Malcolm Manley: 1949-2020

Malcolm made over 130 appearances for Leicester City between 1968 and 1973, playing under managers Matt Gillies, Frank O’Farrell and Jimmy Bloomfield.

Born in Renfrewshire in 1949, Malcolm captained Scotland schoolboys on four occasions as a 15 year-old. He was described at the time as ‘Scotland’s most wanted teenage star’.

When he was 15, he chose to join Leicester City rather than Liverpool because of all the Scots at Filbert Street. He signed as a professional just after his 17th birthday.

The following year, he was Scotland’s Player of the Tournament at the UEFA International Youth Tournament in France.

Soon afterwards, in April 1968, he made his first team debut against Southampton in the old First Division and appeared as a substitute in the 1969 FA Cup Final against Manchester City.

Playing mainly as a centre-back or sweeper, he was an important member of the Leicester City side which won the Second Division title in 1971. He also played in the 1971 Charity (Community) Shield win over Liverpool. He went on to feature regularly in Bloomfield’s side in the old First Division. He also appeared in the Anglo Italian Cup.

Malcolm transferred to Portsmouth in December 1973 for a fee of £50,000. However, after only 16 games for his new club, his first class career ended prematurely at the age of 23 following a cruciate ligament injury although he later played in South Africa and Australia.

In 1976, Leicester City and Portsmouth played a testimonial match for Malcolm and in later years, he was often seen at King Power Stadium supporting Leicester City.

Club Ambassador Alan Birchenall paid this tribute to Malcolm who was his teammate from 1971 to 1973: “Although Malcolm was a player of great ability he was, to his credit, a modest and unassuming player who always got on with the job excellently. With his Scottish accent and his hairstyle, he reminded me of Mel Gibson’s Braveheart! It was nice to have him around the Club at the time. If you went to him, he’d always be there for you. I am very sad to hear the news of his passing.”

The Club’s thoughts are with Malcolm’s family at this sad time.