Brian McLean

Scottish footballer (born 1985)
the footballer

Brian Stuart McLean (born 28 February 1985) is a footballer manager and former player, who most recently managed Scottish League Two club Clyde. He began his career in Scotland as a youth and reserve player with Rangers before joining Motherwell in 2005, initially on loan. He then joined Falkirk in 2009 before joining Preston North End in England two years later. After returning to Scotland with Dundee United and then Ross County, he moved to DPMM FC in 2015 and won the S. League title in his first season. He then had a short spell at Hibernian and played in Iceland for ÍBV before returning for a second spell at DPMM FC in 2018. He returned to Scottish football at Dumbarton, where he spent the 2018–19 season, then signed for Greenock Morton in July 2019. McLean played for the Scotland under 17 team before choosing to represent Northern Ireland, for whom he made one full international appearance in 2006. Due to an administrative error, however, he was subsequently declared ineligible to have switched his nationality, thus ending his international career.

McLean was primarily a centre back, but he could also play at full back. Born in Rutherglen, he started his career as a youth player with Queen's Park before joining Rangers. However, a lack of first team opportunities led to him joining Motherwell on loan during the 2005–06 season. During his loan spell, he won the Scottish Premier League Young Player of the Month award for March 2006. Motherwell signed him on a permanent basis in April 2006 after he impressed during his loan spell. On 18 July 2008, he suffered significant damage to his knee in a tackle by Argentinian striker Diego Alejandro Ruíz during a pre season friendly against CFR Cluj. He resumed a first team place on 28 March 2009, in a 2–1 win over Inverness Caledonian Thistle. On 1 July 2009, he signed a two year contract with Scottish Premier League side Falkirk. He became Eddie May's first signing, but Falkirk were relegated to the First Division in 2010. McLean left Falkirk at the end of the 2010–11 season. He signed a two year deal with Dundee United on 14 June 2012. On 25 July 2013, it was announced McLean had left Dundee United by mutual consent; he later signed for Ross County on 30 July 2013. He left Ross County at the end of the 2013–14 season. On 16 February 2015, McLean signed for DPMM FC, a Bruneian football team playing in Singapore's S. League. He scored his first goal for the club against Hougang United on 4 April. He won the S. League title in his first season, scoring in every competition that he played in. He was released at the end of the 2016 season. On 1 March 2017, McLean signed for Hibernian on a short term contract. He left the club when it expired at the end of the season two months later. After a spell in Iceland with ÍBV where he won the Icelandic Cup, he made a return to DPMM FC of Brunei in February 2018. He left the team once again after the season ended and signed a short term deal with Scottish League One side Dumbarton in March 2019. He turned down the offer of a new deal with the club in May 2019. McLean signed a one year contract with Greenock Morton in July 2019. After three seasons with Morton, McLean played for Clyde during the 2022–23 season. McLean was not registered before this deadline and is now ineligible to represent Northern Ireland, effectively ending his international career. During his short international career McLean did not appear in any competitive games, although he was due to play in the European Under 21 Championship qualifying game against Liechtenstein before being ruled ineligible.

McLean became a player coach at Clyde during the 2022–23 season. He was then appointed as their new manager on 2 June 2023, replacing Jim Duffy. Four months later, after a run of one win in 15 matches, McLean left the club with immediate effect. They were ninth in the league table at the time of his departure.

He is the son of former Kilmarnock player Stuart McLean and the brother of SFA referee Steven McLean.

+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competitionClubSeasonLeagueNational cupLeague cupOtherTotalDivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsRangers2004–05Scottish Premier League00000000002005–060000000000Total0000000000Motherwell (loan)2005–06Scottish Premier League40000000402007–08901011001112008–09122000000122Total252101100273Falkirk2009–10Scottish Premier League3611010204012010–11Scottish First Division312203000362Total673304020763Preston North End2011–12Football League One161001011182Dundee United2012–13Scottish Premier League290212010341Ross County2013–14Scottish Premiership260101000280DPMM FC2015S. League2425131003242016Scottish Championship2000000020ÍBV2017Scottish League One7000000070Greenock Morton2019–20Scottish Championship1111030101612020–21200303000260Total311406010421Career total311182642625136825