# Albert Stubbins > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Albert_Stubbins > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Albert_Stubbins.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Stubbins > Source revision: 1356406162 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|English footballer (1919–2002)}} {{Use British English|date=August 2014}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2026}} {{Infobox football biography | name = Albert Stubbins | image = | caption = | fullname = | birth_date = {{birth date|df=y|1919|07|17}} | birth_place = [Wallsend](/source/Wallsend), England | death_date = {{death date and age|df=y|2002|12|28|1919|07|17}} | death_place = [Cullercoats](/source/Cullercoats), Tyne and Wear, England | height = 5ft 10 in | position = [Centre forward](/source/Centre_forward) | youthyears1 = | youthclubs1 = Whitley & Monkseaton | youthyears2 = | youthclubs2 = [Sunderland](/source/Sunderland_A.F.C.) | years1 = 1937–1946 | clubs1 = [Newcastle United](/source/Newcastle_United_F.C.) | caps1 = 27 | goals1 = 5 | years2 = 1946–1953 | clubs2 = [Liverpool](/source/Liverpool_F.C.) | caps2 = 159 | goals2 = 75 | years3 = 1953–1954 | clubs3 = [Ashington](/source/Ashington_A.F.C.) | caps3 = | goals3 = | totalcaps = 186 | totalgoals = 80 }} '''Albert Stubbins''' (17 July 1919 – 28 December 2002) was an English [footballer](/source/association_football) who played as a [centre forward](/source/centre_forward). Beginning his career at [Newcastle United](/source/Newcastle_United_F.C.), the onset of [World War II](/source/World_War_II) limited his playing time. Spending seven years at [Liverpool](/source/Liverpool_F.C.) where he was bought for a club record fee, Stubbins won the [League Championship](/source/Football_League) in 1947. There he formed a prolific strike partnership with [Jack Balmer](/source/Jack_Balmer), and they were joint-leading goalscorers in the [title-winning season](/source/1946%E2%80%9347_Liverpool_F.C._season) with 24 goals each. Stubbins was then the top goalscorer outright in 1948 with 24 goals, and he helped Liverpool reach the [1950 FA Cup Final](/source/1950_FA_Cup_Final) in which he played at [Wembley Stadium](/source/Wembley_Stadium_(1923)). Immensely popular at [Anfield](/source/Anfield), Stubbins was the recipient of a famous terrace chant from Liverpool supporters. In selecting two players from each decade to enter the Liverpool F.C. Hall of Fame, Stubbins was one of two players chosen from the 1940s.{{cite web |url=http://www.liverpoolfc.com/history/hall-of-fame |title=Hall of Fame |publisher=Liverpool F.C. |access-date=2 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130430050151/http://www.liverpoolfc.com/history/hall-of-fame |archive-date=30 April 2013 |url-status=dead }} In 2006 he was listed at number 50 in "100 Players Who Shook [The Kop](/source/Liverpool_F.C.)". Stubbins was included on the front cover of [The Beatles](/source/The_Beatles)' 1967 album ''[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band](/source/Sgt._Pepper's_Lonely_Hearts_Club_Band)'', the only footballer to appear. ==Career== Born in [Wallsend](/source/Wallsend), Tyne and Wear, England, he spent his early years in the United States, returning to Wallsend, where he attended Carville School, in 1929. Stubbins first played for [Newcastle United](/source/Newcastle_United_F.C.) in 1937, appearing in official games 30 times and scoring six goals for the team. In the 1945–46 transitional season before official League football was restarted, Stubbins scored 39 goals in the Northern League for Newcastle; the second-highest Newcastle scorer was the young outside-right [Jackie Milburn](/source/Jackie_Milburn) with 14 goals, a player who would become an icon at Newcastle, but many fans and journalists still believed Stubbins was a better centre-forward. {{quote box|width=28%|align=right|quote="Any conversation regarding the greatest strikers to have represented Liverpool should automatically include Albert Stubbins, a popular goalscorer revered by all at Anfield and even the Beatles."|source=—Official Liverpool F.C. profile of Stubbins.}} In 1946 Stubbins was signed by [Liverpool](/source/Liverpool_F.C.) for a then club record of £12,500.{{cite news |title=Past players: Albert Stubbins |url=https://www.liverpoolfc.com/info/albert-stubbins |access-date=21 May 2026 |publisher=Liverpool F.C.}} He had also been approached by Liverpool's local rivals, [Everton](/source/Everton_F.C.).{{cite news |title=No.5: Albert Stubbins |url=https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/first-team/217475-no-5-albert-stubbins |access-date=21 May 2026 |publisher=Liverpool F.C.}} Making his Liverpool debut on 14 September 1946 in a league match at [Burnden Park](/source/Burnden_Park), Stubbins made an immediate impact when he scored an 82nd-minute goal as the Reds left it late to claim a 3–1 victory over [Bolton Wanderers](/source/Bolton_Wanderers_F.C.). Stubbins scored 28 goals (24 league goals) in the 1946–47 season (making him joint top scorer with [Jack Balmer](/source/Jack_Balmer)) helping Liverpool to win the [League Championship](/source/Football_League), their first since 1923. Stubbins also top scored outright with 24 goals the following season. Although a contractual dispute in the 1948–49 season limited his appearances for the Merseyside club, he then helped Liverpool reach the [1950 FA Cup Final](/source/1950_FA_Cup_Final), the first time Liverpool had appeared at [Wembley](/source/Wembley_Stadium_(1923)) with their previous Cup Final appearance in 1914 taking place before Wembley was built. However, they lost to [Arsenal](/source/Arsenal_F.C.) by two goals to nil. An immensely popular figure during his seven years at [Anfield](/source/Anfield), Stubbins was the recipient of a famous chant from Liverpool supporters: 'A-L-B-E-R-T, Albert Stubbins is the man for me!' On 18 October 1950, at [Blackpool](/source/Blackpool_F.C.)'s [Bloomfield Road](/source/Bloomfield_Road), Stubbins netted five goals in [the Football League](/source/the_Football_League)'s 6–3 victory over the [Irish League](/source/IFA_Premiership) in an exhibition match.{{cite book|last=Gillatt|first=Peter|title=Blackpool FC On This Day: History, Facts and Figures from Every Day of the Year |publisher=Pitch Publishing Ltd|date=30 November 2009|isbn=978-1-905411-50-4}} He made his final appearance for Liverpool at [Stoke City](/source/Stoke_City_F.C.) in January 1953 before injuries forced him to retire that year, having scored 83 goals in 178 appearances for the club, or 1 every 2.1 games. Despite his club success, he played for the [England](/source/England_national_football_team) only once, in an unofficial international against [Wales](/source/Wales_national_football_team) in 1945, a game England lost 1–0.{{cite news |title=Albert Stubbins obituary: The robust but fair Geordie goal scorer who became a Liverpool legend|url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2002/dec/31/guardianobituaries.football |access-date=22 May 2026 |work=The Guardian}} ==Later life== {{quote box|width=30%|align=right|quote="One of Liverpool's finest players of the immediate post-World War II period, Stubbins' fame also earned him a place on the front cover of the Beatles' ‘Sergeant Pepper’ album – where he was the only footballer to feature."|source=—''[FourFourTwo](/source/FourFourTwo)'' magazine, ranking Stubbins no. 45 in their greatest Liverpool players list and his fame which led to an appearance on the cover of a Beatles album.}} Following his retirement, Stubbins briefly coached an American semi-professional side, the [New York Americans](/source/New_York_Americans_(soccer)) in 1960. He then returned to his native north-east England where he entered a full-time career in sports journalism. In 1967 Stubbins appeared on the front cover of [The Beatles](/source/The_Beatles)' ''[Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band](/source/Sgt._Pepper's_Lonely_Hearts_Club_Band)'' album, the only footballer to be depicted.{{cite news |last=Ladson |first=Matt |title=Ranked! The 50 best Liverpool players ever |url=https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/ranked-the-50-best-liverpool-players-ever |date=29 April 2022|access-date=22 May 2026 |magazine=FourFourTwo}}{{cite news |title=50 Greatest Liverpool Players Ever |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1774823-50-greatest-liverpool-players-ever |access-date=27 May 2026 |work=Bleacher Report}}{{cite news |title=Sgt. Pepper - Meet the Band: Albert Stubbins |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p053yhwk |access-date=22 May 2026 |publisher=BBC}} In selecting two players from each decade to enter the Liverpool F.C. Hall of Fame, Stubbins was one of two players chosen from the 1940s (the other being [Billy Liddell](/source/Billy_Liddell)). In 2006 he was listed at number 50 in "100 Players Who Shook [The Kop](/source/Liverpool_F.C.)", an official Liverpool fan poll.{{cite news |title=100 Players Who Shook The Kop |url=https://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/first-team/128949-pwstk-the-2006-list |access-date=22 May 2026 |publisher=Liverpool F.C.}} He also has a Liverpool F.C. fan club named in his honour, "The Albert Stubbins Crazy Crew".{{cite web |title=Player profile: Albert Stubbins |url=https://www.lfchistory.net/players/863 |website=LFCHistory.net |access-date=23 May 2026}} He also featured as a minor character in Stephen Baxter's 1995 time-travelling novel ''[The Time Ships](/source/The_Time_Ships)''. He died in 2002, aged 83, after a short illness. ==Career details== *Newcastle United (1938–39) – 27 appearances, 5 goals, [Football League Second Division](/source/Football_League_Second_Division) *Wartime guest games (1939–1946) – 188 appearances, 231 goals *Liverpool FC (1946–1953) – 178 appearances, 83 goals, [Football League First Division](/source/Football_League_First_Division) Championship winners medal (1947), FA Cup runners-up medal (1950) == Career statistics == {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" |+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition{{Cite web|url=https://www.lfchistory.net/Players/Player/Profile/863|title=Liverpool career stats for Albert Stubbins - LFChistory - Stats galore for Liverpool FC!|website=www.lfchistory.net|access-date=2020-01-26}} |- !rowspan="2"|Club !rowspan="2"|Season !colspan="2"|[League](/source/The_Football_League) !colspan="2"|[FA Cup](/source/FA_Cup) !colspan="2"|[League Cup](/source/Football_League_Cup) !colspan="2"|Europe !colspan="2"|Others !colspan="2"|Total |- !App !Goals !App !Goals !App !Goals !App !Goals !App !Goals !App !Goals |- |rowspan="7"|[Liverpool](/source/Liverpool_F.C.) |1952–53 |5||0||0||0||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||0||0||5||0 |- |1951–52 |12||5||0||0||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||0||0||12||5 |- |1950–51 |23||6||1||0||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||0||0||24||6 |- |1949–50 |28||10||7||1||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||0||0||35||11 |- |1948–49 |15||6||3||1||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||0||0||18||7 |- |1947–48 |40||24||2||2||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||0||0||42||26 |- |1946–47 |36||24||6||4||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||0||0||42||28 |- |rowspan="4"|[Newcastle United](/source/Newcastle_United_F.C.) |1946-47 |3||1||0||0||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||0||0||3||1 |- |1945-46 |0||0||2||1||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||0||0||2||1 |- |1938-39 |23||4||1||0||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||0||0||24||4 |- |1937-38 |1||0||0||0||colspan="2"|–||colspan="2"|–||0||0||1||0 |- !colspan="2"|Total !186!!80!!22!!9!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!208!!89 |} ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== * [https://www.liverpoolfc.com/info/albert-stubbins Official Liverpool FC website profile] * [http://www.lfchistory.net/player_profile.asp?player_id=863 Player profile at LFChistory.net] * [https://www.theguardian.com/obituaries/story/0,3604,866835,00.html Obituary in ''The Guardian''] {{Liverpool F.C. Hall of Fame}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Stubbins, Albert}} Category:1919 births Category:Footballers from Wallsend Category:2002 deaths Category:English men's footballers Category:Men's association football forwards Category:Ashington A.F.C. players Category:Newcastle United F.C. players Category:Liverpool F.C. players Category:England men's wartime international footballers Category:English sportswriters Category:Sunderland A.F.C. wartime guest players Category:English Football League players Category:English Football League representative players --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Albert Stubbins](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Stubbins) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_Stubbins?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.