Derek McInnes
Encyclopedia
Derek John McInnes is a former Scottish
football player and current manager of Bristol City
. McInnes featured prominently for Greenock Morton
, Rangers
, West Bromwich Albion
and Dundee United
during his playing career. He won two caps for the Scotland national football team
while with West Brom.
McInnes became manager of St. Johnstone where he had been on the playing staff, in November 2007. He guided the club to promotion to the Scottish Premier League
in 2009 and retained that status for two seasons.
McInnes was appointed manager of Bristol City on 19 October 2011.
, where he spent almost five years, playing in 53 league matches for the club. During his time in Glasgow
, McInnes had a loan spell at English
club Stockport County
, where he made 13 league appearances. He was also briefly at French
side Toulouse
. McInnes scored four goals for Rangers, with strikes against FC Alania Vladikavkaz in the Champions League and Hearts in the league. He also scored twice against Ayr United and Dunfermline in Rangers' route to the 1996 Scottish League Cup Final
, but he did not feature in the final itself.
injury ended his season in October. He returned the following season to captain West Brom to a place in the Premier League. He also won West Brom's Goal of the Season award at the end of the promotion campaign, for his 25-yard strike against Sheffield United
in the Battle of Bramall Lane
.
McInnes was the first West Brom player to be sent off in the Premier League. He was dismissed in the second half of the club's first Premier League match against Manchester United at Old Trafford in August 2002. He played in the majority of West Brom's Premier League games during the 2002–03 season but was unable to prevent them from being relegated. He made 88 league appearances and scored six times for the West Midlands
club.
. In his first full season at Tannadice
, McInnes missed only three league and one cup game. He helped the club to a 5th place finish in the Scottish Premier League
and scored twice — his first coming in the Scottish Cup
against Dunfermline
and his second in a league match against Hearts
. After an unsteady start to the 2004–05 season
, McInnes began to take control again in the centre of midfield. He then picked up an injury with a third of the season remaining but managed to return to the first team for the Scottish Cup final at the end of the season.
In April 2006, United manager Craig Brewster
announced that McInnes was free to leave the club at the end of the season, despite having a year of his contract left to run.
. The then-Lions boss Nigel Spackman
gave McInnes the captain's armband with the comment: "Every Millwall player on that pitch should be a Derek McInnes." McInnes scored once during his spell with Millwall, his goal coming in a 3–2 defeat to Cheltenham on 26 August 2006.
, returning to Scotland to sign for St. Johnstone late on New Year's Day. He made his debut for the Perth
club on 6 January, against Ayr United
in the Scottish Cup at McDiarmid Park
.
debut on 21 August 2002, coming on as a substitute for the last ten minutes against Denmark
in a friendly. Three months later, against Portugal
, he was a substitute once again, coming on midway through the first half.
and Sandy Stewart had departed for Burnley
. On 2 May 2009, McInnes secured promotion to the Scottish Premier League
for St. Johnstone, ending their seven year stint in the First Division
.
During the 2009-10 close season, McInnes was linked with the managerial positions at West Bromwich Albion and Watford
. He remained at St. Johnstone, however, and in October 2009 he signed a new contract with the Perth
club. On 30 December 2010 McInnes was linked with the vacant manager's job at Burnley for the second time in the space of a year as he became an early favourite with the bookies.
His managerial record with the Perth club was 177 games in charge, where he won 71 games, drew 53 games and lost 53 games.
manager Mark Robins
and another unnamed candidate. McInnes was appointed manager of Bristol City on 19 October 2011.
Rangers
St Johnstone
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
football player and current manager of Bristol City
Bristol City F.C.
Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City...
. McInnes featured prominently for Greenock Morton
Greenock Morton F.C.
Greenock Morton Football Club are a Scottish professional football club, who currently play in the Scottish Football League First Division. The club was founded as Morton Football Club in 1874, making it one of the oldest senior Scottish clubs....
, Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
, West Bromwich Albion
West Bromwich Albion F.C.
West Bromwich Albion Football Club, also known as West Brom, The Baggies, The Throstles, Albion or WBA, are an English Premier League association football club based in West Bromwich in the West Midlands...
and Dundee United
Dundee United F.C.
Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club located in the city of Dundee. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1923...
during his playing career. He won two caps for the Scotland national football team
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
while with West Brom.
McInnes became manager of St. Johnstone where he had been on the playing staff, in November 2007. He guided the club to promotion to the Scottish Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
in 2009 and retained that status for two seasons.
McInnes was appointed manager of Bristol City on 19 October 2011.
Early career
McInnes began his professional career in 1988 at Greenock Morton, where he played in 221 league games in seven seasons before moving to IbroxIbrox Stadium
Ibrox Stadium is a football stadium located on the south side of the River Clyde, on Edmiston Drive in the Ibrox district of Glasgow. It is the home ground of Scottish Premier League club Rangers and has an all-seated capacity of 51,082...
, where he spent almost five years, playing in 53 league matches for the club. During his time in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, McInnes had a loan spell at English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
club Stockport County
Stockport County F.C.
Stockport County Football Club is an English football club based in Stockport, Greater Manchester. The club formed in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers, shortly afterwards merging with Heaton Norris F.C., and adopted the current name on 24 May 1890 on the creation of the County Borough of Stockport...
, where he made 13 league appearances. He was also briefly at French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
side Toulouse
Toulouse FC
Toulouse Football Club is a French association football club based in the city of Toulouse. The club was founded in 1970 and currently play in Ligue 1, the top level of French football. Toulouse plays its home matches at the Stadium Municipal located within the city. The first team is managed by...
. McInnes scored four goals for Rangers, with strikes against FC Alania Vladikavkaz in the Champions League and Hearts in the league. He also scored twice against Ayr United and Dunfermline in Rangers' route to the 1996 Scottish League Cup Final
1996 Scottish League Cup Final
The 1996 Scottish League Cup Final was played on 24 November 1996, at Celtic Park in Glasgow and was the final of the 51st Scottish League Cup competition. The final was contested by Rangers and Heart of Midlothian. Rangers won the match 4–3 thanks to two goals each by Ally McCoist and Paul...
, but he did not feature in the final itself.
West Bromwich Albion
McInnes joined West Bromwich Albion in the summer of 2000, but a cruciate ligamentCruciate ligament
Cruciate ligaments are pairs of ligaments arranged like a letter X. They occur in several joints of the body, such as the knee...
injury ended his season in October. He returned the following season to captain West Brom to a place in the Premier League. He also won West Brom's Goal of the Season award at the end of the promotion campaign, for his 25-yard strike against Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
in the Battle of Bramall Lane
Battle of Bramall Lane
The Battle of Bramall Lane is the informal name given to an English First Division football match between Sheffield United and West Bromwich Albion at United's Bramall Lane ground on 16 March 2002...
.
McInnes was the first West Brom player to be sent off in the Premier League. He was dismissed in the second half of the club's first Premier League match against Manchester United at Old Trafford in August 2002. He played in the majority of West Brom's Premier League games during the 2002–03 season but was unable to prevent them from being relegated. He made 88 league appearances and scored six times for the West Midlands
West Midlands (county)
The West Midlands is a metropolitan county in western central England with a 2009 estimated population of 2,638,700. It came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972, formed from parts of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire. The...
club.
Dundee United
McInnes joined Dundee United on 11 July 2003, and was immediately installed as team captain by manager Ian McCallIan McCall
Ian Holland McCall is a Scottish former footballer and is currently without a job having resigned as the manager of First Division side Partick Thistle.-Playing career:...
. In his first full season at Tannadice
Tannadice Park
Tannadice Park, usually referred to as Tannadice, is a football stadium located on Tannadice Street in the Scottish city of Dundee. The stadium is home of Dundee United F.C. and has a capacity of 14,209.-Early days :...
, McInnes missed only three league and one cup game. He helped the club to a 5th place finish in the Scottish Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
and scored twice — his first coming in the Scottish Cup
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,, commonly known as the Scottish Cup or the William Hill Scottish Cup for sponsorship purposes, is the main national cup competition in Scottish football. It is a knockout cup competition run by and named after the Scottish Football Association.The...
against Dunfermline
Dunfermline Athletic F.C.
Dunfermline Athletic Football Club are a Scottish football team based in Dunfermline, Fife, commonly known as just Dunfermline. They currently compete in the Scottish Premier League....
and his second in a league match against Hearts
Heart of Midlothian F.C.
Heart of Midlothian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Gorgie, in the west of Edinburgh. They currently play in the Scottish Premier League and are one of the two principal clubs in the city, the other being Hibernian...
. After an unsteady start to the 2004–05 season
2004-05 in Scottish football
The 2004–05 season was the 108th season of competitive football in Scotland.-2004:*6 July 2004 - Nacho Novo from Dundee to Rangers, £450,000*1 July 2004 - Dado Prso from AS Monaco to Rangers, Bosman...
, McInnes began to take control again in the centre of midfield. He then picked up an injury with a third of the season remaining but managed to return to the first team for the Scottish Cup final at the end of the season.
In April 2006, United manager Craig Brewster
Craig Brewster
Craig James Brewster is a Scottish football player and coach. He made his name in a long and successful career playing as a striker for numerous clubs in Scotland, particularly Forfar Athletic, Raith Rovers, Dundee United and Dunfermline Athletic...
announced that McInnes was free to leave the club at the end of the season, despite having a year of his contract left to run.
Millwall
On 24 June 2006, it was announced that McInnes had finally come to an agreement to be released from his contract and he subsequently joined MillwallMillwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
. The then-Lions boss Nigel Spackman
Nigel Spackman
Nigel James Spackman is an English football manager and former player. He was formerly a midfield player who was an integral part of the much-admired Liverpool team of 1988...
gave McInnes the captain's armband with the comment: "Every Millwall player on that pitch should be a Derek McInnes." McInnes scored once during his spell with Millwall, his goal coming in a 3–2 defeat to Cheltenham on 26 August 2006.
St Johnstone
McInnes left Millwall on a free transfer during the January 2007 transfer windowTransfer window
The transfer window is the period during the year in which a football club can transfer players from other countries into their playing staff. Such a transfer is completed by registering the player into the new club through FIFA...
, returning to Scotland to sign for St. Johnstone late on New Year's Day. He made his debut for the Perth
Perth, Scotland
Perth is a town and former city and royal burgh in central Scotland. Located on the banks of the River Tay, it is the administrative centre of Perth and Kinross council area and the historic county town of Perthshire...
club on 6 January, against Ayr United
Ayr United F.C.
Ayr United Football Club are a Scottish association football team based in Ayr, South Ayrshire, that plays in the First Division of the Scottish Football League. Formed in 1910 after the merger of former clubs Ayr Parkhouse F.C. and Ayr F.C...
in the Scottish Cup at McDiarmid Park
McDiarmid Park
McDiarmid Park is a football stadium in Perth, Scotland, the home ground of St. Johnstone FC. It has an all-seated capacity of 10,673.-History:...
.
International career
International recognition came late to McInnes as he made his ScotlandScotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
debut on 21 August 2002, coming on as a substitute for the last ten minutes against Denmark
Denmark national football team
The Denmark national football team represents Denmark in association football and is controlled by the Danish Football Association , the governing body for the football clubs which are organized under DBU...
in a friendly. Three months later, against Portugal
Portugal national football team
The Portugal national football team represents Portugal in association football and is controlled by the Portuguese Football Federation, the governing body for football in Portugal. Portugal's home ground is Estádio Nacional in Oeiras, and their head coach is Paulo Bento...
, he was a substitute once again, coming on midway through the first half.
St. Johnstone
McInnes was appointed manager of St. Johnstone on 27 November 2007, after the previous management team of Owen CoyleOwen Coyle
Owen Columba Coyle is a Scottish-born Irish international former professional player and professional association football manager . He is currently the manager of Bolton Wanderers....
and Sandy Stewart had departed for Burnley
Burnley F.C.
Burnley Football Club are a professional English Football League club based in Burnley, Lancashire. Nicknamed the Clarets, due to the dominant colour of their home shirts, they were founder members of the Football League in 1888...
. On 2 May 2009, McInnes secured promotion to the Scottish Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
for St. Johnstone, ending their seven year stint in the First Division
Scottish Football League First Division
The Irn-Bru Scottish Football League First Division Championship is the highest division of the Scottish Football League and the second highest in the Scottish football league system....
.
During the 2009-10 close season, McInnes was linked with the managerial positions at West Bromwich Albion and Watford
Watford F.C.
Watford Football Club is an English professional football club based in Watford, Hertfordshire. It is often referred to as Watford F.C., Watford, or by the team's nickname The Hornets . Watford Rovers, Founded in 1881, entered the FA Cup for the first time in 1886, and the Southern League a decade...
. He remained at St. Johnstone, however, and in October 2009 he signed a new contract with the Perth
Perth, Scotland
Perth is a town and former city and royal burgh in central Scotland. Located on the banks of the River Tay, it is the administrative centre of Perth and Kinross council area and the historic county town of Perthshire...
club. On 30 December 2010 McInnes was linked with the vacant manager's job at Burnley for the second time in the space of a year as he became an early favourite with the bookies.
His managerial record with the Perth club was 177 games in charge, where he won 71 games, drew 53 games and lost 53 games.
Bristol City
McInnes was granted permission by St. Johnstone to be interviewed by Bristol City for their managerial position, alongside former BarnsleyBarnsley F.C.
Barnsley Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Nicknamed the Tykes, they were founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St. Peter's...
manager Mark Robins
Mark Robins
Mark Gordon Robins is an English football manager, appointed manager of Barnsley in 2009.As a player, he was most notable for his exploits with Manchester United, Norwich City and Leicester City...
and another unnamed candidate. McInnes was appointed manager of Bristol City on 19 October 2011.
Managerial stats
| Team | Nat | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | ||||
| St. Johnstone |  |
27 November 2007 | 19 October 2011 | 130 | 53 | 41 | 38 | |
| Bristol City Bristol City F.C. Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City... |
 |
19 October 2011 | Present |
|||||
Player
Greenock Morton- Scottish Second DivisionScottish Football League Second DivisionThe Scottish Football League Second Division is the second highest division of the Scottish Football League and the third highest overall in the Scottish football league system....
champions: 1994–951994-95 in Scottish footballThe 1994–95 season was the 98th season of competitive football in Scotland. This season seen the re-introduction of the Scottish 3rd division, after an absence of 26 years, and also the introduction of three points for a win being awarded instead of just two.-Notable events:*Raith Rovers...
Rangers
- Scottish CupScottish CupThe Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,, commonly known as the Scottish Cup or the William Hill Scottish Cup for sponsorship purposes, is the main national cup competition in Scottish football. It is a knockout cup competition run by and named after the Scottish Football Association.The...
winner: 1998–991998-99 in Scottish footballThe 1998–99 season was the 102nd season of Scottish league football.-Summary:The 1998–99 SPL season was one that ended in success for Rangers. Dutchman Dick Advocaat was brought in to replace Walter Smith at Rangers and made major changes, bringing in many players.Rangers were...
St Johnstone
- Scottish Challenge Cup winner: 2007–082007-08 in Scottish footballThe 2007-08 season was the 111th season of competitive football in Scotland.-Overview:* Gretna were competing in the Scottish Premier League for the first time, their first ever season in the top-flight, after being promoted as First Division champions the previous season.* Dunfermline Athletic...
Manager
St Johnstone- Scottish First DivisionScottish Football League First DivisionThe Irn-Bru Scottish Football League First Division Championship is the highest division of the Scottish Football League and the second highest in the Scottish football league system....
winner: 2008–092008-09 in Scottish footballThe 2008–09 season was the 112th season of competitive football in Scotland.-Overview:* Hamilton Academical competed in the Scottish Premier League for the first time, their first season in the top-flight since the 1988–89 season, after being promoted as First Division champions the...