Ian Ross

A little something for our Icelandic readers now, as we bid a fond farewell to the former manager of Valur, KR Reykjavík and Keflavík. Ian Ross was a utility player, usually found in defence, who made his debut for Liverpool at the age of 20. Moving down south to Aston Villa in 1972, he became a cornerstone of the Villains outfit that gained promotion to the top flight and won the League Cup in the 1974/75 season. Yep, the latter was at one point seen as more important than the former.

He had a journeyman managerial career after retiring, taking in the aforementioned Icelandic outfits as well as Huddersfield, Berwick and a caretaker spell at Wolves. His death gets Midlands football theme team Waiting for Ugo off the mark.

Ian Ross
26 January 1947 – 9 February 2019
Died aged 72 (unique pick)