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Ralph Milne
Ralph Milne (13 May 1961 – 6 September 2015) was a Scottish professional footballer whose clubs included Dundee United, Charlton Athletic, Bristol City and Manchester United. He played as both an attacking midfielder or a winger.
He began his career at Dundee United, helping the club to be crowned Premier Division champions in 1982–83, and playing in Scottish Cup and League Cup final defeats. In recognition of his contribution to the most successful period in the club's history, Milne has been inducted into the Dundee United Hall of Fame alongside several of his former teammates. He made a total of 285 appearances for Dundee United in major competitions and is the club's all-time top scorer in Europe (UEFA Cup and European Cup) with a tally of 15 goals. Milne is often considered to be among the best Scottish footballers not to win a full senior cap.
Hampered by his heavy drinking, he hit his peak at an early age and, after an unsuccessful spell at English club Charlton Athletic from January 1987, ended the 1987–88 season with Third Division club Bristol City. He returned to the First Division after being signed by Alex Ferguson at Manchester United in November 1988 for a £170,000 fee but failed to restart his career. Barring a brief spell in Hong Kong with Sing Tao, Milne played his last first-team game as a professional at the age of 28.
Ralph Milne was born in Dundee, the youngest of four siblings, on 13 May 1961. He was moved forward a year in primary school due to his remarkable academic progress. He began his football career as a youth with Dundee Celtic Boys Club, where he played initially as a striker and had a prolific goalscoring record.
Milne signed for Dundee United in January 1976 and, after a couple of seasons in the reserves, began to feature for the first team during the 1979–80 campaign. He scored his first goal at the age of 18 during his full debut appearance on 28 July 1979, United's third goal in a 3–0 win over Dunfermline Athletic in a Drybrough Cup tie. Milne scored his first Premier Division goal on 8 September in a 2–2 draw away against Celtic, netting the equaliser with a long-range shot. By the end of his debut season, Milne had played 20 games, eight of which he was in the starting line-up for, and scored three goals. He was named as the club's Reserve Player of the Year and picked up a 1979 Scottish League Cup Final winners medal despite not being named in the matchday squad.
The 1980–81 season saw Milne become a regular in the Dundee United team, scoring 10 goals in 33 appearances. United retained the League Cup, though Milne did not feature in the final victory over their Dundee derby rivals at Dens Park. He finished the season playing in the 1981 Scottish Cup Final side, which ended in a 4–1 defeat to Rangers after a replay. Milne was now being described by manager Jim McLean as "potentially... the most exciting player in Scotland", describing Milne as a "winger with pace who can score goals". McLean, however, expressed reservations about Milne's overall attitude and ability to play through patches of poor form.
Dundee United reached another final in the 1981–82 season, and Milne scored the opening goal in the 1981 Scottish League Cup Final on 28 November 1981, latching onto a pass from Paul Sturrock and striking a low powerful shot past the Rangers goalkeeper; however Rangers went on to controversially win 2–1 after another goal for Dundee United, "scored" by Sturrock, had been disallowed for offside. Milne also impressed in Europe that season, scoring against AS Monaco, Borussia Mönchengladbach and Winterslag (twice) in the UEFA Cup.
The 1982–83 season was a seminal year for both Dundee United and 21-year-old Milne. The club won the league for the first time, finishing one point ahead of Celtic and "New Firm rivals" Aberdeen in a tightly fought league campaign. Milne's 16 goals in the league, playing wide right, were a significant contribution to United's league win. One of the most high profile of these goals was on 20 April when he scored the winning goal in a 3–2 win over Celtic at Parkhead; he controlled an Eamonn Bannon cross from the right on his chest and volleyed the ball from 20 yards out past Celtic goalkeeper Packie Bonner.
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Ralph Milne
Ralph Milne (13 May 1961 – 6 September 2015) was a Scottish professional footballer whose clubs included Dundee United, Charlton Athletic, Bristol City and Manchester United. He played as both an attacking midfielder or a winger.
He began his career at Dundee United, helping the club to be crowned Premier Division champions in 1982–83, and playing in Scottish Cup and League Cup final defeats. In recognition of his contribution to the most successful period in the club's history, Milne has been inducted into the Dundee United Hall of Fame alongside several of his former teammates. He made a total of 285 appearances for Dundee United in major competitions and is the club's all-time top scorer in Europe (UEFA Cup and European Cup) with a tally of 15 goals. Milne is often considered to be among the best Scottish footballers not to win a full senior cap.
Hampered by his heavy drinking, he hit his peak at an early age and, after an unsuccessful spell at English club Charlton Athletic from January 1987, ended the 1987–88 season with Third Division club Bristol City. He returned to the First Division after being signed by Alex Ferguson at Manchester United in November 1988 for a £170,000 fee but failed to restart his career. Barring a brief spell in Hong Kong with Sing Tao, Milne played his last first-team game as a professional at the age of 28.
Ralph Milne was born in Dundee, the youngest of four siblings, on 13 May 1961. He was moved forward a year in primary school due to his remarkable academic progress. He began his football career as a youth with Dundee Celtic Boys Club, where he played initially as a striker and had a prolific goalscoring record.
Milne signed for Dundee United in January 1976 and, after a couple of seasons in the reserves, began to feature for the first team during the 1979–80 campaign. He scored his first goal at the age of 18 during his full debut appearance on 28 July 1979, United's third goal in a 3–0 win over Dunfermline Athletic in a Drybrough Cup tie. Milne scored his first Premier Division goal on 8 September in a 2–2 draw away against Celtic, netting the equaliser with a long-range shot. By the end of his debut season, Milne had played 20 games, eight of which he was in the starting line-up for, and scored three goals. He was named as the club's Reserve Player of the Year and picked up a 1979 Scottish League Cup Final winners medal despite not being named in the matchday squad.
The 1980–81 season saw Milne become a regular in the Dundee United team, scoring 10 goals in 33 appearances. United retained the League Cup, though Milne did not feature in the final victory over their Dundee derby rivals at Dens Park. He finished the season playing in the 1981 Scottish Cup Final side, which ended in a 4–1 defeat to Rangers after a replay. Milne was now being described by manager Jim McLean as "potentially... the most exciting player in Scotland", describing Milne as a "winger with pace who can score goals". McLean, however, expressed reservations about Milne's overall attitude and ability to play through patches of poor form.
Dundee United reached another final in the 1981–82 season, and Milne scored the opening goal in the 1981 Scottish League Cup Final on 28 November 1981, latching onto a pass from Paul Sturrock and striking a low powerful shot past the Rangers goalkeeper; however Rangers went on to controversially win 2–1 after another goal for Dundee United, "scored" by Sturrock, had been disallowed for offside. Milne also impressed in Europe that season, scoring against AS Monaco, Borussia Mönchengladbach and Winterslag (twice) in the UEFA Cup.
The 1982–83 season was a seminal year for both Dundee United and 21-year-old Milne. The club won the league for the first time, finishing one point ahead of Celtic and "New Firm rivals" Aberdeen in a tightly fought league campaign. Milne's 16 goals in the league, playing wide right, were a significant contribution to United's league win. One of the most high profile of these goals was on 20 April when he scored the winning goal in a 3–2 win over Celtic at Parkhead; he controlled an Eamonn Bannon cross from the right on his chest and volleyed the ball from 20 yards out past Celtic goalkeeper Packie Bonner.