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{{short description|Scottish footballer and manager (born 1949)}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2022}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name = Lou Macari
| image = 
| caption = 
| fullname = Luigi Macari<ref>{{Hugman|12166|access-date=16 February 2021}}</ref>
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1949|6|7|df=y}}<ref>{{SFA Profile|id=113803}}</ref>
| birth_place = [[Edinburgh]], Scotland
| height = 1.68 m<ref>{{Cite web |title=Lou Macari |url=https://www.worldfootball.net/person/pe61626/lou-macari/ |access-date=2025-09-08 |website=worldfootball.net |language=en}}</ref>
| position = [[Midfielder]]
| youthyears1 = 1964–1965|youthclubs1 = Kilmarnock Amateurs
| youthyears2 = 1965–1966|youthclubs2 = St Michael's Kilwinning
| youthyears3 = 1966–1968|youthclubs3 = [[Celtic F.C. Reserve and Youth squads|Celtic]]
| years1 = 1966–1973 |clubs1 = [[Celtic F.C.|Celtic]]                       |caps1 = 58  |goals1 = 26
| years2 = 1973–1984 |clubs2 = [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]] |caps2 = 329 |goals2 = 78
| years3 = 1984–1986 |clubs3 = [[Swindon Town F.C.|Swindon Town]]           |caps3 = 36  |goals3 = 3
| totalcaps = 423 | totalgoals = 107
| nationalyears1 = 1972      |nationalteam1 = [[Scotland national under-21 football team|Scotland U23]] |nationalcaps1 = 2  |nationalgoals1 = 0
| nationalyears2 = 1972–1978 |nationalteam2 = [[Scotland national football team|Scotland]]              |nationalcaps2 = 24 |nationalgoals2 = 5
|  manageryears1 = 1984–1989 |managerclubs1 = [[Swindon Town F.C.|Swindon Town]]
|  manageryears2 = 1989–1990 |managerclubs2 = [[West Ham United F.C.|West Ham United]]
|  manageryears3 = 1991      |managerclubs3 = [[Birmingham City F.C.|Birmingham City]]
|  manageryears4 = 1991–1993 |managerclubs4 = [[Stoke City F.C.|Stoke City]]
|  manageryears5 = 1993–1994 |managerclubs5 = [[Celtic F.C.|Celtic]]
|  manageryears6 = 1994–1997 |managerclubs6 = [[Stoke City F.C.|Stoke City]]
|  manageryears7 = 2000 |managerclubs7 = [[Huddersfield Town A.F.C.|Huddersfield Town]] (caretaker)
|  manageryears8 = 2000–2002 |managerclubs8 = [[Huddersfield Town A.F.C.|Huddersfield Town]]
}}

'''Luigi Macari''' (born 7 June 1949) is a Scottish former [[association football|footballer]] and manager. He began his playing career at [[Celtic F.C.|Celtic]] where he was one of the [[Quality Street Gang (Celtic F.C.)|Quality Street Gang]], the outstanding reserve team that emerged in the late 1960s that also included [[Kenny Dalglish]] and [[Danny McGrain]]. He is best known for his time at [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]], where he played over 400 games. He helped them win promotion back to the First Division and then played in their FA Cup win of 1977. He then finished his playing career at [[Swindon Town F.C.|Swindon Town]].

Macari was the manager of Swindon, [[West Ham United F.C.|West Ham United]], [[Birmingham City F.C.|Birmingham City]], [[Stoke City F.C.|Stoke City]] (two spells), Celtic and [[Huddersfield Town A.F.C.|Huddersfield Town]].<ref name="The Encyclopaedia of Stoke City">{{cite book|last=Matthews|first=Tony|title=The Encyclopaedia of Stoke City|year=1994|publisher=Lion Press|isbn=0-9524151-0-0}}</ref><ref name="Stoke City Modern Era">{{cite book|last=Lowe|first=Simon|title=Stoke City The Modern Era – A Complete Record|year=2000|publisher=Desert Island Books|isbn=1-874287-39-2}}</ref>

==Playing career==
===Celtic===
Lou Macari was the only child of Margaret and Albert; he was born in [[Edinburgh]], and spent the first year of his life with his family in the village of [[Newtongrange]], before the family moved to London.<ref>{{harvnb|Macari|Garside|2008|p=7}}</ref> His father was in the catering industry, and had represented the British Army at football.<ref>{{harvnb|Macari|Garside|2008|p=8}}</ref> The family moved to [[Largs]] in [[North Ayrshire]] when Macari was aged nine.<ref>{{harvnb|Macari|Garside|2008|p=9}}</ref> He was spotted playing for Ayrshire county by [[Celtic F.C.|Celtic]], and signed schoolboy forms for the club at the age of 16.<ref name="stret">{{cite web|last=Burdett|first=Daniel|title=Lou Macari|url=http://www.stretford-end.com/legends/lou-macari/|website=Stretford End|access-date=12 October 2015}}</ref> He turned professional at the club in 1968, on wages of £15 a week.<ref>{{harvnb|Macari|Garside|2008|p=15}}</ref>

Macari quickly became part of the renowned reserve side known as the [[Quality Street Gang (Celtic F.C.)|Quality Street Gang]] that also included [[Kenny Dalglish]], [[Danny McGrain]] and [[David Hay]].<ref name="qsg">{{cite web|last=Burns|first=Will|title=The Quality Street Gang; The greatest Celtic team that never was|url=http://worldfootballweekly.com/2014/03/20/the-quality-street-gang-the-greatest-celtic-team-that-never-was/|website=World Football Weekly|access-date=12 October 2015|date=20 March 2014}}</ref> In August 1968, Celtic Reserves needed to defeat [[Partick Thistle F.C.|Partick Thistle Reserves]] by at least seven goals to win their Reserve League Cup section over [[Rangers F.C.|Rangers Reserves]]. Celtic won 12–0, with Macari scoring four goals.<ref name="qsg" /> Macari scored 91 goals in two seasons for the reserves and in occasional first team games,<ref name="qsg" /> having broken through into the Celtic first team in 1970.<ref name="stret" /> In 1971, he replaced [[Willie Wallace]] in the starting line up for the replay of the [[1971 Scottish Cup Final]], and scored for Celtic in a 2–1 win over [[Rangers F.C.|Rangers]].<ref name="boy">{{cite web|title=The Boy in the Picture – Lou Macari|url=http://celticunderground.net/the-bhoy-in-the-picture-lou-macari/|website=The Celtic Underground|date=14 October 2013 |access-date=12 October 2015}}</ref>

===Manchester United===
After a promising start to his playing career with Celtic, he moved south of the border in 1973 for [[Pound Sterling|£]]200,000 to sign for Manchester United, where he spent the bulk of his playing career. During his time with Celtic he had scored 57 goals in 100 appearances since making his first team debut in 1970. He won three League titles and two Scottish Cups in his time at Celtic.<ref name="lma">{{cite web|title=Lou Macari|url=http://www.leaguemanagers.com/managers/lou-macari/|website=LMA|access-date=30 October 2015}}</ref>

His first game for [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]] came in January 1973 against [[West Ham United F.C.|West Ham United]] in which he scored a point-saving goal in a 2–2 draw. In 1977, his deflected shot off teammate [[Jimmy Greenhoff]] won [[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]] the [[FA Cup]] final against [[Liverpool F.C.|Liverpool]] (and ultimately denied Liverpool [[Treble (association football)|the European treble]]). He made 400 appearances for the club, scoring 98 goals.

Macari's early career at Old Trafford was spent trying to lead an attack that struggled to achieve anything. Relegation to the Second division in 1974 was the low point but Macari blossomed as a midfielder in the following seasons under [[Tommy Docherty]], as United began to win back a large following with attacking football in which Macari enjoyed popularity alongside players such as [[Gordon Hill (footballer)|Gordon Hill]], [[Steve Coppell]] and the Greenhoff brothers.

Macari helped United win the Second Division title in 1975. They finished third on their return to the top flight and were runners-up in the FA Cup before going one better and lifting the trophy a year later.<ref name="stret" /> He was on the losing side in the 1979 final against Arsenal,<ref name="stret" /> and also played in a string of European campaigns during the late 1970s and early 1980s.

===Scotland===
Macari won two [[Scotland national under-21 football team|Scotland Under 23]] caps in early 1972,<ref>{{cite web|title=Macari, Lou|url=http://www.fitbastats.com/scotlandu23/player.php?playerid=181|website=FitbaStats|access-date=3 November 2015}}</ref> before making his debut for the full [[Scotland national football team|Scotland national team]] in May 1972 against [[Wales national football team|Wales]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Macari, Lou|url=http://www.fitbastats.com/scotland/player.php?playerid=836|website=FitbaStats|access-date=3 November 2015}}</ref> He was a member of the Scotland squad for the 1978 [[FIFA World Cup|World Cup]] tournament in Argentina. However, he attracted widespread criticism when it emerged that he had led complaints that the £20,000 bonuses the players would receive if they won the World Cup were too low, then made extra money by selling stories to the press<ref>{{cite web| url=http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/latestnews/How-our-man-in-Argentina.4829407.jp| title=How our man in Argentina put boot into Ally's World Cup flops| author=Stephen McGinty| work=The Scotsman| date=30 December 2008|access-date=24 January 2009}}</ref> about the disarray and tensions within the Scottish camp. As it turned out, the Scotland team lost their first match to [[Peru national football team|Peru]], and drew with [[Iran national football team|Iran]]. They beat the [[Netherlands national football team|Netherlands]] 3–2 but this was insufficient to proceed in the tournament and the Scotland squad returned home without qualifying for the knock-out stage. Macari and his team-mates did not receive the bonuses which were the subject of contention. He won a total of 24 senior caps, scoring five international goals.<ref>[http://www.londonhearts.com/scotland/players/luigi(lou)macari.html Lou Macari's Scotland record] londonhearts.com</ref>

==Management career==
After leaving Manchester United in 1984, he managed [[Swindon Town F.C.|Swindon Town]], West Ham United, [[Stoke City F.C.|Stoke City]] (twice), [[Celtic F.C.|Celtic]], [[Birmingham City F.C.|Birmingham City]] and [[Huddersfield Town A.F.C.|Huddersfield Town]]. As a manager Macari insisted upon a strict fitness regime, which included extra sessions in the players' free time and the banning of alcohol in and around the club.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/portvale/Lou-Macari-Vale-fans-realistic/article-1061686-detail/article.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120912145855/http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/portvale/Lou-Macari-Vale-fans-realistic/article-1061686-detail/article.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=12 September 2012|title=Lou Macari: Vale fans must be realistic|last=Macaari|first=Lou|date=9 June 2009|work=The Sentinel|access-date=2009-06-09}}</ref>

{{Blockquote|When I took my first management job at Swindon in the old Fourth Division, one of the things I had to adjust to was the fact I was working with players with lesser ability than at Old Trafford. There was a danger of demanding they play like top-flight footballers and then become frustrated with them when they couldn't. But I didn't see any reason why the players at Swindon couldn't be as fit as the players at Manchester United. That was something we worked really hard on, the players accepted it, and we reaped the rewards with promotion in my second season."|Macari recalls his Swindon days.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/news/Lou-Macari-Teams-t-success-unless-fit-purpose/article-2431503-detail/article.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120913174900/http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/news/Lou-Macari-Teams-t-success-unless-fit-purpose/article-2431503-detail/article.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=13 September 2012|title=Lou Macari: Teams can't be a success unless they are fit for purpose|last=Macari|first=Lou|date=20 July 2010|work=The Sentinel|access-date=20 July 2010}}</ref>}}

===Swindon Town===
His successes in management came with two promotions at [[Swindon Town F.C.|Swindon Town]] (Fourth Division champions in 1986 and Third Division play-off winners in 1987). [[Harry Gregg]], Swindon's assistant manager, did not like the style of play implemented by Macari. The divide between Macari and Gregg became more noticeable, so the board chaired by Maurice Earle sacked both of them on Good Friday, 5 April 1985. Macari was then reinstated as manager on 10 April 1985 after a fan-led protest,<ref name="swindon-town-fc">{{cite web |url=http://www.swindon-town-fc.co.uk/Person.asp?PersonID=MACARILO |title=Manager profile – Lou MACARI |work=Swindon Town FC |access-date=31 October 2015}}</ref> Swindon then went unbeaten for their next six games, winning, four, and Macari won the Manager of the Month award.<ref name="swindon-town-fc" /> The following season, 1985–86 saw Macari collect four Manager of the Month awards as he led Swindon to the Division 4 title with a record-breaking 102-point tally.<ref name="swindon-town-fc" /> A second consecutive promotion was achieved in 1987 with a play-off final victory over [[Gillingham F.C.|Gillingham]] at [[Selhurst Park]].<ref name="swindon-town-fc"/> In 1989, Macari was fined £1,000 by the Football Association after he bet on Swindon to lose an FA Cup tie against [[Newcastle United F.C.|Newcastle United]].<ref name="swindon-town-fc"/> In 1992, he was tried and acquitted for tax fraud which took place while he was Swindon's manager; the club's then chairman was found guilty.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/macari-cleared-of-tax-fraud-in-running-football-club-1536398.html|title=Macari cleared of tax fraud in running football club|website=[[Independent.co.uk]]|date=29 July 1992}}</ref>

===West Ham United===
His achievements at Swindon earned Macari a move to [[West Ham United F.C.|West Ham United]] in [[1989–90 West Ham United F.C. season|1989–90]], becoming the first manager there never to have worked for the club in a previous capacity.<ref name="whu">{{cite web|title=Managers – Lou Macari|url=http://www.whufc.com/Club/History/Managers/Lou-Macari|website=West Ham United FC|access-date=3 November 2015}}</ref> Macari was given the job on 3 July 1989.<ref name=sbaseman>{{cite web | url=http://www.soccerbase.com/managers/manager.sd?manager_id=918 | title=Lou Macari – Managerial Statistics | publisher=soccerbase.com | access-date=4 November 2015}}</ref> He had a reputation for discipline and tried to change the training and dietary habits of the players.<ref name="BMTHOTB154">{{cite book|last1=Sharratt|first1=Ben|last2=Blows|first2=Kirk|title=Bring me the head of Trevor Brooking : three decades of East End soap opera at West Ham United|date=2010|publisher=Mainstream|location=Edinburgh|isbn=978-1845966614|page=154}}</ref> This met with some disapproval within the playing ranks.<ref name="BMTHOTB154"/> Macari bought in new recruits in future regular players, [[Luděk Mikloško]],<ref>{{cite news|title=Ludo: 'we Must Be Mad!'|url=http://www.whufc.com/articles/20010630/ludo-we-must-be-mad_2236884_1139506|access-date=26 September 2016|work=whufc.com|date=19 March 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150128111825/http://www.whufc.com/articles/20010630/ludo-we-must-be-mad_2236884_1139506|archive-date=28 January 2015}}</ref> [[Trevor Morley]],<ref name="BishMorley">{{cite news|title=MANCHESTER City yesterday signed West Ham's highly rated midfielder Mark Ward|url=http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/11973514.No_Headline_Present/|access-date=26 September 2016|work=Herald Scotland|date=29 December 1989}}</ref> [[Martin Allen]],<ref>{{cite news|last1=Banks|first1=Robert|title=Stop! Hammer Time|url=http://sabotagetimes.com/life/stop-hammer-time|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180518055705/https://sabotagetimes.com/life/stop-hammer-time|url-status=usurped|archive-date=18 May 2018|access-date=26 September 2016|work=Sabotage Times|date=1 September 2010}}</ref> and [[Ian Bishop (footballer)|Ian Bishop]].<ref name=BishMorley/> His team struggled to make much headway towards promotion and by the end of 1989 were in tenth place in The Second Division. They were also knocked out of the FA Cup by [[Torquay United F.C.|Torquay United]] on 6 January 1990 in the Third Round. Shortly after this it emerged that Macari was being investigated for betting irregularities whilst at his former club, Swindon Town.<ref name="swindon-town-fc"/> Macari left West Ham on 18 February 1990, shortly before a league match against his former club Swindon. His last game in charge was an infamous 0–6 thrashing away at [[Oldham Athletic A.F.C.|Oldham Athletic]] in the first leg of the League Cup semi final.<ref name="whu" /><ref name=sbaseman/><ref>{{Cite web |title=Lou Macari - West Ham United FC |url=https://whufc.com/en/the-club/history/managers/lou-macari |access-date=2025-12-10 |website=whufc.com |language=en}}</ref>

===Birmingham City===
Macari was appointed as manager at [[Birmingham City F.C.|Birmingham City]] in February 1991. He guided the Blues to a 3–2 victory over [[Tranmere Rovers F.C.|Tranmere Rovers]] in the [[1991 Football League Trophy Final]].<ref name="fatrop" />

===Stoke City===
On 18 June 1991 Macari was appointed manager at [[Stoke City F.C.|Stoke City]]. Stoke at the time had just finished in their lowest league position and Macari had the task to turn around the fortunes of the club. He brought in [[Steve Foley (footballer, born 1962)|Steve Foley]] (£50,000 from [[Swindon Town F.C.|Swindon Town]]), [[Vince Overson]] (£55,000 from Birmingham City), [[Ronnie Sinclair]] (£25,000 from [[Bristol City F.C.|Bristol City]]) and forward [[Mark Stein (footballer)|Mark Stein]] from [[Oxford United F.C.|Oxford United]] for what turned out to be a bargain £100,000.<ref name="The Encyclopaedia of Stoke City"/>

Stoke in [[1991–92 Stoke City F.C. season|1991–92]] were in the hunt for automatic promotion all season eventually having to settle for a play-off place where they came up against [[Stockport County F.C.|Stockport County]].<ref name="The Encyclopaedia of Stoke City"/> The first leg at [[Edgeley Park]] saw County win 1–0 thanks to a free-kick from [[Lee Todd (footballer)|Lee Todd]] after [[Carl Beeston]] had been sent-off and in the second leg Stoke went behind in the first minute and despite Stein pulling one back Stoke went out 2–1 on aggregate.<ref name="The Encyclopaedia of Stoke City"/> Just days after losing to Stockport in the play-offs, they met again in the [[1992 Football League Trophy Final]] where Stoke won 1–0.<ref name="fatrop">{{cite news|title=Lou Macari: Trophy bid can lead to unforgettable memories|url=http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/Lou-Macari-Trophy-bid-lead-unforgettable-memories/story-16820208-detail/story.html|access-date=3 November 2015|work=The Stoke Sentinel|date=4 September 2012}}{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The [[1992–93 Stoke City F.C. season|1992–93 season]] saw Stoke win the Second Division title after amassing 93 points and also went on a club record unbeaten run of 25 games.<ref>{{cite news|title=A Less Than 'Spooktacular' Record|url=http://www.stokecityfc.com/news/article/a-less-than-spooktacular-record-457805.aspx|access-date=3 November 2015|work=Stoke City FC|date=31 October 2012}}</ref>

===Celtic===
In October 1993, Macari left Stoke City and returned to Scotland to manage [[Celtic F.C.|Celtic]].<ref name="The Encyclopaedia of Stoke City"/> Despite defeating [[Rangers F.C.|Rangers]] 2–1 at Ibrox in his first match, his time at [[Celtic Park]] was unsuccessful.<ref name="celticfc">{{cite news|last=Cuddihy|first=Paul|title=Ronny Deila is Celtic's No.17|url=http://www.celticfc.net/news/6009|access-date=15 September 2015|work=Celtic FC|date=6 June 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Celtic – Managers|url=http://www.soccerbase.com/teams/team.sd?team_id=512&teamTabs=managers|website=Soccerbase|access-date=28 August 2015}}</ref> Macari made several moves in the transfer market – none of them particularly successful. [[Gerry Creaney]], one of the few consistent goalscorers at Celtic at that time, was played out of position on the right-wing for several weeks before being sold to [[Portsmouth F.C.|Portsmouth]] for £600,000. Striker [[Willie Falconer]] was signed from [[Sheffield United F.C.|Sheffield United]], right-back [[Lee Martin (footballer, born February 1968)|Lee Martin]] and goalkeeper [[Carl Muggleton]] came north from England, and in what is considered one of Macari's poorest moves, [[Andy Payton]] moved to Barnsley in a part-exchange deal for journeyman striker [[Wayne Biggins]]. A miserable 4–2 defeat by Rangers in the New Year fixture at Parkhead left Celtic languishing in the league. An early Scottish Cup exit in January 1994 at Motherwell sealed another dismal season for Celtic.<ref>{{cite news|first=James|last=Traynor|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football--scottish-cup-coyne-spins-out-celtic-1403476.html |title=Scottish Cup: Coyne spins out Celtic – Sport |work=The Independent |date=30 January 1994 |access-date=6 August 2013}}</ref> [[Fergus McCann]] took over as owner of Celtic in March 1994 and duly sacked Macari three months later.<ref name="celticfc" />

===Return to Stoke City===
Macari returned to Stoke in September 1994. Stoke finished in a mid-table position of 11th in [[1994–95 Stoke City F.C. season|1994–95]] before the partnership of [[Mike Sheron]] and [[Simon Sturridge]] in [[1995–96 Stoke City F.C. season|1995–96]] produced 29 goals and earned Stoke a place in the play-offs.<ref name="Stoke City Modern Era"/> Stoke's opponents in the play-offs were [[Martin O'Neill]]'s [[Leicester City F.C.|Leicester City]] whom Stoke had already beaten twice in the league.<ref name="Stoke City Modern Era"/> The first leg at [[Filbert Street]] ended 0–0.<ref name="Stoke City Modern Era"/> In the second leg, Stoke produced a poor performance and Leicester scored the only goal, [[Garry Parker]]'s left-foot volley ended Stoke's hopes of promotion.<ref name="Stoke City Modern Era"/> The [[1996–97 Stoke City F.C. season|1996–97]] campaign saw Stoke play their final season at the [[Victoria Ground]] which ended with a mid-table finish of 12th. Macari announced he was leaving at the end of the season which was a surprise but he was 'stripped of his duties' before he left and later launched a lawsuit against [[Peter Coates]] for wrongful dismissal.<ref name="Stoke City Modern Era"/>

===Huddersfield Town===
Macari joined [[Huddersfield Town A.F.C.|Huddersfield Town]] in December 1999 as the club's European Scout and formed part of Steve Bruce's backroom staff. The following season, in October 2000, Bruce was sacked and Huddersfield, who were in relegation trouble after a poor start to the season, asked Macari to step in as caretaker manager. He was appointed as the permanent manager four games later and despite a valiant effort to rescue the club, he couldn't prevent them from being relegated from Division One at the end of the 2000–01 campaign. 

Macari managed to steady the ship in 2001–02 and lead the club into the Second Division play-offs as the Terriers looked to bounce straight back up. However they were defeated by [[Brentford F.C.|Brentford]] in the semi-finals. Macari's contract was not renewed for the next season with Huddersfield's board stating his defensive style of football as the reason. This was to be Macari's last managerial role and despite being linked with various positions since has not ventured back into management.

==Post-retirement activities==
Macari currently lives in [[Stoke-on-Trent]] and works as a pundit for [[MUTV (Manchester United F.C.)|MUTV]] on several shows. He is a regular guest on ''Match Day Live'' before [[Manchester United]] home and away games. As well as phone-in shows such as ''Wednesday Night Phone-in'' he occasionally does punditry for [[Sky Sports]], and also writes regular comment pieces for the Stoke-on-Trent newspaper ''[[The Sentinel (Staffordshire)|The Sentinel]]''. He has given several guest talks at [[Staffordshire University]] on the Sports Journalism courses. Macari also owns the "Lou Macari Chip Shop" on Chester Road, near [[Old Trafford]]. He wrote his autobiography in October 2009 called ''Football, My Life''.

Macari was portrayed by Scottish actor [[Tony Curran]] in the 2014 television film ''[[Marvellous]]'', based on the life of former Stoke City kitman [[Neil Baldwin (Keele University)|Neil Baldwin]].<ref>{{cite news|last=McIver|first=Brian|title=I loved playing Celtic icon Lou Macari in new film.. it made a change to play a human, says Scots actor Tony Curran|url=http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/whats-on/film-news/loved-playing-celtic-icon-lou-4266804|access-date=12 October 2015|work=Daily Record|date=16 September 2014}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Macari's mother died just before the 1978 World Cup in strange circumstances. He subsequently discovered that she had overdosed on tablets. "My mum had been on her own, and in the conversation I'd had with her she said she had some friends up there. Putting the pieces together after she died, I just wasn't convinced that the friends were good friends. Some money had gone missing."<ref name="sos">{{cite news |url=http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/spectrum/Only-a-game-Lou-Macari.4370697.jp|title=Only a game: Lou Macari talks about the tragedy that changed his world|last=Deveney|first=Catherine|date=10 August 2008|newspaper=Scotland on Sunday|access-date=20 July 2010}}</ref>

His sons [[Mike Macari|Michael]] and [[Paul Macari|Paul]] have played professionally with Stoke, when Macari was manager of the club. His youngest son Jonathan died by suicide in 1999 after being released from his contract at [[Nottingham Forest F.C.|Nottingham Forest]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/331687.stm| title=Football manager's son found hanged| publisher=BBC News| date=29 April 1999| access-date=24 January 2009}}</ref> Family friend and former manager [[Dave Bassett]] said that Jonathan could not handle the pressure of living up to his father's greatness. There was also talk of drugs affecting his son's life and leading to his suicide,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/%27Real+world%27+too+much+for+Macari%27s+son.-a060335961 |title='Real world' too much for Macari's son |last=Aston |first=Paul |date=1 October 1999 |work=Birmingham Post |format=reprint |publisher=The Free Library (Farlex) |access-date=1 October 2010}}</ref> but Macari later discounted that theory, admitting that much like the death of his mother, the complete story behind the tragedy may never be known.<ref name="sos"/> Years later he said that "money in a young man's pocket is a recipe for disaster and we had that disaster. Only when you go through something like that do you understand the hell of it."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/lou-macari-faces-his-sons-suicide-8fb7sd053ql |title=Lou Macari faces his son's suicide |last=Buckland |first=Simon |newspaper=[[The Times]] |location=London |date=19 October 2008 |access-date=27 September 2024 |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20240927081208/https://www.thetimes.com/article/lou-macari-faces-his-sons-suicide-8fb7sd053ql |archive-date=27 September 2024}}</ref>

His grandson [[Lewis Macari|Lewis]] plays for [[Notts County F.C.|Notts County]], having signed from [[Stoke City F.C.|Stoke City]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=15 December 2023 |title=Lewis Macari: Notts County sign on-loan Stoke City defender on permanent deal |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/67716401 |access-date=18 January 2025 |work=BBC Sport}}</ref>

Macari worked with Stoke-on-Trent council to set up The Macari Centre, a street retreat to house the homeless sleeping rough, which opened in February 2016.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/news/how-you-can-help-homeless-823945 |title=What can YOU do to help the homeless in Stoke-on-Trent?|last=Ault|first=Richard|work=Stoke Sentinel |date=24 November 2017 |access-date=20 February 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.thetimes.com/sport/football/article/so-how-did-lou-macari-find-a-home-for-43-people-wxrj53cgc |title=So how did Lou Macari find a home for 43 people? |newspaper=[[The Times]] |first=Matt |last=Dickinson |date=24 December 2020 |access-date=24 December 2020}}</ref> In the [[COVID-19 pandemic]], following the closure of the crowded premises of The Macari Centre, Macari rented a warehouse and filled it with glamping pods for homeless people, giving them socially distanced places of their own and their own individual addresses.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/celtic-legend-lou-macari-sets-23516751|title=Celtic legend Lou Macari sets up street of glamping pods at warehouse to help homeless people|last=Hebditch|first=Jon|work=The Daily Record|date=17 February 2021|access-date=20 February 2021}}</ref>

==Career statistics==
===As a player===
====Club====
Source:<ref name="ENFA">{{ENFA}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|+ Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
|-
!rowspan="2"|Club
!rowspan="2"|Season
!colspan="3"|League
!colspan="2"|[[FA Cup]]
!colspan="2"|[[EFL Cup|League Cup]]
!colspan="2"|[[UEFA#Club|Europe]]
!colspan="2"|Other{{ref label|Other|A|}}
!colspan="2"|Total
|-
!Division!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals!!Apps!!Goals
|-
|rowspan="7"|[[Celtic F.C.|Celtic]]
|[[1967–68 Celtic F.C. season|1967–68]]
|[[Scottish Football League Division One|Scottish Division One]]
|0||0||0||0||1||0||0||0||0||0||1||0
|-
|[[1968–69 Celtic F.C. season|1968–69]]
|Scottish Division One
|1||1||0||0||3||0||0||0||0||0||4||1
|-
|[[1969–70 Celtic F.C. season|1969–70]]
|Scottish Division One
|15||7||2||2||0||0||0||0||2||1||19||10
|-
|[[1970–71 Celtic F.C. season|1970–71]]
|Scottish Division One
|11||5||1||1||8||5||1||2||0||0||21||13
|-
|[[1971–72 Celtic F.C. season|1971–72]]
|Scottish Division One
|20||10||5||5||6||5||8||4||3||1||42||25
|-
|[[1972–73 Celtic F.C. season|1972–73]]
|Scottish Division One
|11||3||0||0||6||4||3||2||3||0||23||9
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!58!!26!!8!!8!!24!!14!!12!!8!!8!!2!!110!!58
|-
|rowspan="13"|[[Manchester United F.C.|Manchester United]]
|[[1972–73 Manchester United F.C. season|1972–73]]
|[[Football League First Division|First Division]]
|16||5||0||0||0||0||0||0||3||0||19||5
|-
|[[1973–74 Manchester United F.C. season|1973–74]]
|First Division
|35||5||2||1||1||0||0||0||0||0||38||6
|-
|[[1974–75 Manchester United F.C. season|1974–75]]
|[[Football League Second Division|Second Division]]
|38||11||2||0||7||7||0||0||0||0||47||18
|-
|[[1975–76 Manchester United F.C. season|1975–76]]
|First Division
|36||12||6||1||3||2||0||0||0||0||45||15
|-
|[[1976–77 Manchester United F.C. season|1976–77]]
|First Division
|38||9||7||3||4||1||4||1||0||0||53||14
|-
|[[1977–78 Manchester United F.C. season|1977–78]]
|First Division
|32||8||4||3||1||0||2||0||1||0||40||11
|-
|[[1978–79 Manchester United F.C. season|1978–79]]
|First Division
|32||6||5||0||1||0||0||0||0||0||38||6
|-
|[[1979–80 Manchester United F.C. season|1979–80]]
|First Division
|39||9||2||0||3||0||0||0||0||0||44||9
|-
|[[1980–81 Manchester United F.C. season|1980–81]]
|First Division
|38||9||2||0||2||0||1||0||0||0||43||9
|-
|[[1981–82 Manchester United F.C. season|1981–82]]
|First Division
|11||2||2||0||0||0||0||0||0||0||13||2
|-
|[[1982–83 Manchester United F.C. season|1982–83]]
|First Division
|9||2||1||0||3||0||1||0||0||0||14||2
|-
|[[1983–84 Manchester United F.C. season|1983–84]]
|First Division
|5||0||1||0||2||0||2||0||0||0||10||0
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!329!!78!!34!!8!!27!!10!!10!!1!!4!!0!!404!!97
|-
|rowspan="3"|[[Swindon Town F.C.|Swindon Town]]
|[[1984–85 Swindon Town F.C. season|1984–85]]
|[[Football League Fourth Division|Fourth Division]]
|27||3||1||0||1||0||0||0||2||1||31||4
|-
|[[1985–86 Swindon Town F.C. season|1985–86]]
|Fourth Division
|9||0||0||0||3||0||0||0||0||0||12||0
|-
!colspan="2"|Total
!36!!3!!1!!0!!4!!0!!0!!0!!2!!1!!43!!4
|-
!colspan="3"|Career total
!423!!107!!43!!16!!55!!24!!22!!9!!14!!3!!557!!159
|}

{{refbegin}}
:A.&nbsp;{{note|Other}} The "Other" column constitutes appearances and goals in the [[Anglo-Italian Cup]], [[Drybrough Cup]], [[FA Community Shield|FA Charity Shield]], [[Football League Trophy]] and [[Glasgow Cup]].
{{refend}}

====International====
{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center;"
|+ Appearances and goals by national team and year
|-
!National team!!Year!!Apps!!Goals
|-
|rowspan=5|[[Scotland national football team|Scotland]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Macari, Lou|url=http://www.national-football-teams.com/player/20186/Lou_Macari.html#club|website=National Football Teams|access-date=3 November 2015}}</ref>
|1972||6||3
|-
|1973||4||0
|-
|1975||5||0
|-
|1977||6||2
|-
|1978||3||0
|-
!colspan=2|Total||24||5
|}

===As a manager===
Source:<ref name="ENFA"/>

{| class=wikitable style="text-align: center"
|+ Managerial record by team and tenure
|-
!rowspan=2|Team
!rowspan=2|From
!rowspan=2|To
!colspan=5|Record
|-
!{{abbr|P|Matches played}}!!{{abbr|W|Matches won}}!!{{abbr|D|Matches drawn}}!!{{abbr|L|Matches lost}}!!{{abbr|Win %|Win percentage}}
|-
|align=left|[[Swindon Town F.C.|Swindon Town]]
|align=left|23 July 1984
|align=left|3 July 1989
{{WDL|285|138|67|80|decimals=1}}
|-
|align=left|[[West Ham United F.C.|West Ham United]]
|align=left|3 July 1989
|align=left|18 February 1990
{{WDL|40|15|12|13|decimals=1}}
|-
|align=left|[[Birmingham City F.C.|Birmingham City]]
|align=left|7 February 1991
|align=left|18 June 1991
{{WDL|24|12|6|6|decimals=1}}
|-
|align=left|[[Stoke City F.C.|Stoke City]]
|align=left|18 June 1991
|align=left|26 October 1993
{{WDL|138|69|38|31|decimals=1}}
|-
|align=left|[[Celtic F.C.|Celtic]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Manager details – Macari, Lou|url=http://www.fitbastats.com/celtic/manager.php?id=131|website=FitbaStats|access-date=3 November 2015}}</ref>
|align=left|27 October 1993
|align=left|14 June 1994
{{WDL|34|12|14|8|decimals=1}}
|-
|align=left|Stoke City
|align=left|29 September 1994
|align=left|1 July 1997
{{WDL|151|55|47|49|decimals=1}}
|-
|align=left|[[Huddersfield Town A.F.C.|Huddersfield Town]]
|align=left|16 October 2000
|align=left|14 June 2002
{{WDL|93|36|29|28|decimals=1}}
|-
!colspan=3|Total
{{WDLtot|765|337|213|215|decimals=1}}
|}

==Honours==

===As a player===
'''Celtic'''
*[[Scottish Football League First Division|Scottish Division One]]:<ref>{{harvnb|Macari|Garside|2008|p=351}}</ref> [[1969–70 in Scottish football|1969–70]], [[1970–71 in Scottish football|1970–71]], [[1971–72 in Scottish football|1971–72]], [[1972–73 in Scottish football|1972–73]]
*[[Scottish Cup]]:<ref name="boy" /> [[1970–71 Scottish Cup|1970–71]], [[1971–72 Scottish Cup|1971–72]]
*[[Scottish League Cup]] runner-up: [[1969–70 Scottish League Cup|1969–70]], [[1970–71 Scottish League Cup|1970–71]], [[1971–72 Scottish League Cup|1971–72]]

'''Manchester United'''
*[[Football League Second Division]]: [[1974–75 Football League|1974–75]]<ref name="stret" />
*[[FA Cup]]: [[1976–77 FA Cup|1976–77]];<ref name="stret" /> runner-up: [[1975–76 FA Cup|1975–76]],<ref>{{cite book |first1=Leslie |first2=Jack |last1=Vernon |last2=Rollin |title=Rothmans Football Yearbook 1977–78 |year=1977 |publisher=Brickfield Publications Ltd |location=London |isbn=0354-09018-6 |page=491}}</ref> [[1978–79 FA Cup|1978–79]]
*[[FA Charity Shield]]: [[1977 FA Charity Shield|1977]] (shared),<ref>{{cite web|title=Saturday 13th August 1977 – Charity Shield|url=http://www.mufcinfo.com/manupag/match_data/match_sql.php?my_match_date=1977-08-13|website=MUFC Info|access-date=30 October 2015}}</ref> [[1983 FA Charity Shield|1983]]<ref>{{cite web|title=1983 Charity Shield line-up|url=http://www.mufcinfo.com/manupag/finals/final_appearences_line_ups/charityshieldlineups/1983_charity_shield_v_liverpool.htm|website=MUFC Info|access-date=31 October 2015}}</ref>
*[[Football League Cup]] runner-up: [[1982–83 Football League Cup|1982–83]]

===As a manager===
'''Swindon Town'''
*[[Football League Fourth Division]]: [[1985–86 Football League|1985–86]]<ref name="manhons">{{harvnb|Macari|Garside|2008|p=352}}</ref>
*[[Football League Third Division play-offs]]: [[1987 Football League play-offs#Third Division|1987]]<ref name="manhons" />

'''Birmingham City'''
*[[Football League Trophy]]: [[1990–91 Football League Trophy|1990–91]]<ref name="manhons" />

'''Stoke City'''
*[[Football League Second Division]]: [[1992–93 Football League|1992–93]]<ref name="manhons" />
*Football League Trophy: [[1991–92 Football League Trophy|1991–92]]<ref name="manhons" />

'''Individual'''
*[[Football League First Division Manager of the Month]]: December 2000<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |title=Manager of the Month |publisher=League Managers Association |url=http://www.leaguemanagers.com/managers/manager-of-the-month/?season=2000 |access-date=6 July 2009}}</ref>
*[[League Managers Association Awards|LMA]] [[John Duncan (footballer)|John Duncan]] Award: 2023<ref>{{Cite web |date=30 May 2023 |title=Pep Guardiola wins the Sir Alex Ferguson Trophy for the LMA Manager of the Year |url=https://leaguemanagers.com/news/lma-latest/pep-guardiola-wins-lma-manager-year-23/ |access-date=3 June 2023 |publisher=League Managers Association}}</ref>

==References==
'''General'''
* {{Cite book|last1=Macari|first1=Lou|first2=Kevin |last2=Garside|title=Football, My Life|publisher=[[Bantam Press|Bantam]]|year=2008|isbn=978-0-593-06108-4}}
'''Specific'''
{{reflist}}

{{UEFA Champions League top scorers}}
{{Scotland Squad 1978 World Cup}}
{{Navboxes
| title = Managerial positions
| list1 = 
{{Swindon Town F.C. managers}}
{{West Ham United F.C. managers}}
{{Birmingham City F.C. managers}}
{{Stoke City F.C. managers}}
{{Celtic F.C. managers}}
{{Huddersfield Town F.C. managers}}
}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Macari, Lou}}
[[Category:1949 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Largs]]
[[Category:Footballers from Edinburgh]]
[[Category:Footballers from North Ayrshire]]
[[Category:Scottish men's footballers]]
[[Category:Scotland men's youth international footballers]]
[[Category:Scotland men's under-23 international footballers]]
[[Category:Scotland men's international footballers]]
[[Category:Men's association football midfielders]]
[[Category:Celtic F.C. players]]
[[Category:Manchester United F.C. players]]
[[Category:Swindon Town F.C. players]]
[[Category:Scottish Football League players]]
[[Category:English Football League players]]
[[Category:1978 FIFA World Cup players]]
[[Category:Scottish football managers]]
[[Category:Swindon Town F.C. managers]]
[[Category:West Ham United F.C. managers]]
[[Category:Birmingham City F.C. managers]]
[[Category:Stoke City F.C. managers]]
[[Category:Celtic F.C. managers]]
[[Category:Huddersfield Town A.F.C. managers]]
[[Category:English Football League managers]]
[[Category:Scottish Football League managers]]
[[Category:Sheffield United F.C. non-playing staff]]
[[Category:UEFA Champions League top scorers]]
[[Category:Scottish columnists]]
[[Category:21st-century Scottish autobiographers]]
[[Category:People educated at St Michaels Academy]]
[[Category:Scottish sportspeople of Italian descent]]