Frank Christie (17 December 1927 – 12 September 1996) was a Scottish football player and

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities ...

Playing career

Christie started his career at amateur side, St Johnstone Young Men's Club, Perth, Scotland. He was signed by

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

on 17 July 1945 and subsequently loaned to

Forfar Forfar ( sco, Farfar, gd, Baile Fharfair) is the county town of Angus, Scotland and the administrative centre for Angus Council, with a new multi-million pound office complex located on the outskirts of the town. As of 2021, the town has a pop ...

having failed to break into the Liverpool first team from Liverpool's Central League reserve side. Forfar signed Christie permanently at the end of the 1945/46 season, where he enjoyed three years at the club before rejoining Liverpool F.C in March 1949. He played in four of Liverpool's League matches towards the end of the 1949–50 season, making his debut in defence alongside the likes of Bob Paisley and Phil Taylor in a fixture away to Manchester United on 15 March 1950 at Old Trafford before a crowd of 45,283. In January 1951, East Fife paid

an £8,000 transfer fee to bring Christie back to Bayview. He spent the large part of his playing career at East Fife, and scored the winning goal in East Fife's 3–2 victory over Partick Thistle in the 1953–54 Scottish League Cup Final at Hampden Park, Glasgow in front of 38,529.

Coaching career

In the summer of 1963, when St Johnstone FC manager Bobby Brown was restructuring his backroom staff, he appointed Frank Christie as first team trainer. This would prove to be a wise decision as Frank became a vital part of the management team. When Brown moved on to the role of

Scotland national football team manager The role of a Scotland national football team manager was first established in May 1954, when Andy Beattie was appointed. Beattie took charge of six matches before and during the 1954 FIFA World Cup, when Scotland competed at their first major ...

in 1967, Christie was placed in temporary charge of St Johnstone's team selection until the appointment of Willie Ormond as manager. His partnership with Ormond saw the team enter one of the most successful periods in the club's history. Following Ormond's move to the role of national team manager, Christie moved to East Fife as manager. Christie managed East Fife until 1976, and steered them to their first (and only) victory in a competitive match during peacetime over

Glasgow Rangers Rangers Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the Govan district of Glasgow which plays in the Scottish Premiership. Although not its official name, it is often referred to as Glasgow Rangers outside Scotland. The fou ...

defeating them 1–0 at Ibrox on 13 October 1973. Christie was closely associated with Scottish Junior team Scone Thistle whom he also managed. In 1976 Jim Storrie brought him back to Perth. He had a further period in temporary charge after Storrie's resignation and the arrival of Alex Stuart in 1978. In 1985, when Saints were experiencing severe financial difficulties, he was a casualty of the cost-cutting exercise, thus ending a 21 years association with St Johnstone.

Personal life

Frank's brother James (Jock) Christie played

centre-half In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

for

Dundee United F.C. Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in the city of Dundee. The club name is usually abbreviated to Dundee United. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in ...

Honours

Club

;East Fife *

Scottish League Cup The Scottish League Cup (also known as the Viaplay Cup for sponsorship reasons) is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League Cup in existen ...

(1):

1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito is chosen President of Yug ...

References

External links

*
Frank Christie Biography
LFChistory,.net
Frank Christie nets the winner
Dundee Courier {{DEFAULTSORT:Christie, Frank 1927 births 1996 deaths Footballers from Perth and Kinross Men's association football wing halves Scottish footballers Forfar Athletic F.C. players Liverpool F.C. players East Fife F.C. players English Football League players Scottish Football League players Scottish football managers East Fife F.C. managers Scottish Football League managers St Johnstone F.C. non-playing staff