Watson: Andrew (Andy)

1983-1984 (Player Details)

Midfield

Born: Aberdeen: 03-09-1959

Debut: Newcastle United (h) 27-08-1983

5’10” 11st 10lb (1983)

Watson began with Junior side Sunnyside, before joining Aberdeen where he won Scottish Youth honours and broke into the first team in 1977-78. His progress continued with four Scottish Under-Twenty-three caps and he was soon tipped for full honours. He won a Scottish Cup winners’ medal in 1983, after coming on as a substitute against Rangers, and was a substitute in Aberdeen’s European Cup-Winners’ Cup success the same year. Watson had pushed himself to the very brink of full Scottish International honours before an eighteen month period at Leeds. At Pittodrie he scored eleven times in ninety-seven League apprances. He signed for Leeds for £60,000 in June 1983 but found it difficult to adapt to the pace of the English game and returned to Scotland with Hearts in December 1984 for £70,000. While at Tynecastle he scored six times in thirty-four League starts and another twenty-two from the bench, as well as making eight starts and ten games as a substitute in the Cup competitions. In August 1987 he moved to Hibernian where he linked up with another ex-Leeds player, George McCluskey. He left Hibernian in May 1989 for £30,000. At Easter Road he scored three times from thirty-one games in the League. He joined the coaching staff at Hibs under Alex Miller and was persuaded by Alex McLeish, his former team mate at Aberdeen, to be his Assistant at Motherwell in 1994. He later joined McLeish in moving to Hibernian and Rangers where he was Assistant Manager until the end of the 2005-06 season. From January 2007 he was one of McLeish's Assistants with the Scotland national side, and in November 2007 followed McLeish when he was appointed Manager of Birmingham City.