Alan McDonald (association football)
Alan McDonald as manager of Glentoran (2007)
Alan McDonald ( born October 12, 1963 in Belfast, † 23 June, 2012 Lisburn ) was a Northern Irish football player and coach. Between 1981 and 1997 he played for the English first division side Queens Park Rangers. With the Northern Ireland national team, he participated in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.
Career
As a player
Clubs
Alan McDonald made his debut on 24 September 1983, the Queens Park Rangers in the Football League First Division in 1983/84 and finished the season with the trained by Terry Venables Movers in fifth place in the table. Previously, the defender had already contested nine league appearances for the English second division side Charlton Athletic in the 1982/83 season. In the Football League First Division 1985/86 McDonald earned a regular place in the defensive play of the club from London. In addition to a thirteenth place in the championship, the team reached the final of the League Cup in 1985/86. The final game of the Rangers lost to the ninety minutes by playing McDonald against Oxford United 0-3. After several years in the middle of the First Division the team of coach Gerry Francis reached in the newly introduced Premier League 1992/93 the fifth place in the standings. The team's leading scorer at Les Ferdinand (second top scorer with 20 goals ) but that's not qualified for the European Cup. After two placements in the single table space, the club in 1995/96 increased as a table next to last in the Premier League from the now second-class First Division. In the 1996/97 season, the 33 -year-old Alan McDonald ( 39 games / 2 goals) played his last game for his long association and moved to the missed resurgence ( QPR table was ninth ) to Swindon Town.
After another 33 second division games for his new club Alan McDonald ended after the 1997/98 season of his playing career.
Northern Ireland national team
Alan McDonald made his debut on 16 October 1985 on the Northern Irish national team in a 1-0 away win in Romania. Northern Ireland sat down thanks to this success in qualifying for the 1986 World Cup after the group first by England, reaching our participation in the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. After his nomination in the Northern Ireland World Cup squad sat coach Billy Bingham the 22 -year-old defender in all three group games, a ( 1-1 against Algeria, 1-2 against Spain and 0-3 to Brazil). Northern Ireland was eliminated in third place in the group stage of the tournament.
A further participation in an international tournament Northern Ireland was not possible in the following years. Alan McDonald denied on 27 March 1996 in a 0-2 home defeat against Norway his 52nd and last international match.
As a coach
At the beginning of the 2007/ 08 took over Alan McDonald Northern Ireland first division club Glentoran FC. In the 2008 /09 season he won the Northern Ireland Championship with his team. On March 1, 2010 McDonald resigned as coach of the first division.
On June 23, 2012 McDonald died at the age of 48 years on a golf course in Lisburn.