Malcolm Macdonald

Born in Finlay Street, Fulham, a stone's throw from Craven Cottage, he attended the same school(Sloane Grammar school on Hortensia Rd in Chelsea) as former Genesis and GTR guitarist Steve Hackett.[2] Macdonald started his career as a full back before switching to centre forward. He started his career at Barnet.[3] After playing for non-league side Tonbridge, 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.[4]

A year later he moved to Luton Town. At Luton he scored 58 times in 101 matches. When he left Luton for Newcastle in 1971, for a fee of 180k, he was driven to his new club in a Rolls Royce.

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.[5] 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?"[3]

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 effectively 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.[6] He top scored again in 1973, 1974, 1975 and 1976. He also won the First Division's golden boot for that 1975–76 season.[7][8][9]

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.[10]

During the TV show Superstars in 1975, Macdonald ran 100m in 10.9 seconds.[11]

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][8][12]

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.[13]

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.[14] 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".[9]

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

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.[15]

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.[15]

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..[16]

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.[17][18] Macdonald also presented an interview series for the Century Radio Network titled Upfront With Malcolm Macdonald, in which he talked to famous players such as Ian Wright, Joe Royle and Peter Beardsley among others.[19]

He also writes a regular column for the retro football magazine Backpass as well.[20]

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."[21]

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.[22]

Macdonald is married to Carol.[22]

• Official website