Ian Ross (footballer, born 1947)

Ian Ross
Personal information
Date of birth	26 January 1947
Place of birth	Glasgow, Scotland
Date of death	9 February 2019 (aged 72)
Position(s)	Defender
Youth career
	Glasgow & District Schools
	Liverpool
Senior career*
Years	Team
1966–1972	Liverpool
1972–1976	Aston Villa
1976	→ Notts County (loan)
1976	→ Northampton Town (loan)
1976–1979	Peterborough United
1979–1982	Wolverhampton Wanderers
1982–1983	Hereford United
Total
Managerial career
1982	Wolverhampton Wanderers (caretaker)
1985–1987	Valur
1988–1990	KR Reykjavík
1992–1993	Huddersfield Town
1994	Keflavík
1996	Berwick Rangers
	*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Ian Ross (26 January 1947 – 9 February 2019) was a Scottish professional football player and manager.^[1] He spent his entire playing career in England, including spells with Liverpool, Aston Villa and Peterborough United. As a manager, he won two Icelandic championships with Valur in 1985 and 1987 and also managed in the English and Scottish leagues.

Career

A utility player, Ross's debut was for Liverpool on 14 January 1967 at Sheffield Wednesday in the First Division. Although never establishing himself as a first team choice, Ross served Liverpool well, often being used to mark the stars of opposing teams.^[2] He then moved to Aston Villa for £60,000 in February 1972, where he captained the side that gained promotion to the top flight and also won the League Cup.

After falling out of favour at Villa, he had spells on loan at Notts County and Northampton Town before joining Peterborough United in December 1976. Here, he amassed over 100 appearances during two and a half seasons, in which he also served the club in a coaching role.

He joined First Division Wolverhampton Wanderers in 1979 as a coach, following his former Peterborough manager John Barnwell. He remained a registered player but never played a first team game for the club. He stepped in as caretaker manager after Barnwell's eventual sacking in January 1982, taking charge of five games, losing all. Ross left the club soon after, joining Hereford United in a similar role, though here he did make 15 first team appearances during the 1982–83 season.^[3]

He moved to Iceland in 1984 to manage Valur who he led to the Icelandic championship in 1985 and 1987. On 30 September 1987, he signed a two-year contract with KR^[4] where he stayed until February 1991, when he took a job as an assistant manager to Huddersfield Town.^[5] He served as the manager of Huddersfield from 1992 to 1993 before returning to Iceland in November 1993 when he took over as manager of Keflavík.^[6] He unexpectectly resigned from Keflavík on 2 July 1994.^[7]^[8] He subsequently managed Berwick Rangers in 1996.^[3]

Death

Ross died on 9 February 2019.^[3]

Honours

Aston Villa

FL Third Division: 1971–72^[9]
FL Second Division promoted: 1974–75^[9]
Football League Cup: 1974–75^[9]

Valur

Úrvalsdeild: 1985, 1987

References

^ "RIP Ian Ross". Liverpool FC. 9 February 2019. Retrieved 9 February 2019.
^ Hodgson, Derek (1978). The Liverpool Story. ISBN 0-213-16681-X.
^ ^a ^b ^c Valur Páll Eiríksson (10 February 2019). "Ian Ross látinn". RÚV (in Icelandic). Retrieved 15 February 2019.
^ "Ian Ross tekur við hjá KR". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 1 October 1987. pp. 72, 71. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
^ "Ian Ross hættur hjá KR!". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 8 February 1991. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
^ "Ross þjálfar Keflvíkinga". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 12 November 1993. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
^ Ægir Már Kárason (5 July 1994). "Ross strauk og Pétur tók við". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). Retrieved 15 February 2019.
^ "Pétur Pétursson þjálfari Keflvíkinga". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 5 July 1994. Retrieved 15 February 2019.
^ ^a ^b ^c "RIP IAN ROSS". AVFC. 10 February 2019. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
"IAN ROSS TRIBUTES". AVFC. 11 February 2019. Retrieved 30 March 2021.