- Davie Irons
-
Davie Irons 
Personal information Full name David John Irons Date of birth 18 July 1961 Place of birth Glasgow, Scotland Playing position Midfielder/Defender Club information Current club Stenhousemuir (manager) Youth career Greystone Rovers Senior career* Years Team Apps† (Gls)† 1979-1980 Queen of the South 3 (0) 1980-1984 Kello Rovers 1984-1987 Ayr United 75 (12) 1987-1988 Clydebank 54 (7) 1988-1991 Dunfermline Athletic 106 (9) 1991-1993 Partick Thistle 84 (10) 1993-1996 St. Johnstone 52 (2) 1996-1997 Clydebank 43 (1) 1997-2002 Annan Athletic 2002-2005 Gretna 89 (2) 2009-2010 Threave Rovers Total 506 (43) Teams managed 1997-2002 Annan Athletic (player-manager) 2007 Gretna (caretaker) 2007-2008 Gretna 2008-2009 Greenock Morton 2010- Stenhousemuir * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only and correct as of 25 November 2008.
† Appearances (Goals).David John "Davie" Irons (born 18 July 1961 in Glasgow) is a Scottish former professional footballer who has transitioned to football management.
His playing career spanned 26 years as a central defender or midfielder. Despite retiring as a player in 2005, Irons re-registered as a player in 2009 to sign as a player/coach at Threave Rovers.
He is now manager of Scottish Football League Second Division side Stenhousemuir.
Contents
Early life
Born in Glasgow in 1961, Davie Irons was raised in Dumfries[1] after moving there with his parents in 1964.[2]
Career
Queen of the South
He began his career with local team Queen of the South in 1979. After only one year of the Willie Harkness regime at Palmerston Park and a total of four first team appearances he moved into junior football.
Irons returned to Palmerston Park under the new regime of Norman Blount to play for a Queen of the South select on 23 April 1995. The opposition in the 2-2 draw was Rangers in a game to mark Queens' 75th anniversary and the opening of the new stand. Other ex players to guest beside Irons that day included Andy Thomson and Ted McMinn.[3]
Kello Rovers
Irons joined Kello Rovers, with whom he remained for four years.
Ayr United
He returned to the professional game in 1984 with Ayr United. He went on to make 75 league appearances for The Honest Men, scoring twelve goals.
Clydebank
In 1987 he joined Clydebank, making 54 appearances and scoring seven goals, and a year later signed for Dunfermline Athletic.
Dunfermline Athletic
Irons scored the opening goal for Dunfermline in the game that confirmed Queens' relegation in 1989.[4]
After 106 appearances and nine goals for the Pars, he was signed by Partick Thistle.
Partick Thistle
He remained at Firhill for two years before joining the sixth professional club of his career, St. Johnstone, in 1993. In three years at McDiarmid Park he made 52 appearances and scored twice.
Clydebank
He spent a season with Clydebank in 1996.
Annan Athletic
Irons spent five years with Annan Athletic (as their player-manager) between 1997 and 2002.
Gretna
Irons finished his playing career in 2005 after a three-year spell at Gretna, at which point he became assistant manager to Rowan Alexander. He became caretaker-manager of the club between March 2007 and the end of the 2006-07 season during Alexander's absence.[5]
On 28 April 2007, Gretna, under Irons' managership, won promotion to the Premier League with a 3-2 win at Ross County.[6] The result clinched the First Division championship for Gretna, a point ahead of Irons' former club St. Johnstone.
It was announced on 18 July 2007 that Irons would be Gretna's manager on a permanent basis for the club's first season in the SPL, with Mick Wadsworth as his assistant.[7]
On 19 February 2008, Irons resigned as Gretna manager with immediate effect.
Morton
Irons was then hired as manager of Greenock Morton,[8] after resigning from the Gretna job in February 2008. His first act was to help keep Morton in the First Division managing to defeat Dunfermline Athletic[9] and Partick Thistle,[10] both 3–0 to allow Morton to finish one goal above Clyde and finish in 8th position in the league.
In his first full season as manager of Morton, Irons guided them to sixth in the table despite a poor start taking only four points from the first quarter of the season. He also managed to achieve a victory over Hibs at Easter Road Stadium in the Scottish League Cup.
However, after a poor start to the 2009/10 season, losing 5 of the first 6 matches and with the club bottom of the First Division, Irons was sacked on the 21 September 2009 along with assistant Derek Collins.[11]
Threave Rovers
After being sacked by Morton, Irons joined South of Scotland league side Threave Rovers as a player/coach.
When Irons came off the bench in the last minute against Whitehill Welfare on 24 October 2009, he became the oldest player to have ever played in a Scottish Cup match aged 48 years 98 days.[citation needed]
Partick Thistle
Irons replaced Gerry Britton as assistant manager of Partick Thistle in January 2010, but not until after the Jags play former club Morton on 4 January. However, Irons was sacked by the club on 26 February 2010.[12]
Threave Rovers (second spell)
After being sacked, Irons returned to Meadow Park as player coach.[13] At the age of 49, on 20 November 2010 he played for Threave in the third round of the Scottish Cup in the 2-2 draw away against Stenhousemuir.[14]
Stenhousemuir
Irons took up the role of manager at Stenhousemuir at the end of December 2010.[15]
Honours
As a manager
Gretna
- Scottish First Division: 2006–07
References
- ^ Irons ready to galvanise Gretna on judgment day The Scotsman, 28 April 2007
- ^ http://www.qosfc.com/TeamNews/ViewFullStory/tabid/151/selectmoduleid/498/ArticleID/177/reftab/54/Default.aspx
- ^ http://qosfc.com/AboutQueens/ClubHistory/tabid/164/Default.aspx
- ^ McCartney, Iain (2004). The Queens 1919-2004 (First Edition ed.). Creedon Publications. ISBN 1-8993-1652-3.
- ^ Irons to see out season in charge - BBC Sport
- ^ Ross County 2-3 Gretna - BBC Sport
- ^ "Irons will lead Gretna into SPL". BBC Sport website. 2007-07-18. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/g/gretna/6903910.stm.
- ^ "Irons quits Gretna for Morton job". BBC Sport. 2008-02-19. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/g/gretna/7252368.stm.
- ^ "Morton 3-0 Dunfermline Athletic". BBC Sport. 2008-04-19. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/scot_div_1/7353612.stm. Retrieved 2008-11-02.
- ^ "Partick Thistle 0-3 Morton". BBC Sport. 26 April 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/scot_div_1/7364831.stm. Retrieved 2 November 2008.
- ^ "Irons dismissed from Morton job". BBC Sport. 21 September 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/morton/8266914.stm. Retrieved 21 September 2009.
- ^ "Irons to replace Britton at Jags". BBC Sport. 9 December 2009. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/p/partick_thistle/8404591.stm. Retrieved 9 December 2009.
- ^ "IRONS BACK AT THREAVE". solwaypress.co.uk. http://www.solwaypress.co.uk/football_rugby.asp.
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/scot_cups/9207808.stm Stenhousemuir 2-2 Threave Rovers
- ^ Bulloch, Terry (30 December 2010). "New managerial appointment". Stenhousemuir FC. http://www.stenhousemuirfc.com/news/2010/12/30/439/. Retrieved 30 December 2010.
References
External links
- "First for thrills", Irons gives his opinion on the 2007-08 Scottish First Division season - BBC Sport website
Annan Athletic F.C. – managers Gretna F.C. – managers Greenock Morton F.C. – managers Morell (1904–08) · Cochrane (1908–27) · Torrance (1927–31) · Cochrane (1931–34) · Wright (1934–38) · Davies (1938–55) · McKenzie (1955–57) · McIntosh (1957–60) · Stewart (1960–72) · Smith (1972) · Stewart (1972–74) · Sørensen (1974–75) · Gilroy (1975–76) · Rooney (1976–83) · Miller (1983) · T. McLean (1983–84) · W. McLean (1984–85) · McGraw (1985–97) · Stark (1997–00) · McCall (2000) · Evans (2000–01) · Maxwell (2001) · Cormack (2001–02) · McPherson (2002) · McCormack (2002–04) · McInally (2004–08) · Irons (2008–09) · Grady (2009–10) · Moore (2010–present) ·
Stenhousemuir F.C. – current squad GK Brown · GK Diamond · GK McCluskey · DF Corrigan · DF C.Hamilton · DF J.Hamilton · DF Lyle · DF McKinlay · DF McMillan · MF Dickson · MF Ferguson · MF Gilmour · MF Hunter · MF McCafferty · MF McHale · MF Murray · MF Paton · MF Thomson · FW Fraser · FW Kean · FW Love · FW Plenderleith · FW Quinn · FW Rodgers · Manager: Irons
Stenhousemuir F.C. – managers A. Smith (1969–74) · Glasgow (1974–81) · Black (1981–84) · Rose (1985–87) · Henderson (1987–88) · Rennie (1988–89) · Meakin (1989–91) · Lawson (1991–92) · Christie (1992–99) · Armstrong (1999–2000) · Fairley (2000–01) · Bone (2001–02) · McVeigh (2002–04) · McKeown & T. Smith (2004–05) · McKeown (2005–06) · Money (2006–07) · Coughlin (2007–10) · Irons (2010–present)
Categories:- 1961 births
- Living people
- Sportspeople from Glasgow
- People from Dumfries
- Scottish footballers
- Queen of the South F.C. players
- Kello Rovers F.C. players
- Ayr United F.C. players
- Clydebank F.C. players
- Dunfermline Athletic F.C. players
- Greenock Morton F.C. non-playing staff
- Partick Thistle F.C. players
- St. Johnstone F.C. players
- Annan Athletic F.C. players
- Gretna F.C. players
- Scottish Football League players
- Scottish football managers
- Annan Athletic F.C. managers
- Gretna F.C. managers
- Greenock Morton F.C. managers
- Scottish Junior Football Association players
- Stenhousemuir F.C. managers
- Scottish Premier League managers
- People educated at Dumfries Academy
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