Alex Smith MBE (born 25 December 1939) is a Scottish former football player and manager. His major achievements over close to five decades as a manager include winning the Scottish Cup in 1987 with St Mirren and 1990 with Aberdeen, where he also won the Scottish League Cup in 1989. He also won league titles with Stirling Albion and Clyde.

He managed the Scotland under-18, under-21 and under-23 teams.

He had a role in the development of many prominent players, and the 2005 book on Scottish football, The Final Whistle? was described as "the nearest thing the Scottish game has to a father figure".

Biography Smith was born in Cowie, a mining village close to Stirling, and played in the same youth team as Billy Bremner - Gowanhill United. He was best man at Bremner's wedding in 1961. His playing career was affected by serious injuries, but he played for Kilmarnock, Stenhousemuir, East Stirlingshire, Stirling Albion and Albion Rovers over a ten-year period.

He took on the role of player coach at Stenhousemuir in 1968, becoming the club's first-ever manager in November 1969. In 1974, he became manager of Stirling Albion and would manage the club for 12 years, winning the Second Division championship in 1977.

During this time he developed key young players such as John Colqhoun, Bryan Grant, John Phillibin and Willie Irvine who all went on to play for Scottish Premiership clubs.

At this time, he also managed to put the club into a strong and stable financial position.

Stirling Albion remained in the second tier for four seasons, and were relegated in 1981 after failing to score a league goal for three months; Smith nonetheless remained at the club until 1986 when he moved to St Mirren, with whom he won the Scottish Cup in 1987, overcoming that season's UEFA Cup finalists Dundee United with a young, all-Scottish team in a surprise result which endured as one of the Paisley club's most treasured achievements.Alex Smith reflects on St Mirren's 1987 Scottish Cup triumph 30 years on, Craig Ritchie, Daily Record, 16 May 2017

Smith and co-manager Jocky Scott succeeded Ian Porterfield at Aberdeen in 1988. For the next three seasons the Dons were the main rivals to Rangers, finishing runners-up in each of those seasons. New players were brought in, several from Dutch football including Theo Snelders and Hans Gillhaus, along with youth prospects such as Eoin Jess and Stephen Wright. In 1989–90 Aberdeen won the double of the League Cup (beating Rangers after losing to them the previous year) and Scottish Cup (in a penalty shootout against Celtic), and in 1990–91 went into their final game at Ibrox needing only a draw to win the Scottish Premier Division championship on goals scored; a 2–0 defeat courtesy of a Mark Hateley brace sealed a third straight title for Rangers. Aberdeen began the next season well, including a win at Ibrox, but early exits from the League Cup and UEFA Cup followed; Scott left in September 1991 to take over at Dunfermline Athletic, and a further slump in form resulted in Smith's dismissal in February 1992.'Fan power was on the rampage': How Alex Smith paid the price for Aberdeen's troubled 1991-92 season, Neil Drysdale, Press & Journal, 11 October 2021

Smith would later manage Clyde, Dundee United and Ross County. He later worked as technical director at Falkirk. In June 2009 he was appointed assistant to the then head coach Eddie May.http://www.falkirkfc.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4281&Itemid=1 Falkirk FC | New Coaching Team In March 2013 he was appointed interim manager at the club following the departure of Steven Pressley. He was again placed in interim charge in September 2017, after Peter Houston left. Smith was 77 years old, which made him the oldest manager of a professional football club in Europe at the time.

Smith was involved with Scotland at a number of levels, managing the U18 and U21 sides. He also took charge of the Scotland B squad in January 2007, alongside Bobby Williamson.

He retired from football at the end of the 2017–18 season to emigrate to Australia with his wife.Alex Smith says 'it's all been worth it for the memories' as football legend prepares to retire, Gordon Parks, Daily Record, 28 April 2018RedMatchday Interview The Alex Smith Story, Malcolm Panton, Aberdeen FC, 14 June 2018

Smith was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2005 Birthday Honours for services to sport in Scotland.

Managerial statistics TeamFromToRecordPWLDWin %Stenhousemuir(Stenhousemuir manager) Smith, Alec, FitbaStats1 August 19681 September 1974Stirling(Stirling Albion manager) Smith, Alex, FitbaStats1 September 197416 December 1986St Mirren(St Mirren manager) Smith, Alex, FitbaStats17 December 198631 May 1988AberdeenManagers Alex Smith, AFC Heritage Trust 1 August 198810 February 1992 Clyde(Clyde manager) Smirh, Alex [sic], FitbaStats1 August 1992September 1996Scotland U21(Scotland U21 manager) Smith, Alex, FitbaStatsOctober 199814 March 2002Dundee United8 August 20007 October 2002 Ross County27 November 200211 June 2005Falkirk (interim)8 March 20133 April 2013 Falkirk (interim)24 September 20177 October 2017Total

Honours Player Stirling Albion Scottish Division Two: 1964–65

Manager Stenhousemuir Stirlingshire Cup: 1970–71

Stirling Albion Scottish Second Division: 1976–77 Stirlingshire Cup: 1976–77, 1977–78, 1983–84

St Mirren Scottish Cup: 1986–87

Aberdeen (co-manager with Jocky Scott) Scottish Cup: 1989–90 Scottish League Cup: 1989–90 Runners-up: 1988–89 Aberdeenshire Cup: 1989–90,1990–91

Clyde Scottish Second Division: 1992–93

Springfield United Australia - FQPL5 Metro Premiership: 2022 Australia - FQPL5 Metro Grand Final: 2022 Australia - SUFC Cup: 2021, 2022

Individual SPL Manager of the Month: March 2001, May 2001, January 2002

See also List of football managers with the most matches

References

Reid, Harry (2005), The Final Whistle?, Birlinn, Grant, Michael and Robertson, Rob (2010), The Management, Birlinn,