Black played as a striker for Aberdeen and Metz, winning major trophies with both clubs, and earned two international caps for the Scotland national team.
Born in Bellshill, Lanarkshire, Black spent his early life in the Glasgow area before his family moved north to Nigg, Highland due to his father's job in the offshore oil industry, and he signed for Aberdeen in 1980 (a week after Bryan Gunn who came from the same part of the country).
[2] He missed out on a potential fourth Scottish Cup medal when he was overlooked for the 1986 final having already agreed to move abroad.
This angered many fans who believed that Black had brought an attractive and highly effective style of football back to the club and was merely being moved on for a bigger name (he was succeeded by Peter Reid, who proved to be a major disappointment).
[31] On 29 September, The Daily Telegraph alleged that Black had offered advice to a third-party player ownership consortium on how to bribe lower league clubs.
[32] An investigation by Southampton FC cleared Black of any wrongdoing, as the newspaper refused to provide any evidence to substantiate their allegation.
[33] He resigned in December 2017 for personal reasons, with the club citing ongoing back problems due to injuries sustained during his playing career.
[34] 18 months after leaving that post, he confirmed he no longer wished to be involved in professional coaching and was happy to have left the intense football environment after nearly four decades.