Stephen McPhail

Stephen John Paul McPhail (born 9 December 1979) is an Irish former professional footballer. A play-making central midfielder, McPhail started his career at Leeds United in the Premier League. He subsequently found success at Cardiff City, making over 150 appearances and being part of their promotion-winning 2012–13 Football League Championship side. McPhail was capped ten times for the Republic of Ireland national team, scoring one goal.

McPhail was born in Westminster, London, and raised in Rush, County Dublin, Ireland.

McPhail started his career by coming through the youth ranks at Leeds United. His playing style led former Arsenal manager George Graham to christen him "the new Liam Brady". He began to make an impact on the first team during the 1997–98 season, making his debut in February 1998 against Leicester City, and went on to make several substitute appearances that campaign. The highlight of his debut season was a 50-yard lob pass to Leeds and future Cardiff City teammate Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, which some Leeds fans described as "one of the passes of the season".

He started to become a regular for the side during the 1999–2000 season, after making several sub appearances, when he was given a long run in the first team squad. McPhail was rewarded with a new five-year contract at the Yorkshire club soon after. McPhail got his first Leeds goals in a league match against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on 19 December 1999.

After manager David O'Leary left, Leeds went on to have several different managers over the next few years. During this time, McPhail was hampered by injury, making it difficult to break into the team under Terry Venables or his successor Peter Reid. He was loaned out to Millwall as a means of maintaining match fitness. A second loan, this time at Nottingham Forest, could have been made permanent as both McPhail and Forest manager Paul Hart felt the move would be beneficial to his career, but Leeds rejected Forest's bid. During his time at Leeds, McPhail was involved in the club's 2000–01 UEFA Champions League run, appearing in memorable games against the likes of Barcelona and Lazio as Leeds reached the semi-finals.

McPhail left Leeds in July 2004 to sign for Barnsley on a free transfer, becoming the first international player from Ireland to sign for the club since Gary Fleming in 1990. McPhail made seventy-nine appearances for the Oakwell club in two seasons of League One football, the culmination of which coming with a victory over Swansea City in the League One Play-off final at the Millennium Stadium. McPhail's Barnsley contract expired the following summer, and the midfielder departed the newly promoted club.

Cardiff City saw off competition from numerous other clubs to secure McPhail's services. McPhail was an ever-present for Cardiff during his first season in Wales, and impressed to such an extent that he was handed a longer-term deal the following July. During the injury-forced absences of club captain Darren Purse and vice-captain Riccardo Scimeca, McPhail stood in as the club's skipper. On 27 October 2007 he scored for Cardiff for the first time by finding the net in a 1–1 draw with Scunthorpe United.

On 30 November 2007, after an indifferent opening to the Bluebirds' campaign, McPhail spoke to local paper the South Wales Echo, claiming that the team's poor start was "all my fault". McPhail found the net twice within the space of two months with goals against Hull City and Blackpool in the Championship. McPhail also had the honour of leading Cardiff City out at Wembley for the FA Cup final, where City were beaten by a goal to nil by Premier League side Portsmouth.