the club in April 1984.[16]

He returned to management at Huddersfield Town in 1987, but his time in charge proved unfruitful as the side were relegated from the Second Division in dismal fashion.

Macdonald is now the President of North Shields F.C..[17]

Media career

Macdonald worked extensively for Real Radio North East, presenting, firstly in 2000, the Legends Football Phone-In, alongside Bernie Slaven and Micky Horswill. At the end of the 2011–12 season the programme was axed from Real Radio and then made its way upon Star Radio North East, so continuing in a similar format until 2014.[18][19] Macdonald also presented an interview series for the Century Radio Network titled Upfront With Malcolm Macdonald, wherein he talked to famous players such as Ian Wright, Joe Royle and Peter Beardsley among others.[20]

He also writes a regular column for the retro football magazine Backpass as well.[21]

In 2011, Macdonald was strongly critical of Newcastle United's decision to change their stadium name from St James' Park to the Sports Direct Arena. Macdonald said: "It seems antagonistic. It's not only part of the football club's heritage, but part of the heritage of the city."[22]

Outside football

After a failed business venture and divorcing his second wife, he struggled with the aftermath of his injury. Macdonald said that the pain from his long-standing knee injury led to an increasing dependence on alcohol. He eventually gave up drinking in 1997.[23]

Macdonald is married to Carol and is the father of seven children.[2]

Career statistics

Club	Season	League			Cup		League Cup		Other[24]		Total
		Division	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Fulham[25]	1968–69	Second Division	13	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	13	5
Luton Town[26]	1969–70	Third Division	46	25	3	1	5	2	0	0	54	28
	1970–71	Second Division	42	24	2	4	3	2	0	0	47	30
	Total		88	49	5	5	8	4	0	0	101	58
Newcastle United[26]	1971–72	First Division	42	23	2	2	2	1	6	4	52	30
	1972–73	First Division	35	17	2	1	1	1	9	5	47	24
	1973–74	First Division	29	15	9	7	2	3	4	3	44	28
	1974–75	First Division	42	21	2	0	6	6	8	5	58	32
	1975–76	First Division	39	19	7	4	7	1	3	0	56	24
	Total		187	95	22	14	18	12	30	17	257	138
Arsenal[26]	1976–77	First Division	41	25	3	3	6	1	0	0	50	29
	1977–78	First Division	39	15	6	7	7	4	0	0	52	26
	1978–79[27]	First Division	4	2	0	0	1	0	1	0	6	2
	Total		84	42	9	10	14	5	1	0	108	57
Djurgården	1979	Allsvenskan	9	2	0	0	—		0	0	9	2
Career Total			381	193	36	29	40	21	31	17	488	260

England Under 23 national team[28]
Year	Apps	Goals
1972	4	4
Total	4	4

England national team[28]
Year	Apps	Goals
1972	3	0
1973	1	0
1974	3	0
1975	7	6
Total	14	6

International goals

Scores and results list England's goal tally first.

#[28]	Date	Venue	Opponent	Result	Competition	Scored
1	12 March 1975	Wembley Stadium	West Germany	2–0	Friendly	1
2, 3, 4, 5, 6	16 April 1975	Wembley Stadium	Cyprus	5–0	Euro 1976 qualifier	5

A

Honours

Club

Newcastle United

• 1973-74 FA Cup runner up[11]
• 1975-76 Football League Cup runner up[29]

Arsenal

• 1977-78 FA Cup runner up[30]

Individual

• Football League First Division Golden Boot: 1975, 1977[1]
• PFA Team of the Year: 1974[28]
• Newcastle United Hall of Fame[10]
• Football League 100 Legends[31][32]

References

1. "Golden Boot Game". Golden Boot Game.co.uk.
2. "40 years after he was a Highbury hero, Malcolm Macdonald is still shooting on sight". Daily Mail.co.uk.
3. "Bob Harris Show". BBC Radio 2. 17 February 2004. Missing or empty |url= (help)
4. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2018/01/05/malcolm-macdonald-interview-called-super-mouth-joined-newcastle/. Missing or empty |title= (help)
5. "Bobby Robson – the top 10 signings". mirror.com.hk. 31 July 2009. Retrieved 1 August 2009.
6. "Newcastle United v Liverpool, 21 August 1971". 11v11.com. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
7. The Joy of six, The Guardian
8. "Malcolm Macdonald: Profile". NUFC.co.uk.
9. "Newcastle legend Malcolm Macdonald turns 65 today". Chronicle Live.co.uk.
10. "Supermac inducted into hall of fame". NUFoundation.org.uk. Archived from the original on 23 September 2016.
11. "Football League Greats: Malcolm Macdonald". EFL.com.
12. "Superstars History and Top Facts" (PDF). BBC Sport. bbc.co.uk. 5 November 2004. Retrieved 27 September 2008. No one believed that Macdonald would be able to run that fast again straight away. He ran the race, won it again, and beat his own record in 10.9 seconds. He held the European record for seven years until Des Drummond ran the 100m in 10.85 seconds in the 1982 International Superstars in Hong Kong.
13. "Malcolm Macdonald: Profile". Arsenal.com. Archived from the original on 9 August 2016.
14. "Memory Lane". Fulham FC.com.
15. "Record for most goals in a game - Malcolm McDonald on David Platt & Gary Lineker FATV". Youtube.com.
16. "Managers: Malcolm Macdonald". Fulham FC.com.
17. "North Shields Committee & Contact Details". North Shields F.C.
18. "The Legends radio show to return on Koast Radio". The Journal. 2 August 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
19. Vickers, Anthony (2 April 2014). "'We've been swimming against the tide for a few years but now it's time to call it a day'". Gazette Live. Retrieved 13 September 2016.
20. "Upfront with Malcolm Macdonald". 100 Century FM.com. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007.
21. "Backpass Magazine". Back Pass Magazine.co.uk.
22. Starforth, Miles (10 November 2011). "St James' Park renaming will 'antagonise' United fans". Jarrow and Hebburn Gazette. Retrieved 9 March 2013.
23. Jackson, Jamie (3 August 2003). "Triumph and despair". The Observer. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 27 September 2008.
24. "Malcolm Macdonald: 1971-79 seasons: (other) games". Toon1892.com.
25. Malcolm Macdonald's Autobiography "Never Afraid to Miss" gives information on Fulham career stats and some Luton data.
26. Topps Football Card 1978-79 for Malcolm Macdonald, which gives data for seasons 1970-71 through to 1977-78.
27. "Arsenal's 1978-79 season". 11v11.com.
28. "Malcolm MacDonald: Profile". England Football Online.com.
29. "The 1976 League Cup Final: An important 40-year retrospect". Outside 90.com. Archived from the original on 15 March 2017.
30. "1978 - Osbourne's year". BBC.co.uk.
31. "Football Legends list in full". BBC Sport. 5 August 1998. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
32. "THE FOOTBALL LEAGUE 100 LEGENDS". football-league.co.uk. Archived from the original on 19 March 2011. Retrieved 20 December 2017.

External links

• Official website