Paul Hartley hopes to be boss not player/manager
Two years after leaving Celtic and following spells at Bristol City and Aberdeen the midfielder has moved into management in charge of the newly relegated side.
The job title says player/manager but if the midfielder gets his squad right he’s hoping to spend all of his time in the dug-out.
He admitted: “If I think the players need a helping hand and a bit of guidance on the pitch then I will play but I hope things are going so well I will not need to name myself in the team.
“I’ve not been off my phone in the past 48 hours, speaking to my former managers and contacts about players.
“I’ve also been arranging places to train for the new season and organising a pre-season schedule for training and games. I’ve been thinking about budgets.
“I must have made almost 100 calls and I’ve had some really good conversations. I’m excited and I’m confident but I’ve not been able to sleep the past two nights.
“I’ve had 101 things running through my mind and I’m trying to deal with them all and prioritise things.
“I’m only a day into the job but I’ve already realised how important it is to be organised, manage your time properly and delegate.
“That’s why I will work with my own people, people I trust and respect. Paddy Connolly falls into that category.”
Hartley added: “I’m very excited about it. This will not be a part-time job. I will treat this as full-time post and I will work seven days a week.
“At the end of the day my neck is on the line and I need to be successful. I want to establish myself as a manager and I need to win games to do that.
“I hope this is the first day of a long and successful career.
“I think this an excellent opportunity. Alloa are an ambitious club and the aim is to win the title and get straight back into Division Two.
“Everyone is disappointed at being relegated but we have to move on. Every player is out of contract and I expect there will be a quite a big turnover of staff in the coming weeks.”
Follow Video Celts on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube
Do you have a passion for football, writing and Celtic? VideoCelts is looking to expand over the coming months and can offer you a great platform to join the expanding online Celtic community. Drop an email to videocelts@snack-media.com