Ex-Leeds United defender 'lined up' for SPFL manager role at relegated club
The former Leeds United, Hearts, Leicester City and Hibernian man looks set to be offered a new job
Former Leeds United defender Alan Maybury is reportedly being pursued by Scottish League Two club Stirling Albion. Maybury, who is now 45-years-old, has been out of work since leaving his role as manager of Edinburgh City back in October 2023.
However, according to the Daily Record, he is being lined up for a return to the dugout with Stirling, who were relegated form the third tier of Scottish football this season. The report claims Maybury is one of four managers to have been interviewed for the job and it would seem as though he was the man that stood out, with the Binos making him their number one choice to replace Darren Young.
Finishing ninth in League One, ahead of Edinburgh, Stirling were eventually relegated via the play-offs with Dumbarton doing enough to take their spot and push the Stirlingshire outfit down into League Two. Should he take up the job, then, Maybury will be tasked with leading the club to promotion and back up the league ladder.
The Irishman is no stranger to the division and has the experience of helping Edinburgh out of League Two during his spell in charge in the Scottish capital. That promotion came in his first few months as a manager and he followed that up by helping the club to a midtable finish the next season.
However, a bad start to this season saw Maybury leave Edinburgh in October, with the club failing to pull themselves out of their tailspin. The former Leeds man has been a coach since calling time on his playing days in 2015 and before taking up the hotseat at Edinburgh, he had worked behind the scenes at Hibernian, Falkirk, Oldham, St Johnstone and Kilmarnock. He'll look to fall back on that experience should he be appointed by the Binos.
Maybury came through the ranks at Leeds United, making the move over from Ireland to West Yorkshire as a youngster to play within the Whites' youth ranks. He made a Premier League debut during the 1995-96 campaign and went on to make a total of 18 appearances for the club, including a run out in the Champions League in the 3-3 draw with Lazio. Unfortunately, he picked up a serious knee injury in that game after a strong challenge from Pavel Nedved, and that seemed to stunt his development at Elland Road.
The defender joined Hearts in 2001 before going on to represent Leicester City, Aberdeen, Colchester United, St Johnstone, Hibernian and Falkirk, making a total of 436 career appearances. He also collected 10 Republic of Ireland caps.
Reminiscing on his time at Elland Road, Maybury told the Scotsman in 2022: “I was competitive, a bit hot-headed but gave my all. This went back to Leeds where the young players had to develop the attitude: ‘If you want to play football, we’ll win. If you’re going to work hard, we’ll outwork you. And if you want to fight, come ahead.’
“Eddie [Gray] would go, ‘I know, boys, let’s go for a run,’ like he’d just thought of it. He was fit as a fiddle so the time his calf went we were like: ‘Yay, Eddie’s broken at last!’
“A few years ago he interviewed me for Radio Aire. First question: ‘We thought you were going to be our best-ever right-back – what happened, son?’ I said that maybe I didn’t take the chances I was given but also didn’t get the ones I thought I deserved. He said: ‘Son, if you don’t take them we stop giving them.’ That’s my philosophy, too, but I’m not sure you can be like that with young players anymore.”