Former Rangers utility man Ian has returned to management within the Scottish game, with the 44-year-old confirmed as the new manager of Championship side Greenock Morton.
Murray’s appointment marks the latest chapter in a managerial career that has already taken him across several levels of Scottish football, and one that now brings him back into the Championship spotlight.
For Rangers supporters, it also revives memories of a dependable, adaptable squad player who operated across defence and midfield during a transitional period at Ibrox.
Murray joined Rangers in the summer of 2005 from Hibernian, where he had captained the club and built a reputation as a tactically intelligent, versatile performer.
Signed during Alex McLeish’s tenure, Murray went on to make 60 appearances in all competitions over two seasons, filling in wherever required and offering reliability rather than spectacle.
His time in Glasgow came to an end in the summer of 2007 when Walter Smith sanctioned his departure as Rangers reshaped their squad.
Murray joined Norwich City, though his stay in Norfolk proved short-lived.
After just six months, he returned to Hibernian in January 2008, beginning what would become the most substantial phase of his playing career.
Across two spells at Easter Road, Murray made more than 250 appearances, cementing his status as a trusted figure in the Hibees’ squad.
He eventually retired in 2012 at the age of just 31, following a brief trial period with Brechin City.
His playing career also included six international caps for Scotland, earned under Berti Vogts and later Smith.
Almost immediately, Murray moved into management. He took up a player-manager role at Dumbarton in 2012, though he would never make a competitive appearance on the pitch.
Instead, his impact was felt from the technical area. Murray kept the part-time Sons in the Championship for three consecutive seasons and guided them to the Scottish Cup quarter-finals, achievements that earned him widespread praise for his organisational skills and man-management.
When the managerial position reopened at the Rock late last year many supporters called for Murray’s return, but with the club now in League 2 – this was never a realistic option.
That work led to an opportunity with St Mirren in the summer of 2015.
However, the move proved ill-fated. Murray was dismissed later that year following a defeat - ironically at the hands of Dumbarton - and has since experienced mixed fortunes in subsequent spells with Airdrieonians and Raith Rovers.
His return to the dugout at Cappielow will see him inherit a club that has undergone significant upheaval. Billy Davies, another former Rangers player, currently holds the unusual title of Technical Head Coach at Morton and has been in interim charge since Dougie Imrie’s controversial departure to Raith Rovers late last year - a move that triggered supporter anger and culminated in chairman John Laird stepping aside.
Murray will also find familiar Rangers connections within the playing squad.
Former Ibrox forward Michael O’Halloran is on Morton’s books, while ex-Rangers youth player Kerr Robertson is also part of the Cappielow set-up.