Australia
Munro finished his playing days at Sydney United in 1998 under the guidance of former Rangers teammate Dave Mitchell. His move to Australia came about after to a promise he made to his Australian wife, who he met on a pre-tour of the country with Rangers in the 1980s.
His first senior coaching role was at Morwell-based NSL side Gippsland Falcons, blooding the likes of Archie Thompson, John Hutchinson and Scott McDonald, with the latter making his debut as a 15 year-old – a national league record at the time.
The next season saw Munro appointed manager of Carlton, where he coached a talented outfit consisting of established stars Andrew Marth, John Markovski and Steve Horvat, along with youngsters Simon Colosimo and Joshua Kennedy, who was handed a professional debut by Munro. “I did quite well with Carlton, who at the time were a full-time professional club,” he says.
“[Unfortunately], my most vivid memory of my early coaching days in the NSL was seeing the clubs I was managing enter liquidation and receivership, which occurred at both the Falcons and Carlton”.
An assistant’s role alongside old friend Dave Mitchell at Parramatta Power was followed by a season in charge of South Melbourne in the final NSL campaign in 2003/04, where Munro once again worked under financial constraints. However, he did manage to guide Hellas to the NSL Finals, handing youngsters such as Massimo Murdocca, Vince Lia, Eugene Galekovic, Kristian Sarkies and Simon Storey invaluable experience at the top level. The conclusion of the season saw the pin pulled on the NSL with the club entering receivership.
On his NSL days, Munro quips that he seemed to be, “the guy brought in to clubs when budget cuts were being made”.
Victorian Premier League and Perth Glory
Despite his pedigree and results, Munro did not receive a serious look in when A-League coaching appointments were being made, instead continuing to enhance his glistening reputation at state level in the Victorian Premier League. The Scot was appointed manager of Oakleigh Cannons in 2006, guiding them to a minor premiership, before an injury-crisis in defence halted their charge to the Grand Final.
“Oakleigh were a great club, they had a great committee, and very supportive people,” Munro says.
“We managed to build a great side that ended up topping the ladder at the end of the regular season, before a freak-injury crisis in defence stalled our march forward”.
Three successful years at Jack Edwards Reserve was followed by a move to the newly-promoted Dandenong Thunder in 2009, which the ex-Rangers defender guided to an unprecedented top spot on the ladder – winning the 2009 Coach of the Year in the process – but once more falling at the final hurdle as the Thunder lost the title decider to Altona Magic on penalties.
“In my first year we won the league by something like 12 points before losing the Grand Final, and at clubs like these you get all the ups and downs, where in one season you have money to spend before being held back by a lack of financial resources the following campaign,” he says.
Munro’s first spell at George Andrews Reserve came to an end in 2011 when he was appointed assistant manager of Perth Glory, where he linked up with his former Rangers teammate Ian Ferguson. In his time there, the former NSL powerhouses reached the 2012 A-League Grand Final only to beaten by Brisbane, a game most famously involving Besart Berisha’s contentious penalty.
Munro reflects on his time at the Glory as a “good experience,” where he was able to gauge just how much football at the top level had changed in the country. The axing of Ferguson in February 2013 saw Munro return to the Thunder, taking over mid-season after predecessor Chris Taylor – who was recommended as a manager by the Scot – departed for South Melbourne.
A move upstairs to the role of Technical Director in 2014 proved short-lived, as the experienced manager was re-appointed first-team coach ahead of the 2015 NPL campaign. Munro has once more been forced to contend with a limited budget, trying to lead the 2012 VPL Champions out of a relegation battle. “This year is a difficult one as the club is trying to sort out things off the pitch, and the danger in that is we may lose too many matches, although I believe that with the boys we have that can be avoided,” he says.
Munro’s keen eye for identifying young talent has not subsided at Thunder, unearthing the likes of Jack Hingert, Kieran Dover and Matt Millar, all given their debuts at the top level of Victorian football by the 52 year-old. This NPL season alone has seen teenagers Yusuf Ahmed and Jarrod Blackbourn emerge under his command.
Rowville Academy
Munro is also the full-time Head Coach of the Rowville Sports Academy Football Program, a role he inherited in its inception in 2008. In that period he has coached the likes of Liverpool’s Jake Brimmer, Stoke City striker Peter Skapetis, A-League players Paulo Retre and Rashid Mahazi, as well as NPL stars Stipo Andrijasevic, Iqbal Jawadi, Kieran Dover and Luke Gallo.
“We have had considerable success in the short time so far at Rowville for a development academy which does not play a lot of competitive games, and it’s great for the kids to able to get a chance to enhance their skills as a player by consistently training at school,” Munro says.
Given his long list of accomplishments as both a player and a manager, it is perhaps surprising Stuart Munro is not managing at a higher level. His proven track record in developing youth has launched a number of distinguished careers, and at only 52-years-old, has many years left ahead of him to continue unearthing more.
In any case, Dandenong Thunder have the right man for the job to try ensure survival in a relegation scrap, with the tenacious Scotsman well equipped to lead the Dandenong South-based club to safety.