.jpg) | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Mark Edward McGhee[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1957-05-25)25 May 1957 (age 67) | ||
| Place of birth | Glasgow, Scotland | ||
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)[2] | ||
| Position(s) | Striker | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1975–1977 | Greenock Morton | 64 | (37) |
| 1977–1979 | Newcastle United | 28 | (5) |
| 1979–1984 | Aberdeen | 164 | (61) |
| 1984–1985 | Hamburger SV | 30 | (7) |
| 1985–1989 | Celtic | 87 | (27) |
| 1989–1991 | Newcastle United | 67 | (24) |
| 1991 | IK Brage | 3 | (2) |
| 1991–1993 | Reading | 45 | (7) |
| Total | 488 | (170) | |
| International career | |||
| 1983–1984 | Scotland | 4 | (2) |
| Managerial career | |||
| 1991–1994 | Reading | ||
| 1994–1995 | Leicester City | ||
| 1995–1998 | Wolverhampton Wanderers | ||
| 2000–2003 | Millwall | ||
| 2003–2006 | Brighton & Hove Albion | ||
| 2007–2009 | Motherwell | ||
| 2009–2010 | Aberdeen | ||
| 2012 | Bristol Rovers | ||
| 2013–2017 | Scotland (assistant) | ||
| 2015–2017 | Motherwell | ||
| 2017–2018 | Barnet | ||
| 2019 | Eastbourne Borough (caretaker) | ||
| 2021 | Stockport County (assistant) | ||
| 2022 | Dundee | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Mark Edward McGhee (born 25 May 1957) is a Scottish former professionalfootball player and coach. A formerforward, McGhee started his career atGreenock Morton in 1975 and had spells at clubs includingNewcastle United,Aberdeen,Hamburg,Celtic,IK Brage andReading. McGhee was part of the Aberdeen side which won the 1983European Cup Winners' Cup and1983 UEFA Super Cup, as well as threeScottish league titles. McGhee has since managed several clubs in both England and Scotland, including Reading,Millwall,Aberdeen andBrighton & Hove Albion.
Although born in Glasgow, McGhee was raised inCumbernauld.[3] He began his professional career in 1975 atMorton, where he developed into a very promising centre forward. In December 1977 he moved to England, signing forNewcastle United. Despite an encouraging start atSt James' Park, managerial changes at the club saw McGhee fall down the pecking order. McGhee returned north in March 1979 asAlex Ferguson's first major signing forAberdeen.[4] McGhee won theSFL Reserve Cup with theDons in 1979.[5] He made his debut forThe Dons on 1 April 1979 against former club Morton. This would be the start of the most successful part of McGhee's playing career. He won his first major honour the following season when Aberdeen won theScottish Premier Division, the first time in 15 years that a club outwith theOld Firm had finished Scottish Champions. At Aberdeen McGhee went on to win a further league title in 1984 as well as a hat-trick of successiveScottish Cup wins from 1982 to 1984. He was also part of the Aberdeen side that defeatedReal Madrid 2-1 (aet.) in the final of theEuropean Cup Winners' Cup in 1983, with his cross from the left setting upJohn Hewitt to score the winning goal. McGhee also won theEuropean Super Cup the following season, with him scoring againstHamburg in the second leg atPittodrie. During his time at Aberdeen, he also won theScottish PFA Players' Player of the Year in 1982.[4]
McGhee moved to Germany in the summer of 1984, with Hamburg paying Aberdeen a transfer fee of £330,000.[6] His time there was not a success, primarily due to injuries, and McGhee moved back to Scotland 16 months later after scoring only 12 goals to joinCeltic in a £170,000 deal.[6][7] McGhee won a further Scottish Premier Division title in 1986 as Celtic pippedHearts ongoal difference.[4] The following year saw McGhee struggle at Parkhead through injury and the inability to displaceMo Johnston andBrian McClair from the starting line-up.[8] However, the departure of several Celtic players in the summer of 1987 gave McGhee a new lease of life at Celtic Park[8] and he won a League and Scottish Cup double in the club's Centenary Season.[4] He won a further Scottish Cup in 1989[9] and was Celtic's top scorer that season, also finishingjoint top scorer in the Scottish Premier Division alongside Aberdeen'sCharlie Nicholas.[10]
McGhee joined Newcastle United for a second time in 1989. He quickly forged a successful partnership up front withMicky Quinn, and their goals saw Newcastle come close to gaining promotion to the First Division (the top-tier in England at that time), finishing third in the Second Division.[11] McGhee and Quinn were less prolific the following season, and the arrival ofOssie Ardiles as manager in March 1991 saw McGhee dropped from the team.[7]
A brief spell in Sweden atIK Brage followed before McGhee joinedReading as player-manager in May 1991.[7] He finally retired from playing in 1993 due to injury.
During his playing career, McGhee also won four caps and scored two goals for theScotland national football team.[12]
McGhee's management career began as player-manager at third tierReading in 1991, succeedingIan Porterfield, after being recommended for the post by his ex-managerAlex Ferguson. He officially retired as a player in 1993 and won theDivision Two title with the Royals the following season and quickly adapted to the second flight during the next campaign, taking the team as high as second place by December 1994.
This spotlighted him as an up-and-coming young manager and he was offered the chance to move toPremier LeagueLeicester City. His move in December 1994 came despite having agreed to a long-term contract to remain at Reading. However, he joined with the Foxes adrift in the relegation zone and was unable to keep them up, finishing second bottom.
He remained atFilbert Street post-relegation and set about launching a promotion campaign but did not see the season out after being approached byWolverhampton Wanderers. He left to take control at Wolves in December 1995, less than 12 months after arriving at Leicester.
McGhee moved toWolves on 13 December 1995, taking his assistantColin Lee along with him, following the sacking ofGraham Taylor. The club's hopes of promotion lay in tatters at the time after just five wins from their previous 21 games, and his first game saw another loss, as they went down 1-0 toPort Vale atMolineux.
He quickly added midfieldersSimon Osborn andSteve Corica and tried to implement a more passing game than the direct tactics of his predecessor. The team enjoyed a strong start to 1996, and had lifted themselves to the verge of the play-offs by March. However, their early season form returned in the final months and they failed to win any of their final eight fixtures, ending in 20th, just three points clear of relegation, marking their lowest finish since returning to the division in 1989.
McGhee was given further funds to invest in the summer and brought inIwan Roberts to boost the attack. The1996–97 season duly saw them launch a promotion campaign, with ambitions of an automatic spot. However, a poor string of results in the final ten games, allowed surprise packageBarnsley to snatch second place behind runaway championsBolton Wanderers, condemning Wolves to the play-offs. McGhee saw his team concede two late goals in a 3–1 defeat atCrystal Palace in their semi final tie, which ultimately cost them the chance of reaching thePremier League, despite a 2–1 victory in the return leg.
His failure to reach the top flight prompted a tirade from Wolves ownerSir Jack Hayward, who stated that he would no longer be "the golden tit", supplying the club with endless finance. He cut McGhee's spending power and also dismissed his own son Jonathan as chairman, who had been instrumental in bringing McGhee to the club, thus undermining his job security.[citation needed]
The1997–98 season saw the club largely outside the play-off places, ending in ninth. McGhee's high point of the campaign was theirFA Cup run which saw them make the semi-finals for the first time since 1981, and marked his best Cup run as a manager. However, hisWembley dream was dashed byArsenal (double winners that season) as they edged past the Midlanders 1–0 atVilla Park.
The following season started well for McGhee as he won his opening four games, but the following twelve brought just two victories. This prompted Wolves to fire him on 5 November 1998. His assistantColin Lee took over the reins on a temporary basis, later made permanent.
He managed a total of 156 competitive games for Wolves; 64 of them were won, 38 drawn and 54 lost.[13]
On 6 July 2000, McGhee joinedCoventry City, who were at the time managed byGordon Strachan, as a scout.[14] After only two months he was appointed manager atMillwall who were playing in the third tier in September 2000, replacing the duo ofKeith Stevens andAlan McLeary. McGhee swiftly won theDivision Two title in his first season and led the club to the Division One play-offs in the following campaign. Here, he suffered more play-off agony as the club lost to a last minuteBirmingham City goal to deny them a place in the final.
The2002–03 season saw McGhee take the club to ninth, falling eight points short of another play-off finish. The next season saw things take a downward turn as his relationship with chairmanTheo Paphitis strained and players began to be sold. McGhee leftThe New Den on 15 October 2003, following a 0–1 home defeat toPreston North End.[15]
McGhee was appointed manager of Brighton on 28 October 2003, just 13 days after leaving Millwall. He inherited the team left bySteve Coppell, who had moved to Reading. Brighton had been relegated to League One the previous season, but McGhee managed to regain promotion to theChampionship in his first season as they won the play-offs, after beatingBristol City 1–0 in the final. He managed to keep the club in the Championship the following season in2004–05, finishing 20th, their highest league position in 14 years.
However, he led the club to relegation the following season, when they were finally mathematically condemned at home bySheffield Wednesday. McGhee was sacked as Brighton manager on 8 September 2006 after nearly three years with the club, following three consecutive defeats in the 2006–07 season.[16]
In February 2007 was reported to have applied for the manager's position atSwansea City.[17] However, on 18 June 2007, he was appointed new manager ofMotherwell and to be assisted byScott Leitch.[18]
McGhee transformed Motherwell from a team that just avoided relegation in the2006–07 Scottish Premier League to finishing third in the2007–08 Scottish Premier League, which meant that Motherwell qualified for the2008–09 UEFA Cup. This was the first time in 13 years that Motherwell had qualified forEuropean competition. Pundits believed this was due to the fluent, attacking style of football that McGhee had introduced.[19]Gordon Strachan, a longtime friend and former teammate of McGhee, recommended him for the then-vacantScotland job in November 2007. However, despite making the shortlist of candidates, he eventually missed out on the post toGeorge Burley. His sensitive handling of the death of club captainPhil O'Donnell, who collapsed on the pitch during a game withDundee United and never regained consciousness, enhanced his profile within the club and the wider community.
On 23 May 2008,Hearts made an official approach to Motherwell asking them permission to speak to McGhee about making him their new manager, which Motherwell refused.[20] It was reported that McGhee wanted a meeting withVladimir Romanov to seek reassurances about team selection and squad control at Hearts before moving. McGhee was expected to move,[21] but McGhee changed his mind before flying toLithuania to meet with Romanov.[22]
On 12 June 2009, McGhee was confirmed as the new manager ofAberdeen.[23] His first competitive match in charge resulted in a 5–1 home defeat byCzech teamSigma Olomouc in theUEFA Europa League.[24] Aberdeen lost the return leg 3–0, resulting in an 8–1 aggregate defeat,[25] which is Aberdeen's heaviest defeat inUEFA competition.[26] After another poor result againstFirst Division sideRaith Rovers in February, McGhee said he was spat at by Aberdeen supporters.[27]
On 6 November 2010, Aberdeen fell to a humiliating9–0 defeat at the hands ofCeltic, which set a new club record defeat.[26][28] McGhee had previously stated to the press "Go and look me up on Wikipedia. I've got a track record".[29] It was announced days later that McGhee had been given a vote of confidence to continue as manager. After further poor results, however, McGhee was sacked on 1 December.[30] The club were second bottom of the SPL and only avoided last place on goal difference.[31] His tenure ended with McGhee being statistically the second least successful Aberdeen manager, only ahead ofAlex Miller, with just 17 wins from 62 matches (27.42%).[26]
On 18 January 2012, McGhee was appointed manager of Bristol Rovers on a two-and-a-half-year contract. His first competitive match in charge was an away game at Cheltenham Town, where a 2–0 victory was secured for Bristol Rovers.[32] He presided over an upturn in form for Bristol Rovers which saw them go from relegation contenders to finishing in mid-table, including beatingBurton Albion andAccrington Stanley 7–1[33] and 5–1[34] respectively in the final two home games of the season.
The following season, Rovers were expected to be amongst the contenders for promotion, but they struggled for form and were instead again in a relegation battle. On 15 December 2012, following a 4–1 loss toYork City McGhee was sacked as manager with Bristol Rovers second from bottom ofLeague Two.[35]
McGhee joined the coaching staff of theScotland national side on 18 January 2013, as assistant to his close friendGordon Strachan.[36] Upon his appointment, McGhee said his new job could revive his career following two managerial failures and expressed his delight of his new job.[37] McGhee said that he hoped to continue in the role on a part-time basis after being appointed Motherwell manager in October 2015.[38]
McGhee was appointed manager ofMotherwell for a second time on 13 October 2015.[39] He took the club from second bottom in the league to fourth place in early April. McGhee won the SPFL manager of the month award for March 2016.[40] Heavy defeats by Aberdeen (7–2) andDundee (5–1) in February 2017 led to fan protests against McGhee.[41] This poor run of form and dissatisfaction with the team's performance resulted in McGhee leaving the club on 28 February 2017, with Motherwell three points above the automatic relegation spot.[42][43]
On 13 November 2017, McGhee was appointed manager ofLeague Two club Barnet.[44] Two months later,Graham Westley took over as Head Coach with McGhee moving to a "head of technical" role at the club.[45] On 19 March, McGhee was dismissed from this role.[46]
On 19 February 2019, McGhee agreed to take over atEastbourne Borough until the end of the 2018/19 season in an interim position after the club had recently sacked their former managerJamie Howell.[47] McGhee left the club at the end of the season after the appointment ofLee Bradbury.[48]
On 27 January 2021, McGhee joined National League sideStockport County as joint-assistant manager with Dave Conlon, assistingSimon Rusk who replaced long serving managerJim Gannon.[49] McGhee departed the club with the sacking of Simon Rusk on 27 October 2021. The club sat tenth in the table.[50]
Despite a six game SPFL touchline ban hanging over him, McGhee was appointedDundee manager in February 2022.[51] McGhee was winless in his first 12 games as manager, and finally ended that streak with a league win overHibernian in May 2022.[52] Despite this, Dundee were relegated to theScottish Championship the following day.[53] On 14 May 2022, Dundee confirmed they would not renew McGhee's contract at the end of the season.[54] McGhee finished his stint with Dundee with just one win in 14 games, leaving him with a 7.14% win percentage, the lowest of any permanent manager in the club's history.[citation needed]
| Club | Season | League | National Cup | League Cup | Europe | Other | Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Greenock Morton | 1975–76 | Scottish First Division | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 8 | 2 |
| 1976–77 | Scottish First Division | 39 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 6 | - | - | - | - | 46 | 26 | |
| 1977–78 | Scottish First Division | 20 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | - | - | - | - | 24 | 17 | |
| Total | 64 | 37 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 7 | - | - | - | - | 78 | 45 | ||
| Newcastle United | 1977–78 | First Division | 18 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 20 | 3 |
| 1978–79 | Second Division | 10 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 12 | 2 | |
| Total | 28 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 32 | 5 | ||
| Aberdeen | 1978–79 | Scottish Premier Division | 11 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 11 | 4 |
| 1979–80 | Scottish Premier Division | 21 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 4 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 29 | 11 | |
| 1980–81 | Scottish Premier Division | 36 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 1 | - | - | 47 | 18 | |
| 1981–82 | Scottish Premier Division | 31 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 4 | 6 | 1 | - | - | 52 | 16 | |
| 1982–83 | Scottish Premier Division | 32 | 16 | 5 | 1 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 6 | - | - | 55 | 27 | |
| 1983–84 | Scottish Premier Division | 33 | 13 | 6 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 10 | 6 | - | - | 55 | 24 | |
| Total | 164 | 61 | 20 | 7 | 34 | 18 | 31 | 14 | - | - | 249 | 100 | ||
| Hamburger SV | 1984–85 | Bundesliga | 26 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | - | - | 33 | 9 |
| 1985–86 | Bundesliga | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 5 | 1 | |
| Total | 30 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | - | - | 38 | 10 | ||
| Celtic | 1985–86 | Scottish Premier Division | 18 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 21 | 5 |
| 1986–87 | Scottish Premier Division | 16 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | - | - | 23 | 2 | |
| 1987–88 | Scottish Premier Division | 24 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 32 | 8 | |
| 1988–89 | Scottish Premier Division | 29 | 16 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | - | - | 37 | 19 | |
| Total | 87 | 27 | 15 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 7 | 2 | - | - | 113 | 34 | ||
| Newcastle United | 1989–90 | Second Division | 46 | 19 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 1 | - | - | 2 | 0 | 55 | 25 |
| 1990–91 | Second Division | 21 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 25 | 6 | |
| Total | 67 | 24 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 1 | - | - | 2 | 0 | 80 | 31 | ||
| IK Brage | 1991–92 | Division 1 Norra | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 3 | 2 |
| Reading | 1991–92 | Third Division | 32 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 35 | 5 |
| 1992–93 | Second Division | 13 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 13 | 2 | |
| Total | 45 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | - | - | - | - | 48 | 7 | ||
| Career total | 488 | 170 | 48 | 18 | 58 | 27 | 45 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 641 | 234 | ||
| National team | Year | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scotland | 1983 | 3 | 1 |
| 1984 | 1 | 1 | |
| Total | 4 | 2 | |
Scores and results list Scotland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each McGhee goal
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 June 1983 | Empire Stadium,Vancouver | Canada | 2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
| 2 | 26 May 1984 | Hampden Park,Glasgow | England | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1983–84 British Home Championship |
| Team | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | |||
| Reading | 10 May 1991 | 14 December 1994 | 183 | 79 | 51 | 53 | 043.2 |
| Leicester City | 14 December 1994 | 7 December 1995 | 51 | 16 | 14 | 21 | 031.4 |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | 13 December 1995 | 5 November 1998 | 159 | 65 | 39 | 55 | 040.9 |
| Millwall | 25 September 2000 | 15 October 2003 | 163 | 75 | 39 | 49 | 046.0 |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | 28 October 2003 | 8 September 2006 | 139 | 40 | 38 | 61 | 028.8 |
| Motherwell | 18 June 2007 | 12 June 2009 | 88 | 35 | 17 | 36 | 039.8 |
| Aberdeen | 12 June 2009 | 1 December 2010 | 62 | 17 | 13 | 32 | 027.4 |
| Bristol Rovers | 18 January 2012 | 15 December 2012 | 45 | 12 | 12 | 21 | 026.7 |
| Motherwell | 13 October 2015 | 28 February 2017 | 62 | 22 | 10 | 30 | 035.5 |
| Barnet | 13 November 2017 | 15 January 2018 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 027.3 |
| Eastbourne Borough (Caretaker) | 19 February 2019 | 7 May 2019 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 009.1 |
| Dundee | 17 February 2022 | 31 May 2022 | 14 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 007.14 |
| Total | 987 | 366 | 242 | 379 | 037.1 | ||
Greenock Morton
Aberdeen
Celtic
Reading
Millwall
Brighton & Hove Albion