Alex McLeish
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Alexander McLeish (born 21 January 1959) is a Scottish professional football manager and former
player Player may refer to: Role or adjective * Player (game), a participant in a game or sport ** Gamer, a player in video and tabletop games ** Athlete, a player in sports ** Player character, a character in a video game or role playing game who i ...
. He played as a defender for
Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...
during their 1980s glory years, making nearly 500 League appearances for the club, and won 77 caps for
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
. McLeish started his managerial career with spells at
Motherwell Motherwell (, ) is a List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, south east of Glasgow. It has a population of around 32,120. Shires of Scotland, Historically in the p ...
and Hibernian, before guiding Rangers to two championships and five cup wins in five years. McLeish spent ten months as manager of the Scotland national team which narrowly failed to qualify for the finals of the 2008 UEFA European championship. He then resigned this post in November 2007 to become manager of
Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. The team compete in the ...
, who were in the
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
at the time. Though Birmingham were relegated at the end of the season, McLeish guided them back to the Premier League in 2009. Birmingham then won the 2011 Football League Cup Final, but were relegated again from the Premier League at the end of the 2010–11 season. Following this relegation he resigned his post at Birmingham to become manager at their city rivals, Aston Villa. This made him the first manager to move directly from Birmingham City to Aston Villa, and only the second manager after Ron Saunders to manage both clubs. Having only narrowly avoided relegation in the 2011–12 Premier League season, his contract was terminated by Villa at the end of his first season. McLeish was appointed manager of Championship club Nottingham Forest in December 2012, but left after 40 days by mutual consent. He managed
Belgian Pro League The Belgian Pro League (; ; ), officially the Jupiler Pro League () for sponsor Jupiler, is a professional association football league in Belgium and the highest level of the Belgian football league system. Contested by 16 clubs from the 2023 ...
club
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in the 2014–15 season, and Zamalek of the Egyptian Premier League in 2016. He then had a second stint as Scotland national team manager. In recognition of his distinguished service to Scottish sport, in 2008 McLeish was awarded an honorary doctorate by the
University of Aberdeen The University of Aberdeen (abbreviated ''Aberd.'' in List of post-nominal letters (United Kingdom), post-nominals; ) is a public university, public research university in Aberdeen, Scotland. It was founded in 1495 when William Elphinstone, Bis ...
.


Early years

McLeish was born in Duke Street Hospital, Glasgow to parents Alex, a shipyard worker, and Jean. He has younger siblings Angela and Ian. After living in the
Parkhead Parkhead () is a district in the East End of Glasgow. Its name comes from a small weaving hamlet (place), hamlet at the meeting place of the Great Eastern Road (now the Gallowgate and Tollcross Road) and Westmuir Street. Glasgow's Eastern Necro ...
and Kinning Park districts of the city, the family moved to Barrhead, Renfrewshire soon after McLeish had reached school age. He attended Springhill Primary, Barrhead High School – where he was one year below future Aberdeen and Scotland teammate Peter Weir – and John Neilson High School in Paisley. As a juvenile he played for Barrhead Youth Club, alongside Weir, and Glasgow United as well as training for a short period with Hamilton Accies. After a local cup final with Glasgow United in 1976 which was watched by a delegation from Aberdeen, including then manager Ally MacLeod, McLeish signed for the Pittodrie club the following day.


Playing career


Club

McLeish spent the majority of his first two seasons at
Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...
in the reserves and also had a loan spell at local Junior side Lewis United. McLeish won the Scottish 2nd XI Cup with the ''Dons'' in 1978. He made his competitive debut under
Billy McNeill William McNeill (2 March 1940 – 22 April 2019) was a Scottish association football, football player and manager (association football), manager. He had a long association with Celtic F.C., Celtic, spanning more than sixty years as a player, m ...
in a New Year fixture against Dundee United on 2 January 1978. His first major final appearance was under the management of Alex Ferguson as a substitute in a 2–1 defeat to Rangers in the 1978–79 League Cup and most of his appearances during the 1970s were as a
midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...
, with Willie Garner and Doug Rougvie preferred in defence. However McLeish eventually made the centre-back position his own, and over the next seven seasons he enjoyed great success, winning eight domestic and two European trophies. Highlights included scoring in a 4–1 victory over Rangers in the 1982 Scottish Cup Final on his 200th Dons appearance, and a vital goal against Bayern Munich during the campaign leading to the European Cup Winners' Cup win over
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in
1983 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...
. During this period, McLeish formed a formidable defensive triumvirate with Willie Miller and Jim Leighton for both club and country. Even after he had won his first
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
cap, McLeish's father asked then Aberdeen boss Alex Ferguson to persuade him to continue training as an accountant. When Ferguson left in 1986 to go to
Manchester United Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...
, he tried to get McLeish to sign, but it did not work out; he also had talks with Tottenham Hotspur. A testimonial match was arranged for McLeish in December 1988, with the club's '
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' (Cup Winners' Cup) squad taking on an 'International legends' team. He won the Scottish player of the year in 1990, after a season in which Aberdeen won both domestic cups. He became captain of Aberdeen after the retirement of Willie Miller. His 692 competitive appearances for the club ranks as the second-most in its history (100 behind Miller, but almost 100 more than Bobby Clark).


International

McLeish is Scotland's sixth most capped player, having gained 77 international caps between 1980 and 1993. He was first capped for the Scotland under-21 team while still a reserve player at Aberdeen by his former club manager Ally MacLeod, eventually gaining six caps at that level. His full international debut came on 26 March 1980 against
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
, manager
Jock Stein John Stein (5 October 1922 – 10 September 1985) was a Scottish association football, football player and manager (association football), manager. He was the first manager of a club from a Northern European country to win the European Champio ...
playing him in midfield alongside Archie Gemmill and Graeme Souness. He played in three World Cups with
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
, in 1982, 1986 and 1990. He is a member of the Scottish Football Hall of Fame, the Scotland national football team roll of honour and Scottish Television's fan poll ''Scotland's Greatest Team''. On the occasion of his 50th cap, against
Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...
in 1987, McLeish was appointed team captain for the game. His final cap came on 17 February 1993 in a 3–0 win over
Malta Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago south of Italy, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The two ...
at
Hampden Park Hampden Park ( ; Scottish Gaelic: ''Pàirc Hampden'') is a association football, football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland, which is the national stadium of football in Scotland and home of the Scotland national football ...
during the 1994 World Cup qualifiers.


Management career


Motherwell

After his successful playing career he quickly went into football
management Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a Government agency, government bodies through business administration, Nonprofit studies, nonprofit management, or the political s ...
with
Motherwell Motherwell (, ) is a List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, town and former burgh in North Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom, south east of Glasgow. It has a population of around 32,120. Shires of Scotland, Historically in the p ...
in 1994, one year before he retired as a player. His first season at Motherwell saw him take the Lanarkshire club to second in the Premier Division behind Walter Smith's Rangers. However, he failed to build on this success and the next two seasons were spent in relegation battles. He resigned as manager to take over at Hibernian in 1998.


Hibernian

McLeish took over a struggling Hibernian side, which was relegated from the Scottish Premier Division in 1998 despite a slight upturn in fortunes under McLeish. He then guided the
Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...
team back to the Scottish Premier League at the first attempt by winning the First Division championship. Hibernian consolidated in their first season back in the top division, finishing mid-table and reaching the Scottish Cup semi-final. In the 2000–01 season, Hibs started very strongly. Eventually they had to settle for third place and a Scottish Cup final appearance. This performance attracted the attention of bigger clubs, including West Ham United and Rangers. McLeish attracted players such as Russell Latapy and former French international Franck Sauzée to Hibs. He also helped develop young striker Kenny Miller, who would later go on to play 69 games for Scotland. During this period McLeish worked towards and was awarded a
UEFA Pro Licence The UEFA coaching licences are documents testifying credentials of manager (association football), managers/ coach (sport), coaches among members of UEFA. The governing body for association football, football in Europe mandates several licences, e ...
.


Rangers

His work at Hibs was noticed, and he was linked with several moves to England, before he was appointed as Rangers manager in December 2001 after outgoing Rangers manager Dick Advocaat recommended McLeish to chairman David Murray. McLeish was an instant success at Rangers, winning both the Scottish Cup and Scottish League Cup in his first season, but the big prize of the league title was essentially lost before his arrival. His second season saw him go one better when he won the domestic treble, with the help of players such as Ronald de Boer and Barry Ferguson. Rangers' worsening financial state saw many of his top players leave in the summer of 2003. Celtic won the league comfortably in season 2003–04, and Rangers failed to win any trophies. McLeish was consequently put under pressure from fans after his poor signings and a record run of seven consecutive Old Firm derby losses to Celtic. The high-profile Bosman signings of Jean-Alain Boumsong and
Dado Pršo Miladin "Dado" Pršo (born 5 November 1974) is a Croatian former professional footballer who played as a forward. Pršo played for seven different teams and made over 300 league appearances as a professional. He was included in the Monaco tea ...
in the close season of 2004–05 gave Rangers renewed hope of regaining the title from Celtic's grasp. McLeish's team won the 2005 league title on a dramatic last day, an outcome that had looked highly unlikely after Rangers fell five points behind leaders Celtic with just four games remaining. After this unexpected success, McLeish and his Rangers team headed into the 2005–06 SPL campaign as favourites to retain the championship. McLeish made a number of signings, including Julien Rodriguez and Ian Murray, despite having little money to spend. After a reasonable start to the season, including a win over Celtic, Rangers suffered a series of poor results between September and November. This period included a club record of 10 games without a win. However the tenth match of this run, a 1–1 draw with
Inter Milan Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional Association football, football List of football ...
in the Champions League, took Rangers into the knockout stages of the tournament for the first time. Despite the poor domestic form, McLeish guided Rangers to the last 16 of the Champions League, where they were defeated on the
away goals rule The away goals rule is a method of tiebreaking in association football and other sports when teams play each other twice, once at each team's home ground. Under the away goals rule, if the total goals scored by each team are equal, the team that ...
by Villarreal. They became the first Scottish team to progress this far in the European Cup since 1993, and the first Scottish team to progress through a European group stage. In December, chairman David Murray publicly announced his support for McLeish. Rangers then went on a good run of results in December and January. This run of good results came to a sudden halt when they were defeated 3–0 by Hibernian in the Scottish Cup, prompting protests outside Ibrox against both McLeish and David Murray. On 9 February 2006, it was announced by chairman David Murray that McLeish would be standing down as manager at the end of that season. It was later announced that he would be succeeded by former Olympique Lyonnais manager Paul Le Guen. Rangers beat Hearts 2–0 at Ibrox Stadium in his final match as manager.


Scotland national team

McLeish said after leaving Rangers that he would not manage another Scottish club, because he felt that he had achieved everything in the Scottish game. He was linked in the media with a number of managerial positions in England while he worked as a television pundit for the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
and Setanta Sports. McLeish took charge of the Scotland national team on 29 January 2007. His assistants in the job were Roy Aitken and Andy Watson. McLeish's first game in charge of the national team was a UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying match, a 2–1 victory against
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
on 24 March 2007 at
Hampden Park Hampden Park ( ; Scottish Gaelic: ''Pàirc Hampden'') is a association football, football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland, which is the national stadium of football in Scotland and home of the Scotland national football ...
. His second game was an away fixture against
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
on 28 March 2007 which ended in a 2–0 defeat. McLeish's Scotland side then went on to defeat the
Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ) (alt. the Faroes) are an archipelago in the North Atlantic Ocean and an autonomous territory of the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. Located between Iceland, Norway, and the United Kingdom, the islands have a populat ...
away in June,
Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...
at home in September before recording a historic victory in Paris four days later by defeating
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
1–0 in the
Parc des Princes The Parc des Princes (, ) is an all-seater stadium, all-seater football stadium in Paris, France. It is located in the south-west of the French capital, inside the 16th arrondissement of Paris, 16th arrondissement, near the Stade Jean-Bouin (P ...
. James McFadden's 64th-minute strike from 30 yards was enough to earn Scotland the win and returned them to the top of
Group B Group B was a set of regulations for Grand tourer, grand touring (GT) cars used in sports car racing and rallying introduced in 1982 by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). Although permitted to enter a GT class of the World S ...
with three games to play. This result has been hailed as one of the Scotland national team's greatest victories. Scotland's next success was at home to
Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...
, winning 3–1 at Hampden on 13 October. McLeish suffered his second defeat as manager, away in Georgia on 17 October. This result left Scotland facing a decider against the World Champions, Italy. Scotland lost the game 2–1, McLeish's last, and Italy qualified for the finals.


Birmingham City

Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
club
Birmingham City Birmingham City Football Club is a professional football club based in Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, it was renamed Small Heath in 1888, Birmingham in 1905, and Birmingham City in 1943. The team compete in the ...
's approach to the SFA for permission to speak to McLeish about their managerial vacancy was refused, but on his return on 27 November 2007 from attending the draw for 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification in South Africa, he resigned his post as manager of Scotland and was announced as Birmingham's new manager the following day. His assistants with Scotland, Roy Aitken and Andy Watson, were to accompany him. McLeish said he wanted to return to working with players on a daily basis and had "always harboured a desire" to manage in the Premier League. He enjoyed a positive managerial debut with Birmingham, winning 3–2 away to Tottenham Hotspur. In the January 2008
transfer window In association football, a transfer window is the period during the year in which a football club, club can add players to their squad who were previously under contract with another club. Such a Transfer (association football), transfer is comp ...
, McLeish strengthened Birmingham's squad, buying David Murphy and James McFadden and signing Argentina under-20 international Mauro Zárate on loan, while generating funds by allowing fringe players to leave. He was unable to save Birmingham from relegation, despite the team recording an impressive 4–1 victory over Blackburn Rovers on the last day of the season. McLeish changed the club's backroom staff and training procedures, appointed David Watson as goalkeeping coach, and overhauled the scouting setup, bringing in Paul Montgomery – the scout who recommended a relatively unknown
Didier Drogba Didier Yves Drogba Tébily (; born 11 March 1978) is an Ivorian former professional association football, footballer who played as a striker (association football), striker. He is the Top international association football goal scorers by cou ...
to West Ham United – to oversee player recruitment. On the final day of the 2008–09 season, McLeish secured Birmingham's return to the top flight of English football at the first attempt with a 2–1 away victory over Reading. By mid-January 2010, he had guided them to a 12-game unbeaten run, a club record in the top division, set a Premier League record by selecting the same starting eleven for nine consecutive games, and been named
Premier League Manager of the Month The Premier League Manager of the Month is an association football award that recognises the best adjudged Premier League manager each month of the season. The winner is chosen by a combination of an online public vote, which contributes to ...
for December 2009, the first Birmingham manager to receive the award. By the end of the season McLeish had led Birmingham to ninth place, their highest finish for more than 50 years. Following Birmingham's success during the 2009–10 season, McLeish agreed a new three-year deal with the club in September 2010. In February 2011, McLeish led Birmingham to victory in the League Cup, defeating favourites Arsenal 2–1 in the final at Wembley in what he described as "relatively speaking, ... isgreatest achievement". However, a poor run of form followed the League Cup win, and Birmingham were relegated to the Championship on the last day of the 2010–11 season. The directors confirmed that McLeish would keep his job, and would be expected to return the club to the Premier League at the first opportunity. McLeish however opted to quit Birmingham City on 12 June 2011 by email.


Aston Villa

On 17 June 2011, Aston Villa appointed McLeish as manager, just five days after leaving their local rivals Birmingham City. There was much controversy surrounding his appointment as Birmingham City claimed McLeish was still under contract and filed a complaint against Aston Villa to the Premier League while Villa claimed McLeish was a free agent. Aston Villa fans protested outside Villa Park and anti-McLeish graffiti had to be removed from outside Villa's training ground. McLeish made out of favour Manchester City goalkeeper Shay Given his first signing, and then recruited winger Charles N'Zogbia. McLeish's first competitive game as Villa manager ended in a 0–0 draw with
Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies in a loop on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea, London, Chelsea ...
at Craven Cottage. He gained his first Premier League win as manager of Villa in a 3–1 win over Blackburn Rovers. Following victory over Blackburn, Villa drew their next four Premier League games until winning against Wigan 2–0. Aston Villa finally ended their unbeaten start with a 4–1 defeat away at Manchester City. McLeish's side secured a surprise win over Chelsea just before signing
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striker Robbie Keane on loan. Keane helped to secure Villa a crucial win against rivals Wolves in a 3–2 victory. McLeish led the 2011–12 Villa team to 16th place in the Premier League, avoiding relegation by two points, and set an unwanted club record of only four home wins. McLeish's contract was terminated on 14 May, the day after the season ended. The reasons cited for his termination were the poor results and style of play used throughout his term as manager.


Nottingham Forest

McLeish was appointed manager of
Football League Championship The English Football League Championship, known simply as the Championship and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Betting & Gaming, Sky Bet Championship, is a professional association football league in England and Wales. Contested by 24 clubs, i ...
club Nottingham Forest on 27 December 2012. His first game in charge was on 29 December 2012, a 2–2 draw against Crystal Palace at the City Ground, with Billy Sharp scoring an injury-time equaliser for Nottingham Forest. McLeish earned his first win as Nottingham Forest manager on 12 January 2013, a 2–1 victory against Peterborough at home. McLeish took charge of his only East Midlands derby against Derby County on 19 January 2013, drawing 1–1 at Pride Park. On 2 February 2013, after a 2–1 defeat to former club Birmingham City on his first return to St Andrew's, he refused to commit his future to Nottingham Forest and claimed he was unhappy. This came after the Nottingham Forest board pulled out of a deal to sign George Boyd on the final day of the January transfer window. On 5 February 2013, he left the club by mutual consent.


Genk

McLeish stated in November 2013 that he would like to re-enter football management in some capacity, in England, Scotland or abroad. In August 2014, he was appointed manager of Belgian club
Genk Genk () is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality and City status in Belgium, city located in the Belgian Provinces of Belgium, province of Limburg (Belgium), Limburg near Hasselt. The municipality comprises only the town of Genk itself. It ...
. McLeish made his managerial debut on 30 August, in which Genk drew Oostende 1–1 away. It was reported in March 2015 that McLeish would leave Genk at the end of the 2014–15 Belgian Pro League season, as the club had failed to qualify for the Championship play-offs, although they did reach Europa League play-offs.


Zamalek

McLeish was appointed manager of Egyptian Premier League club Zamalek on 28 February 2016. After a series of poor performances from the team, he was sacked on 2 May with ten matches of the season remaining.


Scotland national team (second spell)

McLeish was reappointed
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
manager on 16 February 2018, on a two-year contract. Scotland won their 2018–19 UEFA Nations League group under McLeish, but he was sacked on 18 April 2019 following a 3–0 defeat by
Kazakhstan Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a landlocked country primarily in Central Asia, with a European Kazakhstan, small portion in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the Kazakhstan–Russia border, north and west, China to th ...
. Scotland's Nations League success under McLeish contributed to Scotland qualifying for UEFA Euro 2020, their first major tournament in 22 years. During his tenure, McLeish also convinced Scott McTominay to play for Scotland.


Outside of football

McLeish had a cameo appearance in the
Laurel and Hardy Laurel and Hardy were a British-American double act, comedy duo during the early Classical Hollywood cinema, Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–1957) ...
biopic '' Stan & Ollie'', after a chance meeting with director and Aberdeen FC fan Jon S. Baird on a flight. In the film, McLeish can be briefly seen reading a newspaper in the lobby of the Savoy Hotel behind Steve Coogan. During the 2014 Scottish independence referendum McLeish was a supporter of the Better Together campaign against Scottish independence. McLeish was appointed
Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...
(OBE) in the 2024 New Year Honours for services to charity.


Career statistics


Club


International


Managerial record


Honours


Player

Aberdeen * Scottish Premier Division: 1979–80, 1983–84, 1984–85 * Scottish Cup: 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1985–86, 1989–90 * Scottish League Cup: 1985–86, 1989–90 * Drybrough Cup:
1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...
* European Cup Winners' Cup: 1982–83 * European Super Cup:
1983 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...
Scotland * Rous Cup: 1985 Individual * Scotland national football team roll of honour: 1987 * SFWA Footballer of the Year: 1990


Manager

Hibernian * Scottish First Division: 1998–99 Rangers *Scottish Premier League: 2002–03, 2004–05 *Scottish Cup: 2001–02, 2002–03 *Scottish League Cup: 2001–02, 2002–03, 2004–05 Birmingham City *
Football League Championship The English Football League Championship, known simply as the Championship and for sponsorship purposes as Sky Betting & Gaming, Sky Bet Championship, is a professional association football league in England and Wales. Contested by 24 clubs, i ...
runner-up (promotion): 2008–09 * Football League Cup: 2010–11 Individual * Scottish Football Hall of Fame: inducted 2005 *Scottish Premier League Manager of the Month: October 2000, February 2002, September 2002, February 2003, August 2003, September 2003, November 2004, February 2005, January 2006 *
Premier League Manager of the Month The Premier League Manager of the Month is an association football award that recognises the best adjudged Premier League manager each month of the season. The winner is chosen by a combination of an online public vote, which contributes to ...
: December 2009


See also

*
List of Scotland national football team captains This article lists all the captain (association football), captains of the men's Scotland national football team. As of 9 June 2025, Scotland have played 842 officially recognised international matches and have had 156 different team captains. An ...


References


External links

* *
Profile and stats at ''AFC Heritage Trust''International profile at ''Sporting-Heroes.net''SFA manager profileMotherwell manager profileRangers manager profileScottish Football Hall of Fame profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:McLeish, Alex 1959 births 1982 FIFA World Cup players 1986 FIFA World Cup players 1990 FIFA World Cup players Aberdeen F.C. players Men's association football central defenders Aston Villa F.C. managers Belgian Pro League managers Birmingham City F.C. managers Egyptian Premier League managers English Football League managers Expatriate football managers in Belgium Expatriate football managers in Egypt Hibernian F.C. managers K.R.C. Genk managers Lewis United F.C. players Living people Motherwell F.C. managers Motherwell F.C. players Nottingham Forest F.C. managers Footballers from Barrhead Premier League managers Rangers F.C. managers Scotland men's B international footballers Scotland men's international footballers Scotland national football team managers Scotland men's under-21 international footballers Scottish expatriate football managers Scottish expatriate sportspeople in Belgium Scottish expatriate sportspeople in Egypt Scottish Football Hall of Fame inductees Scottish Football League managers Scottish Football League players Scottish football managers Scottish men's footballers Scottish Premier League managers Footballers from Glasgow Zamalek SC managers Officers of the Order of the British Empire