Brian Irvine (footballer)
Scottish footballer and manager
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Brian Irvine (born 24 May 1965 in Bellshill, Scotland) is a former international footballer who played as a central defender for Falkirk, Aberdeen, Dundee, Ross County and managed Elgin City. He was capped nine times by Scotland.[2][3]
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 24 May 1965 | ||
| Place of birth | Bellshill, Scotland | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)[1] | ||
| Position | Central defender | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1983–1985 | Falkirk | 38 | (0) |
| 1985–1997 | Aberdeen | 311 | (30) |
| 1997–1999 | Dundee | 69 | (4) |
| 1999–2003 | Ross County | 119 | (13) |
| Total | 537 | (47) | |
| International career | |||
| 1990–1994 | Scotland | 9 | (0) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2006 | Elgin City | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Career
After working in a bank on leaving school,[3] Irvine began his professional career with Falkirk in 1983, aged 18.[4] During his spell with the Bairns, he became an evangelical Christian.[4][2][3]
After two years and nearly forty league appearances at Brockville, Irvine moved to Aberdeen, the team he had supported as a child,[3] for a fee of £110,000.[3] During twelve years with the Dons, Irvine made over 350 appearances in all competitions, gradually becoming a regular in the defence alongside Alex McLeish as veteran captain Willie Miller's career came to an end.[2] [1]
Aberdeen won the Scottish Cup in 1990, with Irvine scoring the winning penalty in a 9–8 shootout win against Celtic in the final,[4][2][3][5] having also scored in the quarter-final and semi-final.[6][2] He had already come on as a substitute in the League Cup final victory in the same season,[2] and played a part in two other finals[7] and five runners-up finishes in the Scottish Premier Division[8] (losing out to Rangers on every occasion), as well as helping the club avoid what would have been a first-ever relegation via a play-off in 1995.[9] He took over in goals in emergencies (if the goalkeeper was injured or sent off) on several occasions, saving a penalty in a match against Hibernian in 1991.[1][10]
In June 1995 he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis,[2][3] returning to action four months after the diagnosis.[4] Irvine left Pittodrie in 1997 (following a testimonial match against Wimbledon)[11] and moved to Dundee, featuring nearly 70 times in two years. In 1999, Irvine moved to Ross County, where he finished his playing career in 2003.[3]
Coaching career / later work
After retiring, Irvine stayed with County as a coach, taking his first managerial job in January 2006 with Elgin City.[12] In December that year, with the club bottom of the table, Irvine left the club.[13][2] In March 2009, Irvine was named assistant manager to Martin Rennie of USL First Division side Carolina RailHawks FC. He was previously Rennie's assistant at USL-2 side Cleveland City Stars.[2]
He has been involved in charity work,[2][3] and in 2016 became a police officer.[6]
Career statistics
Club
| Club | Season | League | Scottish Cup | League Cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Falkirk | 1983–84 | Scottish First Division | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 3 | 0 |
| 1984–85 | 35 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 38 | 0 | ||
| Total | 38 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 41 | 0 | ||
| Aberdeen | 1985–86 | Scottish Premier Division | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 1 | 0 |
| 1986–87 | 20 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 23 | 3 | ||
| 1987–88 | 17 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 23 | 3 | ||
| 1988–89 | 27 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 36 | 2 | ||
| 1989–90 | 31 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 40 | 3 | ||
| 1990–91 | 30 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 0 | - | - | 39 | 3 | ||
| 1991–92 | 41 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | - | 46 | 4 | ||
| 1992–93 | 39 | 5 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 48 | 8 | ||
| 1993–94 | 42 | 7 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | - | - | 54 | 8 | ||
| 1994–95 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | - | 24 | 1 | ||
| 1995–96 | 18 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 21 | 3 | ||
| 1996–97 | 26 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | - | - | 32 | 2 | ||
| Total | 311 | 30 | 29 | 4 | 26 | 4 | 21 | 2 | - | - | 387 | 40 | ||
| Dundee | 1997–98 | Scottish First Division | 36 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 44 | 2 |
| 1998–99 | SPL | 33 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 34 | 3 | |
| Total | 69 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 78 | 5 | ||
| Ross County | 1999–2000 | Scottish Second Division | 32 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 39 | 10 |
| 2000–01 | Scottish First Division | 26 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 32 | 2 | |
| 2001–02 | 30 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 3 | ||
| 2002–03 | 31 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 36 | 3 | ||
| Total | 119 | 13 | 6 | 1 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 143 | 18 | ||
| Career total | 537 | 47 | 42 | 5 | 41 | 7 | 21 | 2 | 8 | 2 | 651 | 63 | ||
International
Managerial record
| Team | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | L | D | Win % | |||
| Elgin City | August 2006 | December 2006 | 38 | 14 | 2 | 22 | 36.84% |
Honours
Aberdeen[1]
- Scottish Premier Division: Runners-up 1988–89, 1989–90, 1990–91, 1992–93, 1993–94
- Scottish Cup: 1989–90
- Runners-up 1992–93
- Scottish League Cup: 1989–90
- Runners-up 1988–89
