Ralph Milne

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.

Dundee United

Immediate success

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 made his debut for the Scotland under-21 side on 8 September 1981 at the age of 20, when he on came as a substitute for Alan Brazil during a 4–0 win over Sweden in Edinburgh. He made a further two appearances for the under-21 side as an overage player in the autumn of 1983, playing against Belgium (0–0 at Dundee) and East Germany (1–1 at Jena, East Germany). He was never capped for the senior team, and has been cited as one of the best Scottish footballers not to win a full senior cap. According to Milne himself the Scotland manager Jock Stein intended to take him on a warm-up tour to the United States, but was told not to by Jim McLean, for which Milne never forgave him.

Milne was naturally right-footed, though he trained hard with his left foot as a boy to become equally skilled with both feet. Former Dundee United teammate Paul Hegarty stated that Milne possessed great pace, as well as bravery, a good work ethic, and an ability to score important goals. Another former Dundee United teammate, Davie Dodds, said that Milne was as good a finisher as any player in Scottish football during the 1980s. Jim McLean, Milne's manager at Dundee United, summed up Milne's career and footballing ability when writing his autobiography:

"If I had an outstanding failure then it was Ralph Milne. He should have been playing in World Cups. He should have won a bundle of Scotland international honours. It was a tragedy that that boy was not playing for his country all the time. He had tremendous talent – and I failed with him. He did not have the right attitude to the game and I could not instil that into him."

He married Kim from 1985 to 1988, and the couple had a son, Bradley. He also had a son, Robert, with new partner Lee in 1990. The relationship with Lee ended after ten years. In 2005, he began a relationship with Fiona Spence, 19 years his junior, who stayed with Milne for over eight years despite admitting that Milne regularly beat her. Milne had admitted to problems with alcoholism and problem gambling during and after his playing career. He was always an enthusiastic drinker throughout his career, but he lost his passion for football after picking up an injury in 1990 and began drinking in a way which began to severely damage his health. After retiring as a player he worked at a pub in Nailsea. He appeared in court in 2010 and 2013, but was never convicted, for allegedly attacking his partner Fiona Spence whilst highly intoxicated. Milne's manager at Dundee United, Jim McLean, has since stated that Milne would have had greater success in his career were it not for his problems with alcohol and discipline. Milne died on 6 September 2015, at the age of 54, due to complications from liver problems.