Motherwell
Which team did Alex McLeish play for from 1994 to 1995?
Alex McLeish Alexander McLeish ( born 21 January 1959 ) is a Scottish professional football manager and former player . Born in Glasgow , McLeish played as a central defender for Aberdeen during their 1980s glory years , making nearly 500 League appearances for the club , and won 77 caps for Scotland . McLeish started his managerial career with spells at Motherwell 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 , who were in the Premier League 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 club Genk 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 . 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 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 in the reserves and also had a loan spell at local Junior side Lewis United . He made his competitive debut under Billy McNeill 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 , 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 Real Madrid in 1983 . 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 cap , McLeishs 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 , 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 clubs Gothenburg ( 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 Scotlands third 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 , manager Jock Stein playing him in midfield alongside Archie Gemmill and Graeme Souness . He played in three World Cups with Scotland , 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 Televisions fan poll Scotlands Greatest Team . On the occasion of his 50th cap , against Luxembourg 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 at Hampden Park during the 1994 World Cup qualifiers . Management career . Motherwell . After his successful playing career he quickly went into football management with Motherwell 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 Smiths 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 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 for Scotland . During this period McLeish worked towards and was awarded a UEFA Pro Licence . 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 in the close season of 2004–05 gave Rangers renewed hope of regaining the title from Celtics grasp . McLeishs 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 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 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 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 . McLeishs first game in charge of the national team was a UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying match , a 2–1 victory against Georgia on 24 March 2007 at Hampden Park . His second game was an away fixture against Italy on 28 March 2007 which ended in a 2–0 defeat . McLeishs Scotland side then went on to defeat the Faroe Islands away in June , Lithuania at home in September before recording a historic victory in Paris four days later by defeating France 1–0 in the Parc des Princes . James McFaddens 64th-minute strike from 30 yards was enough to earn Scotland the win and returned them to the top of Group B with three games to play . This result has been hailed as one of the Scotland national teams greatest victories . Scotlands next success was at home to Ukraine , 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 , McLeishs last , and Italy qualified for the finals . Birmingham City . Premier League club Birmingham Citys 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 Birminghams 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 , McLeish strengthened Birminghams 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 clubs 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 to West Ham United – to oversee player recruitment . On the final day of the 2008–09 season , McLeish secured Birminghams 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 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 Birminghams 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 , .. . [ his ] greatest 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 Villas training ground . McLeish made out of favour Manchester City goalkeeper Shay Given his first signing , and then recruited winger Charles NZogbia . McLeishs first competitive game as Villa manager ended in a 0–0 draw with Fulham 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 . McLeishs side secured a surprise win over Chelsea just before signing LA Galaxy 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 . McLeishs 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 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 Andrews , 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 . 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 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 . Outside of football . McLeish had a cameo appearance in the Laurel and Hardy 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 . Honours . Player . Aberdeen - Scottish Premier Division : 1979–80 , 1983–84 , 1984–85 - Scottish Cup : 1981–82 , 1982–83 , 1983–84 , 1985–86 , 1989–90 ; runner-up : 1992–93 - Scottish League Cup : 1985–86 , 1989–90 ; runner-up : 5 times - European Cup Winners Cup : 1982–83 - European Super Cup : 1983 Individual - Scotland national football team roll of honour : 1987 - SFWA Footballer of the Year : 1990 Manager . Motherwell - Scottish Premier League runner-up : 1994–95 Hibernian - Scottish First Division : 1998–99 - Scottish Cup runner-up : 2000–01 Rangers - Scottish Premier League : 2002–03 , 2004–05 ; runner-up : 2001–02 , 2003–04 - Scottish Cup : 2001–02 , 2002–03 - Scottish League Cup : 2001–02 , 2002–03 , 2004–05 Birmingham City - Football League Championship runner-up : 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 : December 2009