Gary McAllister MBE was born on 25 December 1964 and is a Scottish professional football coach and former player.
36 Facts About Gary McAllister
2.
Gary McAllister started his career at local side Motherwell before moving south of the border to Leicester City at the age of 20.
3.
Gary McAllister represented his national side for nine years, winning 57 caps and scoring five goals.
4.
Gary McAllister was awarded an MBE in the 2001 New Year Honours in recognition of his contribution to football and was inducted to the Scottish Football Hall of Fame in 2016.
5.
Gary McAllister was appointed player-manager of Coventry City in April 2002.
6.
Gary McAllister resigned from this position in January 2004 and did not enter management again until he returned to Elland Road in January 2008, to replace Dennis Wise as manager.
7.
Gary McAllister guided Leeds to the promotion playoffs, but was dismissed in December 2008.
8.
Gary McAllister had coaching roles at Middlesbrough and Liverpool, returning to Scotland with Rangers in 2018.
9.
Gary McAllister Joined Steven Gerrard in leaving Rangers making a return to Aston Villa as Assistant Manager again.
10.
Gary McAllister began his playing career at his local side Motherwell; he stated he supported the club as a child, but had an affection for Manchester United as his family were acquainted with that of Matt Busby.
11.
Gary McAllister scored eight goals in 70 appearances, culminating in a fine performance in the 1985 Scottish Cup semi-final against Celtic.
12.
In five seasons with Leicester, Gary McAllister played 225 games in total, scoring 52 goals.
13.
Gary McAllister formed a midfield quartet that season with fellow Scottish international Gordon Strachan and relative youngsters David Batty and Gary Speed.
14.
Gary McAllister scored in matches against VfB Stuttgart and Rangers, but Leeds were knocked out by the latter in a match hyped as the Battle of Britain.
15.
Gary McAllister's move to the Midlands club came less than a year after he had scored a hat-trick against them for Leeds.
16.
Gary McAllister stayed there for four seasons and played firstly under Ron Atkinson and then former Leeds teammate Gordon Strachan.
17.
Aged 35, on 1 July 2000, Gary McAllister moved to Liverpool in a Bosman transfer.
18.
Gary McAllister scored a penalty winner against Barcelona in the UEFA Cup semi-final and a 44-yard free-kick that won the Merseyside derby against local rivals Everton in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
19.
Gary McAllister scored in the run-in against Coventry City and Bradford City.
20.
Gary McAllister fully deserved his man of the match award.
21.
Gary McAllister left Anfield on 13 May 2002 to take up the role of player-manager of Coventry City.
22.
Gary McAllister was named as number 32 in the 100 Players Who Shook The Kop survey.
23.
In October 1990, Gary McAllister scored his first goal for Scotland in a UEFA Euro 1992 qualifier against Switzerland.
24.
Gary McAllister earned his 50th cap in a 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifier with Sweden.
25.
Gary McAllister scored an important penalty kick in a match away to Belarus in qualifying, but he missed the finals through injury.
26.
On 31 March 1999, Gary McAllister returned to the Scotland team, captaining the side in a UEFA Euro 2000 qualification game against the Czech Republic.
27.
Gary McAllister was booed by a section of Celtic Park crowd and announced his retirement from international football soon after.
28.
Gary McAllister left Liverpool in May 2002 to take up the role of player-manager at Coventry City, replacing his former teammate Roland Nilsson in the job.
29.
Gary McAllister selected himself in 60 matches and scored 12 goals before retiring as a player.
30.
On 22 September 2009, it was revealed that Gary McAllister was in talks with Scotland about replacing Steven Pressley as Scotland's third coach; however, on 25 September 2009, it was revealed that he rejected the opportunity as he was holding out for a job at club level.
31.
On 18 September 2010, it was announced on the official Aston Villa website that Gary McAllister had accepted an offer from Gerard Houllier to become the next assistant manager at Villa Park; Gary McAllister had previously played under Houllier when the Frenchman was in charge of Liverpool.
32.
Gary McAllister was appointed first team coach at Liverpool in July 2015.
33.
Gary McAllister left the position on 8 October 2015 after the sacking of Brendan Rodgers, but was appointed to an ambassadorial position at the club.
34.
When Rangers announced on 4 May 2018 that Steven Gerrard would be appointed as the club's new manager, it was confirmed that Gary McAllister would become his assistant.
35.
On 26 December 2021, for the second time in his career, Gary McAllister acted as caretaker manager for Aston Villa - this time due to Steven Gerrard testing positive for COVID-19.
36.
On 21 October 2022, Gary McAllister was one of several coaches that left the club, following the sacking of Steven Gerrard the day prior.