Thomas McLean Jr. (born 2 June 1947) is a Scottish former professional football player and manager. McLean played for Kilmarnock, Rangers and Scotland as a midfielder. He managed Morton, Motherwell, Hearts, Raith Rovers and Dundee United.
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 2 June 1947 | |||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Ashgill, Scotland | |||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Midfielder[1] | |||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||
| 1964–1971 | Kilmarnock | 216 | (48) | |||||||||||
| 1971–1982 | Rangers | 300 | (35) | |||||||||||
| Total | 516 | (83) | ||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||
| 1967–1971 | Scotland | 9 | (1) | |||||||||||
| 1966–1973 | Scottish League XI | 7 | (0) | |||||||||||
| Managerial career | ||||||||||||||
| 1983–1984 | Morton | |||||||||||||
| 1984–1994 | Motherwell | |||||||||||||
| 1994–1995 | Heart of Midlothian | |||||||||||||
| 1996 | Raith Rovers | |||||||||||||
| 1996–1998 | Dundee United | |||||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||
Early life
editMcLean was born and grew up in Ashgill, Lanarkshire, along with his elder brothers Jim and Willie, who would also become successful players and managers.
Playing career
editA traditional tricky winger, McLean started his career at Kilmarnock, where at one point all three brothers were at the club together, Jim and Tommy as players and Willie as a coach. He was part of the Kilmarnock team which won the club's only league title, in 1964-65.[3]
He joined Rangers in 1971 for £65,000 and was involved in the clubs famous 1972 Cup Winners Cup triumph. He went on to play 452 times for Rangers,[4] winning three League championships, four Scottish Cups and three Scottish League Cups.
McLean made nine appearances for Scotland, all of them during his time with Kilmarnock. Three of those games were during a 1967 overseas tour that the Scottish Football Association decided in October 2021 to reclassify as full internationals,[5] which increased McLean's cap tally from six to nine. He also represented the Scottish League XI seven times.[6]
He was selected for the Scotland under-18s at the 1963 UEFA under-18 Euros in England.[2]
In October 2016 he was inducted into the Kilmarnock 'Hall of Fame' alongside other well-known former players such as James Fowler, Ray Montgomerie and Stuart McLean (no relation).[7]
Managerial career
editAfter his playing career he became Rangers' assistant manager. Thereafter he had spells in management with Morton, Motherwell, Hearts, Raith Rovers and Dundee United, before becoming Under-19 coach at Rangers.
McLean managed Motherwell for ten years, during which the club won the Scottish Cup in 1991. Motherwell defeated Dundee United, who were managed by his brother Jim, in the cup final[8] to enter Europe for the first time in their history.[9][10] They also challenged for the 1993–94 Scottish Premier Division title, eventually finishing third.[11][12][13]
His spell at Raith Rovers in 1996 was remarkable for lasting only six days and encompassing only one game; the lure of working under Jim, by then chairman of Dundee United, saw him quit Stark's Park for Tannadice amidst substantial acrimony.
McLean returned to Rangers in May 2001 as director of youth development,[14] after he had held a similar post at Dundee United since October 2000.[15]
On 4 November 2021, it was announced that McLean was to be inducted into the Motherwell F.C. Hall of Fame.[16] A week later, following consultations with supporter groups, the south stand at Fir Park was renamed in his honour.[17]
Tommy is married to wife Beth. Their daughter Lorna was born in 1991.
Honours
editPlayer
editKilmarnock
Rangers
- Scottish league champions: 1974–75, 1975–76, 1977–78
- Scottish Cup: 1972–73, 1975–76, 1977–78,[18] 1978–79
- Scottish League Cup: 1975–76, 1977–78, 1978–79
- European Cup Winners' Cup: 1971–72
Manager
editMorton
Motherwell
Individual
edit- Scottish Football Hall of Fame inductee: 2019[21]
- Motherwell Hall of Fame: 2022[22]
References
edit- ^ "Tommy McLean". www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
- ^ a b "LORIMER IN YOUTH LINE UP". Press and Journal. 1 April 1963. Retrieved 30 June 2022 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Kilmarnock player Tommy McLean". Fitbastats.com. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
- ^ "Rangers player Tommy McLean". Fitbastats.com. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
- ^ "Former Scotland players to be recognised with international caps including Sir Alex Ferguson". www.scottishfa.co.uk. Scottish Football Association. 9 October 2021. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
- ^ "Scotland FL Players by Appearances". Londonhearts.com. London Hearts Supporters' Club. Retrieved 27 November 2011.
- ^ "Hall Of Fame 2 Dinner". Kilmarnock FC website. 10 October 2016. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
- ^ "Great Scottish Cup moments". BBC Sport. BBC. 10 April 2010. Retrieved 11 July 2017.
- ^ Patrick Glenn (20 May 1991). "Well take the Cup to leave United high and dry again". Retrieved 5 November 2018.
- ^ Will Sharp (21 December 2016). "Motherwell's Class of '91: a rare moment in the sun". These Football Times. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
- ^ Oude kaas: Sieb Dijkstra, AZ Alkmaar (in Dutch)
- ^ "The career of John Philliben". Motherwell F.C. 30 July 2018. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
- ^ "I achieved my dream playing with Motherwell". MFC1886. 1 December 2016. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
- ^ "McLean makes Rangers return". BBC Sport website. 11 May 2001.
- ^ "Tommy's return meets with criticism". BBC Sport website. 13 October 2000.
- ^ "Tommy McLean to be inducted to Hall of Fame". motherwellfc.co.uk. 4 November 2021. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
- ^ "South Stand renamed the Tommy McLean Stand". motherwellfc.co.uk. 13 November 2021. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
- ^ "Wallace, Greig make history". The Herald. 8 May 1978. Retrieved 24 October 2017 – via Google News.
- ^ "Caught in time: Morton win the First Division title, 1984". The Times. 11 June 2006. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
- ^ "After Dinner Speaker, John Gahagan". After Dinner Speakers & Comedians. Retrieved 13 May 2022.
- ^ "Six former players added to Scotltish football's hall of fame". BBC Sport. 27 October 2019. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
- ^ "TOMMY MCLEAN TO BE INDUCTED TO HALL OF FAME". Motherwell FC. 4 November 200. Retrieved 13 May 2022.