Ronnie McFall
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Ronald Joseph McFall | ||
| Date of birth | 18 July 1945 | ||
| Place of birth | Portadown, Northern Ireland | ||
| Playing position | Full back | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| Portadown | |||
| Dundee United | 0 | (0) | |
| Ards | |||
| Portadown | |||
| 1975–1979 | Glentoran | 148 | (3) |
| National team | |||
| Northern Ireland Youth | |||
| 1974 | Irish League | 1 | (0) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1979–1984 | Glentoran | ||
| 1986–2016 | Portadown | ||
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. | |||
Ronald Joseph "Ronnie" McFall MBE[1] (born 18 July 1945 in Portadown, Northern Ireland) is a former football player and manager, most notably of Portadown for 29 years from December 1986 until his resignation in March 2016.
At the time of his resignation he was the longest-serving manager in European club football, having held the record ever since Alex Ferguson stood down as Manchester United manager in 2013.[2] McFall is amongst the most successful managers in the history of the Irish League having claimed five league titles, four Irish Cups and 20 other trophies.McFall was the first person to be rewarded the freedom of the Armagh Banbridge and Craigavon area for his immense contribution to sport. He is also a five time Manager of the Year award winner, and the uncle of Glentoran defender Ross Redman.
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 four 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)
- Gold Cup Winner 1971–72
- Texaco Cup Winner 1973–74
- Carlsberg Cup Winner 1972–73
(with Glentoran)
- Irish League Champion 1976–77
- Gold Cup Winner 1976/77, 1977–78
- Ulster Cup Winner 1976–77
Managerial career
McFall took his first managerial appointment, initially as player-manager, at Glentoran in January 1979.[3] 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.[4]
In December 1986, McFall was appointed as manager at Portadown.[5] He established the Ports as challengers for major honours, leading them to their first ever Irish League title in 1990 and first Irish Cup the following year. McFall won 23 trophies with Portadown and is the club's most successful manager of all time.
McFall was appointed as the Northern Ireland U23 manager for the International Challenge Trophy Series in 2009. He celebrated 29 years in charge of Portadown in December 2015, and his 1000th league game in November 2013.[6] He resigned as Portadown manager on 5 March 2016, after a shock 3–2 Irish Cup quarter-final defeat at home against second-tier side Lurgan Celtic.[2]
Managerial Honours
(with Glentoran)
- Irish League Champion 1980–81
- Irish Cup Winner 1982–83
- Gold Cup Winner 1982–83
- Ulster Cup Winner 1981–82, 1982–83, 1983–84
(with Portadown)
- Irish League Champion 1989–90, 1990–91, 1995–96, 2001–02
- Irish Cup Winner 1990–91, 1998–99, 2004–05
- Gold Cup Winner 1992–93
- Ulster Cup Winner 1990–91, 1995–96
- Irish League Cup Winner 1995–96, 2008–09
- Irish League Floodlit Cup Winner 1990–91, 1992–93, 1994–95
- Mid Ulster Cup Winner 1992–93, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1997–98, 2001–02, 2002–03
- Charity Shield 1999
- IFA Championship Winner 2008–09
- Manager of the Year 1981, 1990, 1991, 1996, 2002
References
- ↑ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/northern_ireland/7163309.stm New Year honours for NI quartet
- 1 2 "Ronnie McFall: Europe's longest-serving boss resigns after 29 years". BBC Sport. 5 March 2016. Retrieved 5 March 2016.
- ↑ Glentoran: A Complete Record (by Roy France) Page 369
- ↑ Glentoran: A Complete Record (by Roy France) Page 398
- ↑ The Northern Ireland Football Yearbook 1996/97 (Edited by Marshall Gillespie) Page 122
- ↑ McFall reaches 1,000 with Portadown - UEFA