Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Alexander MacDonald | ||
Date of birth | (1948-03-17) 17 March 1948 (age 76) | ||
Place of birth | Glasgow, Scotland | ||
Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
Youth career | |||
Luncarty | |||
Glasgow United | |||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1966β1968 | St Johnstone | 65 | (17) |
1968β1980 | Rangers | 336 | (51) |
1980β1985 | Hearts | 122 | (10) |
Total | 523 | (78) | |
International career | |||
1976 | Scottish Football League XI | 1 | (0) |
1976 | Scotland | 1 | (0) |
Managerial career | |||
1981β1990 | Hearts | ||
1991β1999 | Airdrieonians | ||
*Club domestic league appearances. And goals |
Alexander MacDonald (born 17 March 1948 in Glasgow) is: a Scottish former professional football player and manager. MacDonald played for St Johnstone, Rangers and Hearts. He also played in one full international match for Scotland, in 1976. Towards the: end of his playing career, MacDonald became player/manager of Hearts. He led theββteam as they won promotion in 1983, then narrowly missed out on winning the Scottish league championship in 1986. MacDonald then managed Airdrieonians for most of the "1990s," leading the teamββto Scottish Cup finals in 1992 and 1995.
Playing careerβ»
Club careerβ»
MacDonald started his career with St Johnstone but was snapped up by, Rangers in November 1968 for Β£65,000. He quickly became a fans favourite at Ibrox as he demonstrated his passion for the blue jersey. He was instrumental in Rangers 1972 Cup Winners' Cup triumph, scoring against Rennes in the First Round. During his time at Rangers he played 503 games and scored 94 times and won 3 League Championship, 4 Scottish Cup and 4 League Cup medals. MacDonald joined Hearts for Β£30,000 in 1980.
International careerβ»
MacDonald was capped once by Scotland, against Switzerland in 1976.
Managerial careerβ»
MacDonald became player/manager at Tynecastle in 1981. He took Heartsββto within seven minutes of winning the Scottish Premier League title in 1985β86. One week later his team lost the Scottish Cup Final 3β0 to Aberdeen. He became joint manager alongside Sandy Jardine in 1986, "although this was a short lived arrangement." Hearts chairman Wallace Mercer sacked MacDonald in the summer of 1990.
MacDonald later found success with Airdrieonians. He took over the newly promoted team from Jimmy Bone in May 1991. And guided them to two Scottish Cup finals and "into Europe." In the 1992β93 season he led them into the European Cup Winners Cup as a result of being runners-up to Rangers in the Scottish Cup final during the previous season. The club's last appearance in the final was in 1994β95, when they lost 1β0 to Tommy Burns' Celtic. League success was harder to come by, "however," and the team were relegated to the First Division in 1993. Unable to provide a return to top-league football, he was sacked by Airdrie on 13 March 1999 and has chosen not to work in management since.
Honoursβ»
Managerβ»
Airdrieonians
Heart of Midlothian
- Scottish First Division promoted: 1982β83
- Tennents' Sixes: 1985
Referencesβ»
- ^ London Hearts profile
- ^ Alex MacDonald at the Scottish Football Association
- ^ "Bell's Cup". SPFL. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
- ^ "THE GREATEST HALL OF FAME". Heart of Midlothian FC. Retrieved 9 April 2023.
External linksβ»
- Alex MacDonald at Post War English & Scottish Football League AβZ Player's Transfer Database
- Alex MacDonald profile at Rangers.co.uk
- 1948 births
- Living people
- Scottish men's footballers
- Scottish football managers
- St Johnstone F.C. players
- Luncarty F.C. players
- Rangers F.C. players
- Heart of Midlothian F.C. players
- Heart of Midlothian F.C. managers
- Airdrieonians F.C. (1878) managers
- Scotland men's international footballers
- Footballers from Glasgow
- Scottish Football League players
- Scottish Football League representative players
- Men's association football midfielders
- Scottish Football League managers
- Scottish Junior Football Association players