Former Hibs’ skipper Ian Murray appointed manager of Airdrieonians FC

 Former Hibs’ skipper Ian Murray has been appointed as manager of Airdrieonians FC.

The 37-year-old who previously managed  Dumbarton and St Mirren will officially take up his post on Monday morning after travelling to Montrose with the club’s board of directors to watch the Diamonds in action this afternoon.

Edinburgh-born Ian had a distinguished playing career with Hibs, Rangers and Norwich City, representing his country at every level.

He moved into management with Dumbarton in November 2012, leading them to become the first ever part-time club to spend four successive seasons in the Championship and picking up two divisional Manager of the Year awards.

A move to St Mirren followed, where Ian’s focus on youth development saw a number of Academy graduates promoted to the first team.

After a spell as Middlesbrough’s head scout in Scotland and various media roles, he became assistant manager at Norwegian side Asker in January 2017.

Upon reviewing a number of high quality applications for the management position, the Airdrieonians board were unanimous in their opinion that Ian was the correct person to take the club forward.

In order to give the position the focus necessary, Ian’s appointment is on a full-time basis, where he will oversee the club’s entire football operation in addition to coaching the first team.

He told airdriefc.com: “Airdrieonians is obviously a name which is well respected in Scottish football, and the opportunity to help the club fulfil its potential is a huge draw.

“After speaking to the board, it was clear that we share the same views on many aspects of the game, and we hope to implement a number of these ideas over time.

“We will aim for continued improvement – in a very tight league we feel we have a group of players who can compete at the top end. The facilities and infrastructure at the club give us a great platform for improvement, which will become evident over the coming months.

“With my experiences of working outwith Scotland for the last two years, I have fresh ideas to bring to the club, and this is a great chance for those ideas to come to fruition. I’d like to thank everyone at Asker and wish them well for their two remaining games this season, starting with the local derby on Saturday.

“Now I’m looking forward to a new chapter with Airdrieonians, and I can’t wait to get started.”