Neil Ian Orr (born 13 May 1959) is a Scottish former professional footballer, who played as a defender.

Neil Orr
Personal information
Full name Neil Ian Orr[1]
Date of birth (1959-05-13) 13 May 1959 (age 65)
Place of birth Greenock, Scotland
Height 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)[2]
Position(s) Defender
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1975–1982 Morton 186 (1)
1982–1987 West Ham United 146 (4)
1987–1993 Hibernian 166 (3)
1993–1995 St Mirren 29 (1)
1995 Queen of the South 7 (1)
1997–2002 Edinburgh University
International career
1980 Scottish Football League XI[3] 1 (0)
Managerial career
1997–2002 Edinburgh University (player-manager)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Orr, who was capped for Scotland under-21s and the Scottish Football League XI, played for Morton for seven years, racking up 196 appearances. He joined West Ham United in January 1982 for £400,000, making his debut on 9 January 1982 against Manchester United.[4]

He made a total of 175 league and cup appearances for West Ham, scoring five goals. He went on to play for Hibernian and St Mirren, before ending his career at Queen of the South.[4]

Following his retirement from professional football, Orr spent time coaching in summer camps in the United States, before moving back to Scotland to take a player-manager role at Edinburgh University.[4] As well as playing for the club,[5] he worked as head coach and first team manager on a part-time basis of 25 hours per week for 10 months per season. He remained there for five seasons, during which time the club won the Queen's Park Shield three times, were runners up in the King Cup and were twice losing semi-finalists in the BUSA Cup. In 2000–01, EUAFC earned promotion to the East of Scotland Premier Division.[6]

Orr left in the Summer of 2002 for a role as a Youth Development Officer with the Scottish Football Association in Midlothian. In 2011, he moved to Canberra, Australia and continued to work in football development.[6]

He is the son of Scotland international Tommy Orr, who also played for Morton.[4]

References

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  1. ^ "Neil Orr". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
  2. ^ Dunk, Peter, ed. (1987). Rothmans Football Yearbook 1987–88. London: Queen Anne Press. p. 388. ISBN 978-0-356-14354-5.
  3. ^ "Neil Orr". Londonhearts.com. London Hearts Supporters' Club. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
  4. ^ a b c d Hogg, Tony (2005). Who's Who of West Ham United. Profile Sports Media. p. 157. ISBN 1-903135-50-8.
  5. ^ Hogg, Alex (28 August 2000). "Annan go three points clear as rivals share the spoils". The Scotsman. Archived from the original on 23 December 2017. Retrieved 22 December 2017 – via HighBeam Research.
  6. ^ a b "History of EUAFC". Edinburgh University A.F.C. Retrieved 22 December 2017.
edit
  • Neil Orr at Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Transfer Database