Born in Scotland in 1955,Ian worked as a supermarket assistant whilst playing part-time in Perth.He joined Bury in 1973 and played 15 games for the Shakers in a promotion-winning season.
He left the club for a what he had considered a far bigger challenge-Nottingham Forest.He never got chance to play under Brian Clough though because he was release six months after joining.
Still a teenager,Ian signed for Doncaster and made a name for himself under Stan Anderson.He played 139 games and scored 15 goals.In his last season for Donny,he won PFA Fourth Division Player of the Season and was in the PFA Team of the Year.
He joined Bobby Smith's Swindon in 1978 and settled well,but looked out-of-favour in the next few seasons.As a result,he had to leave Swindon for what was the best club he's ever played for-Blackburn.
The Rovers were always top-half finishers but Ian will more likely remember the FA Cup defeats and League Cup shocks.The club went to the final of the Division Two playoffs but lost 4-3 to Crystal Palace.In 1989,after eight years,he was made available for transfer.
The next two clubs were short spells at Port Vale and Stafford Rangers in the lower leagues.He retired in June 1991 after eighteen years as a professional footballer.
He wasn't done yet though.He was appointed a scout at Port Vale in 1992 and then became the assistant manager of Wolves in 1994.He later had a short spell as a scout at Leicester,was a coach at Blackpool,worked as a scout at Bury and Manchester City.In 2008,he joined the staff at Leeds United before being sacked in 2012.
He now lives in North Yorkshire with his wife Anne and they have four children-Johnathon(34),Rob(32),Karen(29),and Greg(25).
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