John Law McNeil was a Scottish football player (a

centre-half In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

), and

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

. McNeil signed for Portsmouth from Musselburgh Bruntonians In December 1928. He moved to Reading in January 1930 where he was a regular for a while. After a spell with non-league

Guildford City Guildford City Football Club (formerly Guildford United and AFC Guildford) is a football club based in Guildford, Surrey, England. The club was established in 1921, folded in 1974 and was reformed in 1996. Guildford City play in the . Histo ...

he moved to Inverness Caledonian from where he joined

Plymouth Argyle Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the team are competing in League One, the third tier of English football. They have played at Home Park, ...

in August 1934. He played 143 times, scoring 13 goals for Plymouth, leaving Home Park in the summer of 1939 when he joined Clapton Orient. He later managed

Merthyr Tydfil Merthyr Tydfil (; cy, Merthyr Tudful ) is the main town in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Wales, administered by Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. It is about north of Cardiff. Often called just Merthyr, it is said to be named after Tydf ...

until June 1947, when he was appointed as manager of

Torquay United Torquay United Football Club is a professional football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the , the fifth tier of English football. They have played their home matches at Plainmoor since 1921 and are nicknamed ...

. His first season was not a great success, Torquay finishing in 18th place, but the following two seasons saw finishes in 9th and 5th and the discovery of future club greats Don Mills and

Sammy Collins Ronald Dudley "Sammy" Collins (13 January 1923 – 31 May 1998) was an English professional association football, footballer. He holds the record for most league goals scored by a Torquay United F.C., Torquay United player. Collins began his ca ...

. He resigned in March 1950 to take the manager's job at Second Division

Bury Bury may refer to: *The burial of human remains *-bury, a suffix in English placenames Places England * Bury, Cambridgeshire, a village * Bury, Greater Manchester, a town, historically in Lancashire ** Bury (UK Parliament constituency) (1832–19 ...

, not before complaining about the low attendances at

Plainmoor Plainmoor is an association football stadium located in the Plainmoor suburb of Torquay, Devon, England. Since 1921, the stadium has been the home of Torquay United Football Club, who currently compete in the National League, the fifth tier of E ...

, even when the team was doing relatively well. His time at Gigg Lane saw Bury constantly battle against relegation – albeit to his credit this was achieved – until he left in November 1953. He was tall.

References

Year of birth missing Year of death missing Scottish men's footballers Scottish football managers English Football League managers Scottish Junior Football Association players English Football League players Highland Football League players Musselburgh Athletic F.C. players Portsmouth F.C. players Reading F.C. players Guildford City F.C. players Plymouth Argyle F.C. players Leyton Orient F.C. players Torquay United F.C. managers Bury F.C. managers People from Inverkeithing Caledonian F.C. players Footballers from Fife Merthyr Tydfil F.C. managers Men's association football defenders {{Scotland-footy-defender-stub