Ronnie McFall

Ronnie McFall
Personal information
Full nameRonald Joseph McFall
Date of birth18 July 1945
Place of birthPortadown, Northern Ireland
Playing positionFull back
Club information
Current team
Portadown (manager)
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
Portadown
Dundee United0(0)
Ards
Portadown
1975-1979Glentoran148(3)
National team
Northern Ireland Youth
1974Irish League1(0)
Teams managed
1979-1984Glentoran
1986-Portadown
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Ronald Joseph "Ronnie" McFall MBE[1] (born 18 July 1945 in Portadown, Northern Ireland) is a former football player and current manager of Portadown.

He became the longest serving manager in European football after Alex Ferguson stood down at Manchester United in 2013[2] and is amongst the most successful managers in the history of the Irish League having claimed five titles, four Irish Cups and 20 other trophies. He is also a five time Manager of the Year award winner. Ronnie is the uncle of Portadown FC defender Ross Redman.[3]

Playing career

Club

As a player Ronnie McFall was a full-back. He played with Dundee United, Portadown, Ards and Glentoran.

McFall played in the 1974-75 UEFA Cup for Portadown. He also played in 4 1977-78 European Cup games for the Glens, two of which came against a Giovanni Trappatoni led Juventus .

International

He won Northern Ireland Youth caps and also represented the Irish League against the League of Ireland in 1974.

Playing honours

(with Portadown)

(with Glentoran)

Managerial career

McFall took his first managerial appointment, initially as player-manager, at Glentoran in January 1979.[4] Although he helped the club to an Irish League title in 1981 and an Irish Cup win in 1983 he was sacked in December 1984 after a poor run of results.[5]

In December 1986[6] McFall was appointed as manager at Portadown. He has established the Ports as challengers for the major honours, leading them to their first ever Irish League title in 1990 and first Irish Cup the following year. McFall has won 23 trophies with Portadown and is their most successful manager.

McFall was appointed as the Northern Ireland U23 manager for the International Challenge Trophy Series in 2009.

He celebrated 30 years in charge in 2015 and his 1000th league game in November 2013.[7]

Managerial Honours

(with Glentoran)

(with Portadown)

References

  1. ↑ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/northern_ireland/7163309.stm New Year honours for NI quartet
  2. ↑ Staying power: Europe's masters of longevity - UEFA
  3. ↑ http://www.portadownfc.co.uk/Player_Profiles/ross_redman.htm
  4. ↑ Glentoran: A Complete Record (by Roy France) Page 369
  5. ↑ Glentoran: A Complete Record (by Roy France) Page 398
  6. ↑ The Northern Ireland Football Yearbook 1996/97 (Edited by Marshall Gillespie) Page 122
  7. ↑ McFall reaches 1,000 with Portadown - UEFA

External links