Maurice Malpas

Summary

Maurice Daniel Robert Malpas (born 3 August 1962) is a Scottish former football player and coach. He signed for Dundee United in 1979 and spent his entire professional playing career with the club until his retirement in 2000. With him, United were Scottish champions in 1983 and Scottish Cup winners in 1994. European runs there included reaching the 1983–84 European Cup semi final and the 1987 UEFA Cup final.

Maurice Malpas
Personal information
Full name Maurice Daniel Robert Malpas[1]
Date of birth (1962-08-03) 3 August 1962 (age 61)
Place of birth Dunfermline, Scotland
Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)[1]
Position(s) Defender
Youth career
Leven Royals
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1979–2000 Dundee United 617 (20)
International career
1982–1984[2] Scotland U21 8 (0)
1984–1992 Scotland 55 (0)
1990[3] SFA (SFL centenary) 1 (0)
Managerial career
2005–2006 Scotland U21 (caretaker)
2006–2007 Motherwell
2007–2008 Scotland U21 (caretaker)
2008 Swindon Town
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Malpas made his debut for the Scotland national team in 1984. He went on to gain 55 caps, making him a member of the Scotland national football team roll of honour. He played for Scotland at two World Cups and one UEFA European Championship final tournaments.

Malpas began a coaching career in 1991 whilst still a Dundee United player, continuing as a coach after his retirement until leaving the club in 2003. He joined Motherwell as assistant manager to Terry Butcher before becoming manager from 2006 until 2007. He coached the Scotland under-21 team on a temporary basis before another brief spell in club management with Swindon Town during 2008. More recently he has been assistant manager to Butcher at both Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Hibernian.

Early life edit

Malpas was born on 3 August 1962[4] in Dunfermline, Fife, and attended Queen Anne High School.[5]

Playing career edit

Dundee United edit

He trained with Dunfermline Athletic before joining Leven Royals under-14s team.[5]

He signed for Dundee United in August 1979. His total of 830 competitive first team appearances is the second highest in the club's history. Malpas initially combined his football career with studying for an electrical engineering degree at Dundee College of Technology (now Abertay University),[6] and didn't become a full-time professional until 1984.[7] Despite this, he made his debut in for Dundee United in 1981 and won the Scottish Football League Premier Division title in 1983. In the subsequent 1983–84 European Cup, United reached the semi-final.[8]

United made it to the final of the 1986–87 UEFA Cup; en-route they defeated Terry Venables' FC Barcelona side home and away in the quarter-final, and inflicted a first home defeat on Borussia Mönchengladbach in 55 European games going back to 1970 in the semi-final. They lost 2–1 on aggregate to IFK Gothenburg in the final, the second leg of which was their 70th match of the season.[9][10]

United and Malpas played in five Scottish Cup finals in nine years: in 1985 they took the lead but lost 2–1 to Celtic. In 1987 (played in between the two legs of the UEFA Cup final) they lost 1–0 St Mirren.[11] In 1988 against Celtic, the pattern of 1985 was almost repeated but this time it was an even later goal which defeated United.[12] In 1991, they suffered a 4–3 extra time defeat to Motherwell.[13] Captain Malpas lifted the trophy when Craig Brewster scored the only goal in the 1994 Scottish Cup Final win against Rangers.

Malpas won the SFWA Footballer of the Year award in 1991. His long service was rewarded with two testimonial matches, in 1991 and 2000. He was inducted into the Dundee United Hall of Fame as one of its inaugural members in 2008.

Scotland edit

Winning first of his caps in 1984, as of 2020 Malpas is the most recent part-time professional to have played for Scotland. He won 55 caps in total. In his 50th international appearance (away to Norway in June 1992) he was made captain to mark the occasion.[14] He appeared for Scotland at the 1986 and 1990 World Cups and at Euro 1992.

Coaching and managerial career edit

After retiring as a player, Malpas assumed full-time coaching duties at Tannadice, having been acting as player/coach since 1991. He was part of the temporary management team following the dismissal of Alex Smith in October 2002, but left the club in January 2003.

He initially joined Motherwell as assistant manager to former coaching colleague Terry Butcher. Malpas became Motherwell manager in May 2006, following Butcher's departure to coach Sydney FC.[15] He left the club in June 2007 after one season in charge, having taken the team from a comfortable mid-table position to one that narrowly avoided relegation.[16] Malpas became caretaker manager of the Scotland under-21 team in August 2007, but missed out on the permanent position to Billy Stark.

In January 2008, Malpas became manager of Swindon Town after the takeover of the club by local businessman Andrew Fitton,[17] replacing former Dundee United teammate Paul Sturrock. Malpas was sacked by chairman Andrew Fitton on 14 November 2008 after a poor run of results and shock exits in the FA Cup to Histon and in the Football League Trophy within a week. He joined Terry Butcher again as assistant, this time at SPL club Inverness Caledonian Thistle. In 2013, Malpas moved with Butcher to Hibernian, rejecting the chance to manage Inverness.[18] Butcher and Malpas both left Hibernian in June 2014, after the club had been relegated from the Scottish Premiership.[19]

Malpas became director of football at Raith Rovers on 26 December 2014.[19][20] He left Raith Rovers on 22 May 2015[21] and was inducted to the Scottish Football Hall of Fame in October 2015.[22]

Malpas returned to Inverness Caledonian Thistle in April 2017, working for manager Richie Foran.[23]

Managerial statistics edit

As of 14 November 2008
Managerial record by team and tenure
Team From To Record Ref
P W D L Win %
Motherwell 17 May 2006 1 June 2007 44 14 8 22 031.8 [15][24]
Swindon Town 15 January 2008 14 November 2008 42 13 11 18 031.0 [24]
Total 86 27 19 40 031.4

Honours edit

Club edit

Dundee United
Scotland

Individual edit

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Maurice Malpas – Player profile". DUFC Archive. Archived from the original on 4 April 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  2. ^ Scotland U21 player Malpas, Maurice, FitbaStats
  3. ^ On this day, back in 1990, a Scottish League XI beat Scotland 1-0 at Hampden Park in the SFL Centenary match with the goal coming from then Aberdeen Football Club star Hans Gillhaus, Scottish Professional Football League via Facebook, 18 August 2016
  4. ^ "Maurice Malpas | Scotland | Scottish FA". www.scottishfa.co.uk. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  5. ^ a b Strachan, Graeme (19 November 2021). "Maurice Malpas: How Dundee United great started career by earning £10 steak voucher". The Courier. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  6. ^ "Abertay University | the Independent". Independent.co.uk. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
  7. ^ Harry Reid (2005), The Final Whistle?, Birlinn, 238 ISBN 1-84158-362-6
  8. ^ Dundee United class of '84 still feel Europe pain, The Scotsman, 6 April 2014
  9. ^ "Remembering Dundee United in 1986–87: 70 matches, two finals, no silverware" The Guardian, 5 June 2017
  10. ^ The forgotten story of ... Dundee United's glory years under Jim McLean, The Guardian, 19 April 2017
  11. ^ St.Mirren v Dundee Utd. 1986–87 Scottish Cup Final
  12. ^ CELTIC FC V DUNDEE UNITED FC – 2–1 – SCOTTISH CUP FINAL 1988
  13. ^ 1991 Cup Final: Dundee United 3–4 Motherwell ( Scottish Cup )
  14. ^ Bill Bateson and Albert Sewell (1992). News of the World Football Annual 1992/93. Harper Collins. p. 145. ISBN 0-85543-188-1.
  15. ^ a b "Malpas is the new Motherwell boss". BBC Sport. 17 May 2006. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
  16. ^ "Malpas leaves post at Motherwell". BBC Sport. 1 June 2007. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
  17. ^ "Malpas set to become Swindon boss". BBC Sport. 7 January 2008. Retrieved 7 January 2008.
  18. ^ Bathgate, Stuart (12 November 2013). "Terry Butcher to be unveiled as new Hibs manager". The Scotsman. Edinburgh. Retrieved 12 November 2013.
  19. ^ a b "Raith Rovers: Maurice Malpas is director of football". BBC Sport. 26 December 2014. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
  20. ^ "Director of Football Appointed". Raith Rovers F.C. 26 December 2014. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
  21. ^ "19539". Raith Rovers F.C. 22 May 2015. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  22. ^ a b Mullen, Scott (18 October 2015). "Ally MacLeod one of five inducted into Scottish Football Hall of Fame". Evening Times. Glasgow. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
  23. ^ "Inverness Caledonian Thistle: Maurice Malpas rejoins coaching staff". BBC Sport. 19 April 2017. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  24. ^ a b "Managers: Maurice Malpas". Soccerbase. Centurycomm. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
  25. ^ "Rous-ing win for makeshift Scots". Glasgow Herald. 27 May 1985. p. 15 – via Google News Archive.

External links edit

  • Maurice Malpas management career statistics at Soccerbase