Ian Murray (footballer)

Ian Murray

Murray training in 2009
Personal information
Full name	Ian William Murray [1]
Date of birth	(1981-03-20) 20 March 1981 (age 43)
Place of birth	Edinburgh, Scotland
Position(s)	Utility player
Youth career
	Hutchison Vale [2] [3]
1998–1999	Dundee United
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1999–2005	Hibernian	141	(13)
2000–2001	→ Alloa Athletic (loan)	2	(0)
2005–2007	Rangers	43	(0)
2007–2008	Norwich City	9	(0)
2008–2012	Hibernian	112	(0)
2012	Brechin City (trialist)	1	(0)
Total		308	(13)
International career
2002–2006	Scotland	6	(0)
Managerial career
2012–2015	Dumbarton
2015	St Mirren
2018–2022	Airdrieonians
2022–2024	Raith Rovers
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Ian William Murray (born 20 March 1981) is a Scottish football player and coach, who was most recently the manager of Scottish Championship club Raith Rovers.

During his playing career, Murray represented Hibernian, Alloa Athletic (on loan), Rangers and Norwich City. He also played for Scotland in six full internationals between 2002 and 2006. His versatility meant that he was deployed in a variety of roles in his career, including centre back, full back and midfielder. Murray stated that he preferred to play at centre back or central midfield. ^[4]

Murray started his career with Hibs, and captained the club during the 2004–05 season. He signed for Rangers under freedom of contract in 2005, but he was troubled with injuries during his time at Ibrox club and was eventually diagnosed with a form of arthritis. ^[5] He was released by Rangers in August 2007 and signed for Norwich City, but fell out of favour there after a managerial change. He returned to Hibs in January 2008, and was made vice captain of the team in July 2009. ^[6]

Murray left Hibs in May 2012 and was appointed player/manager of Dumbarton later that year. After two and a half years in charge of Dumbarton, he was appointed manager of St Mirren on 22 May 2015. ^[7] He resigned from this position in December 2015. ^[8] After a spell coaching in Norway, Murray was appointed Airdrieonians manager in October 2018, where he would stay for four seasons. In May 2022, he was appointed manager of Raith Rovers. After 7th and 2nd place finishes in the Scottish Championship, he was sacked by Raith in August 2024.

Club career

Hibernian

Born in Edinburgh, Murray made his debut for Hibernian against Dundee Utd on 22 January 2000 and he scored his first goal for the club in his second appearance, a 4–1 win against Dunfermline. He missed most of the 2003–04 season due to a knee injury. ^[9] After returning from injury, he was made captain of Hibs in the 2004–05 season and formed a defensive partnership with Gary Caldwell. ^[10]

Rangers

Murray joined Rangers on a Bosman free transfer in the summer of 2005, but injuries troubled him during his time at the club. ^[5] It was eventually diagnosed that he was suffering from reactive arthritis. ^[5] His return to the team against Motherwell was manager Paul Le Guen's last match in charge.

Norwich City

Murray signed for Norwich City following his release by Rangers in August 2007. ^[4] He made his Norwich debut against Hull City two days later, but he had a difficult start to his Norwich career due to illness. He was substituted at half-time in a League Cup tie at Rochdale after a dreadful performance, with Norwich manager Peter Grant admitting afterwards that he should not have played Murray as the player was unwell. His health problems continued as he was ruled out of subsequent matches. ^[11]

Grant left the club in October 2007, and Murray failed to establish himself in the Norwich first team under new boss Glenn Roeder. ^[12] In an interview given after his departure, Murray said of Roeder, "It was the first time in my life I felt like chucking it during a game, a lot of the players felt that way. He's an angry man, not nice to play for." ^[13]

Return to Hibernian

After leaving Norwich, Murray moved back to his first club, Hibernian, on a contract until the end of the 2007–08 season; ^[14] he subsequently signed a deal to keep him at the club until 2010. ^[15] He was a candidate for the Hibs captaincy after Rob Jones left for Scunthorpe United in the summer of 2009. ^[16] New manager John Hughes decided to give the armband to Chris Hogg, with Murray serving as vice captain. ^[6]

Midway through the 2009–10 season, Hibs opened contract talks with Murray, whose contract was due to expire in the summer of 2010. ^[17] At the same time, he started coaching East of Scotland Football League club Coldstream on a part-time basis. ^[18] A two-year contract extension was agreed in February 2010. ^[19]

Murray spent the majority of his second spell at Hibs as a left back, although manager Colin Calderwood used him as a defensive midfielder to good effect as Hibs won 3–0 against Rangers in November 2010. ^[20] The Daily Record newspaper commented that Murray showed leadership qualities which had been previously lacking in a struggling Hibs side. ^[20] He was appointed captain, on a temporary basis until the end of the season, when Chris Hogg was released by the club. ^[21]

Murray was awarded a testimonial by Hibs in the 2011–12 season. ^[22] He played regularly in the early part of the season, but appeared infrequently after suffering an injured hip. ^{[23] [24]} He left Hibs in May 2012, at the end of his contract. ^{[24] [25]} Over his two spells at the club he made 296 appearances in all competitions, scoring 17 goals. ^[26]

After leaving Hibs, Murray had a trial spell with American club Tampa Bay Rowdies. ^[27] He then returned to Scotland and played as a trialist for Dunfermline in a pre-season friendly match. ^[27] He played for Brechin City in a Scottish Second Division match on 1 September 2012 as a trialist. ^[28]

International career

Murray captained the Scotland Under-21 side. His debut for the full national team came as a substitute against Canada in October 2002, in a 3–1 win. He did not win another cap until two years later, when he came on at half time in a 2006 FIFA World Cup qualification match against Moldova, which ended in a 1–1 draw. His only start for the national team was in a 1–0 home defeat against Belarus, during which Murray was substituted at half time. In total he has won six caps for Scotland. ^[29] He admitted in October 2009 that his international career was over, after he was overlooked for selection by George Burley for a friendly match against Japan. ^[29]

Coaching career

Dumbarton

At the age of 31, Murray moved into management when he was appointed Dumbarton manager in November 2012. ^{[30] [31]} His managerial debut was delayed due to bad weather postponing fixtures following his appointment. ^[32] He finally made his bow on 17 December in a 3–1 defeat to Hamilton in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup. Dumbarton's league results dramatically improved after Murray was appointed and he was voted First Division manager of the month for January 2013. ^[33] He eventually led the Sons to safety from relegation, which was secured with a 3–2 win at Cowdenbeath. ^[34] In his first full season in charge, Dumbarton finished just below the promotion play-off positions and reached the quarter-final of the 2013–14 Scottish Cup. He signed a new two-year contract with Dumbarton in May 2014. ^[35] He did not register himself as a player for the 2014/15 season. ^[36]

He left the club to join St Mirren on 22 May 2015, having won 41 of his 108 games in charge. ^[7]

St Mirren

Murray took over from Saints interim manager Gary Teale, and penned a two-year deal to manage the club. ^[37] Despite Murray being appointed a day before the end of the 2014–15 season, Teale remained in charge for the final game. ^[37] In November, St Mirren replaced Mark Alexander Spalding with Alex Miller as assistant manager, in an attempt to turn around a bad start to the season. ^[8] Murray resigned on 12 December, after a 1–0 defeat against his former club Dumbarton. ^[8]

Asker

On 21 December 2016 it was revealed that he was becoming assistant manager of Norwegian club Asker on 1 January 2017. ^[38]

Airdrieonians

Murray returned to Scottish football in October 2018, when he was appointed manager of League One club Airdrieonians. ^[39] He signed a new contract with Airdrie in September 2019. ^[40] Murray would get Airdrie to 2nd in League One, and in the Championship play-off final in 2020–21 and 2021–22, but would fall at the last hurdle both times against Greenock Morton and Queen's Park respectively. ^{[41] [42]}

Raith Rovers

On 24 May 2022, Scottish Championship side Raith Rovers announced that they had signed Murray on a two-year contract following the expiry of his contract with Airdrieonians. ^{[43] [44]}

However on the 4 August 2024, Murray was sacked just two months after almost winning promotion to the Premiership.

Career statistics

Club

As of 16 May 2013

^[45]

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition

Club	Season	League		National cup		League cup		Europe		Total
		App	Goals	App	Goals	App	Goals	App	Goals	App	Goals
Hibernian [26]	1999–00	9	0	2	1	0	0	0	0	11	1
	2000–01	21	1	4	0	0	0	0	0	25	1
	2001–02	32	2	3	0	3	0	2	0	40	2
	2002–03	36	8	3	1	1	1	0	0	40	10
	2003–04	14	1	0	0	2	1	0	0	16	2
	2004–05	29	1	3	0	2	0	0	0	34	1
	Total	141	13	15	2	8	2	2	0	166	17
Alloa (loan)	2000–01	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
Rangers [46]	2005–06	30	0	2	0	2	0	8	0	42	0
	2006–07	13	0	1	0	0	0	4	0	18	0
	Total	43	0	3	0	2	0	12	0	60	0
Norwich	2007–08	9	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	11	0
Hibernian	2007–08	15	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	17	0
	2008–09	28	0	1	0	1	0	2	0	32	0
	2009–10	34	0	4	0	2	0	0	0	40	0
	2010–11	20	0	2	0	0	0	2	0	24	0
	2011–12	15	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	17	0
	Total	112	0	9	0	5	0	4	0	130	0
Brechin City	2012–13	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
Career total		308	13	27	2	17	2	18	0	370	17

International

Appearances and goals by national team and year

National team	Year	Apps	Goals
Scotland [47] [48]	2002	1	0
	2003	—
	2004	2	0
	2005	1	0
	2006	2	0
Total		6	0

Managerial record

As of match played 3 August 2024

Team	From	To	Record
			G	W	D	L	Win %
Dumbarton	22 November 2012	22 May 2015	108	41	15	52	037.96
St Mirren	22 May 2015	12 December 2015	21	5	6	10	023.81
Airdrieonians	19 October 2018	24 May 2022	143	67	28	48	046.85
Raith Rovers	24 May 2022	4 August 2024	105	47	26	32	044.76
Total			376	160	75	141	042.55

References

1. "Ian Murray". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
2. "Smith reveals ethos behind Hutchie success". The Scotsman. 16 February 2009. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
3. "Ex Hutchison Vale Players Now Senior Clubs". Lothian Thistle Hutchison Vale F.C. 6 August 2018. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
4. "Murray joins Norwich City". Norwich City FC. 24 August 2007. Archived from the original on 21 March 2008. Retrieved 15 February 2010.
5. "Murray is everything I want for Hibs, says John Hughes". STV Sport. 26 January 2010.
6. "Hogg named new Hibernian captain". BBC Sport. 22 July 2009.
7. "New Manager: Ian Murray". St Mirren FC. 22 May 2015. Archived from the original on 22 May 2015.
8. "St Mirren: Ian Murray resigns after six months as manager". BBC Sport. 12 December 2015. Retrieved 12 December 2015.
9. "Murray surgery 'a success'". BBC Sport. 1 July 2004. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
10. "Rangers confirm Murray approach". BBC Sport. 14 January 2005. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
11. Murray absent due to illness Archived 10 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine
12. "Murray considers Canaries flight". BBC Sport. 20 December 2007. Retrieved 15 February 2010.
13. Gordon, Moira (3 February 2008). "No redemption". Scotland on Sunday . Retrieved 16 July 2010.
14. "Murray exits Norwich to join Hibs". BBC Sport. 18 January 2008. Retrieved 15 February 2010.
15. "Murray signs new deal with Hibs". BBC Sport. 27 March 2008. Retrieved 15 February 2010.
16. "Murray, Hogg and Rankin in contention for Hibs captaincy". Edinburgh Evening News . 18 July 2009.
17. "Hibs begin Murray contract talks". BBC Sport. 4 January 2010.
18. "Coldstream sign Hibs star". Border Telegraph . 11 January 2010. Archived from the original on 8 July 2011.
19. "Ian Murray Signs Two-Year Extension". hibernianfc.co.uk. Hibernian FC. 15 February 2010. Retrieved 15 February 2010.
20. McDermott, Scott (11 November 2010). "Colin Calderwood's new laid back approach helps inspire troops to shock Ibrox win". Daily Record . Glasgow. Retrieved 12 November 2010.
21. "Murray on Captaincy and Role". hibernianfc.co.uk. Hibernian FC. 7 March 2011. Retrieved 7 March 2011.
22. "Murray: A Fantastic Achievement". hibernianfc.co.uk. Hibernian FC. 3 June 2011. Retrieved 1 June 2011.
23. Hardie, David (8 March 2012). "Hibs get injury blow for Ian Murray". Edinburgh Evening News. Johnston Press. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
24. "Hibs captain Ian Murray eyes final flourish". BBC Sport. 12 May 2012. Retrieved 13 May 2012.
25. "Ian Murray leaves Hibs while Garry O'Connor is set to depart for overseas". STV Sport. 22 May 2012. Archived from the original on 24 May 2012. Retrieved 22 May 2012.
26. "Hibernian player Ian Murray". FitbaStats. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
27. "Pre-season friendly: Dunfermline 1 East Fife 3". Daily Record. 20 July 2012. Retrieved 20 July 2012.
28. "Brechin City 1–3 Alloa Athletic: The Wasps are enjoying life on the road". STV Sport. 1 September 2012. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
29. "Murray admits international career has come to an end". The Herald . Glasgow: Herald & Times Group. 9 October 2009.
30. Findlay, Alan (22 November 2012). "Murray is new Sons boss". Dumbarton FC. Archived from the original on 28 November 2012. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
31. "Ian Murray is named as new Dumbarton player-manager". BBC Sport. 22 November 2012. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
32. Stewart, Craig (17 December 2012). "Scottish Cup: Cup tie to give Sons manager Ian Murray a taste of action at last". sport.scotsman.com. Johnston Publishing. Retrieved 19 December 2012.
33. Crawford, Kenny (15 February 2013). "Ian Murray building solid foundations at Dumbarton Rock". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 February 2013.
34. MacGregor, Archie (28 April 2013). "Cowdenbeath 2 – 3 Dumbarton: Dumbarton stay in SFL1". Scotland on Sunday. Johnston Publishing. Retrieved 30 April 2013.
35. "Dumbarton manager Ian Murray signs new two-year deal". BBC Sport. 13 May 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
36. "Dumbarton Football Club – 1st Team Squad 2014/15". Archived from the original on 14 August 2014. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
37. "St Mirren: Ian Murray leaves Dumbarton to be Buddies boss". BBC Sport. 22 May 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
38. "Ex-Hibee Ian Murray excited to take his next steps in Norway". 29 December 2016.
39. "Ian Murray is new manager at Airdrieonians". BBC Sport. 19 October 2018. Retrieved 19 October 2018.
40. "Airdrieonians: Manager Ian Murray signs new deal". BBC Sport. 19 September 2019. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
41. "MacPherson hails Morton 'miracle'". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
42. "Queen's Park beat Airdrie to reach Championship". BBC Sport. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
43. "Ian Murray appointed as New First-Team Manager | Raith Rovers FC". raithrovers.net. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
44. "Raith Rovers: Ian Murray leaves Airdrie to become manager at Stark's Park". BBC Sport. 24 May 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
45. Ian Murray at Soccerbase
46. "Rangers player Ian Murray". FitbaStats. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
47. Ian Murray at the Scottish Football Association
48. Ian Murray at National-Football-Teams.com

External links

• Ian Murray at Soccerbase

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