Frank McLintock

Lore & Background

McLintock began his career in Scottish Junior football with Shawfield, before earning a professional contract with English First Division club Leicester City in December 1956. He played in two FA Cup final defeats before being sold to Arsenal for £80,000 in October 1964. After a poor start at Arsenal, he was switched from right-half to centre-half in 1969 and appointed captain, leading the club to the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1970 and the Double in 1970–71. He was sold to Queens Park Rangers in June 1973, helped them finish as First Division runners-up in 1975–76, and retired in May 1977. He scored 66 goals in 766 league and cup games and won nine caps for Scotland. He later managed Leicester City, Brentford, and worked as assistant manager at Millwall, before becoming a sports agent and pundit. He was appointed MBE in the 1972 New Year Honours.

In Their Own Story

The November fog had rolled in off the Tyne, thick enough to swallow the far touchline of St James' Park. The floodlights cut pale cones through the mist, and the crowd of thirty thousand pressed against the advertising boards, their breath a single white cloud. McLintock stood at the edge of the box, his long hair plastered to his forehead with sweat, his black-and-white shirt dark with rain. The corner was his. He placed the ball, stepped back, and ran in with that peculiar, loping stride that had become his signature. The ball arced high into the grey sky. For a moment, time seemed to suspend — the noise of the crowd fading to a low hum. Then he rose, higher than the centre-back, and met it with the side of his head. The net rippled. The roar that followed was not a sound but a physical force, a wall of noise that pressed against his eardrums. He did not celebrate. He simply turned, jogged back to the centre circle, and clapped the man who had taken the corner. That was the way of it. That was always the way of it.

Reader's Guide

McLintock was born in Sandyfaulds Street, Glasgow, and brought up in the Oatlands area of the Gorbals. He was the son of Catherine and Archie McLintock, grew up in poverty with elder sister Jean, was brought up Catholic, and attended St Bonaventure's school. He hated the sectarianism in Glasgow. He started his semi-professional career at age 15 with Shawfield, working as an apprentice painter and decorator. He joined Leicester City in December 1956, making his debut in the 1959–60 season. He scored his first goal for Leicester in a 3–1 victory over Manchester United. He played in the 1961 and 1963 FA Cup finals, both losses. He joined Arsenal in October 1964 for a club record £80,000. He was appointed captain for the 1968–69 season. He captained Arsenal to the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1970 and the Double in 1970–71. He was sold to Queens Park Rangers in June 1973 for £25,000. He retired in May 1977. He was appointed manager of Leicester City in June 1977, resigned in April 1978, managed Brentford from February 1984 to January 1987, and later worked as assistant manager at Millwall.

Did You Know?

• McLintock initially worked as a painter and decorator alongside his football career, even painting a cellar the day before the 1961 FA Cup final.
• He was appointed MBE in the 1972 New Year Honours.
• He scored 66 goals in 766 league and cup games over a 20-year professional career.
• He won nine caps for Scotland in an eight-year international career.