Danny McLennan

Danny McLennan

Personal information
Full name	Daniel Morrison McLennan
Date of birth	(1925-05-05)5 May 1925
Place of birth	Stirling, Scotland
Date of death	11 May 2004(2004-05-11) (aged 79)
Place of death	Crail, Fife, Scotland
Position(s)	Inside forward, wing half
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
–	Rangers
1946	Stirling Albion
1946–1947	Falkirk	6	(0)
1947–1957	East Fife[1]	175	(16)
1957	Dundee	0	(0)
1957–1959	Berwick Rangers	25	(4)
Managerial career
1957–1960	Berwick Rangers
1960–1961	Stirling Albion
1962	Worcester City
1963	Philippines
1963–1964	Mauritius
1965–1969	Rhodesia
1973–1974	Iran
1974–1975	Bahrain
1975–1976	Iraq
1978	Kongsvinger IL
	Young Africans
1984	Malawi
1985-1986	Ħamrun Spartans
	Jordan
1998	Fiji
	Libya
	Churchill Brothers[2]
Medal record Men's football Representing  Iraq (as manager) Arabian Gulf Cup 1976 Palestine Cup 1975 Representing  Fiji (as manager)[3] Melanesia Cup 1994 South Pacific Mini Games 1993
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Daniel Morrison McLennan (5 May 1925 – 11 May 2004) was a Scottish football player and coach. As a player, he was a Scottish League Cup winner with East Fife. His extensive coaching career took him all around the world and spanned a period of forty years, during which he managed ten national teams: the Philippines, Mauritius, Rhodesia, Iran, Bahrain, Iraq, Malawi, Jordan, Fiji and Libya.

Playing career

Born in Stirling, McLennan represented Scotland at schoolboy international level and played junior football for Lochore Welfare. He joined Rangers as a 17–year-old apprentice, but after failing to break through to the first team he moved to Falkirk. McLennan's most successful spell as a player was at East Fife from 1947 to 1957. He was part of the team that won the Scottish League Cup in 1953. He played briefly for Dundee before joining Berwick Rangers as player–manager.

Management career

His first coaching role came as player-manager of Berwick Rangers in 1957, and went on to coach the national teams of the Philippines, Mauritius, Rhodesia, Iran, Bahrain, Iraq, Malawi,^[4][5] Jordan, Fiji, and Libya.^[6]

McLennan lead Stirling Albion to promotion to the top division in 1961, and to the semi-finals of Scottish League Cup for the first time, also in 1961.^[7][8][6]

With both Rhodesia, in 1970, and Iran, in 1974, McLennan almost qualified for the FIFA World Cup, but lost out in the play-off round twice.^[9][6]

He took Malawi to its first African Cup of Nations in 1984. Unfortunately a rigged draw between Algeria and Nigeria ended any hopes of qualifying from the group.^[9][6] He also managed Indian club Churchill Brothers.^[10][11]

Honours

Player

East Fife

• Scottish League Cup: 1953–54^[9][6][12]

Manager

Stirling Albion

• Scottish Second Division: 1960–61^[9][6]

Iraq

• Arabian Gulf Cup: Runners-up 1976^[9][6]

References

1. EAST FIFE : 1946/47 – 2007/08 Archived 7 October 2021 at the Wayback Machine, Newcastle Fans.
2. Season ending Transfers 1999: India Archived 17 February 2020 at the Wayback Machine indianfootball.de. Indian Football Network. Retrieved 1 July 2021.
3. "Football sets coaching plan". The Fiji Times. 2 January 2023.
4. "AfricaNews – Malawi shuts door on foreign coaches – Harry". Archived from the original on 21 August 2011. Retrieved 14 February 2010.
5. "African Nations Cup 1984 - Final Tournament Details". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 15 June 2009. Retrieved 14 February 2010.
6. "Danny McLennan". The Independent. 10 October 2011. Archived from the original on 24 March 2019. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
7. Spencer, Stuart (9 September 2018). "Danny McLennan: The Explorer". scottishfootballmuseum.org.uk. Scottish Football Museum. Archived from the original on 17 April 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
8. Rajan, Gnaneshwar (4 October 2012). "Danny McLennan – The Explorer | Scottish Football's Most Travelled And Yet Forgotten Ambassador". scottishdaily.co.uk. Scottish Daily. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
9. "Danny McLennan: The Explorer". SFM. 9 September 2018. Archived from the original on 17 April 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
   "Danny McLennan – The Explorer | Scottish Football's Most Travelled And Yet Forgotten Ambassador". Scottish Daily. 4 October 2012. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
10. Sengupta, Somnath (13 July 2011). "Tactical Evolution Of Indian Football: Part Four – Modern Era (1999—2011)". thehardtackle.com. Kolkata: The Hard Tackle. Archived from the original on 18 September 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2022.
11. Mergulhao, Marcus (29 September 2008). "The League of foreign coaches". timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Margao: The Times of India. TNN. Archived from the original on 16 June 2024. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
12. "The frontline manager". The Times. 6 October 2003. Archived from the original on 11 October 2022. Retrieved 28 March 2021.

External links

• Danny McLennan career^{[permanent dead link‍]} at Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Database