Player Profile : Billy McPhee
Scot Symon signed the promising teenager from Bowhill Youth Club in October 1966. Despite remaining a fringe player, McPhee would go on to make 4 first team appearances during as many years at Ibrox.
Billy's debut came on the 14th August 1968 during a 5-1 League Cup win over Partick Thistle at Firhill, by which time David White was in the Gers hotseat. The goals were scored by Alex Smith (2), Alex Ferguson (2) and winger Orjan Persson.
McPhee performed well enough to keep his place when Thistle made the return journey two weeks later in the same competition, goals from Willie Henderson and Sandy Jardine this time securing a less emphatic 2-1 victory at Ibrox. John Hansen, brother of Liverpool legend Alan, was on target for the Jags.
With the exception of a substitute appearance during a 7-1 Glasgow Cup tie win over Queen’s Park (not included in the total shown of 3 due to being the Glasgow Cup), all of Billy’s competitive first team appearances strangely came against the Maryhill side. His final match for the Club came on 27th September 1969 when goals from Willie Henderson and Willie Johnston secured the two points in a league win at Firhill after Jimmy Bone looked to have done enough to earn Thistle a draw.
Born in Methil, Billy grew up watching his older brother Bobby play for local side East Fife and became a supporter of the ‘Black and Gold’.
The Rangers scout for the Fife region was Bobby Kinnear (brother of Gers stalwart Davie Kinnear) and he spotted Billy starring in an Under-18 match. After the game had ended, he instructed 15 year-old Billy to report to Ibrox the following Monday morning where he would meet Mr Symon with a view to joining the Glasgow giants. McPhee did not need much convincing.
Having made an initial breakthrough under White, the arrival of Willie Waddell as manager seemed to signal the end for Billy at Ibrox, “he just took a dislike to me and that was it pretty much over for me at Rangers”. McPhee would leave Rangers on the same day as Jim Baxter ended his second spell with the Club and so could certainly have claimed to have have departed with one of the true greats. The two Fife lads very much at opposite stages of their footballing careers.
On leaving Rangers, Billy returned home and in June 1970 signed for his boyhood heroes East Fife. He would go on to score 72 goals in 233 appearances and is very much considered a Bayview Legend having been voted into their post 1970’s "All Time Greats Team" He would later serve the Methil side as Club secretary, attending matches regularly whilst never hiding his affection for Rangers.
Billy McPhee died in November 2023, aged 74.
By Rick Plews
