Martindale in for “as long as needed” as Livingston resume managerial search
Livingston interim manager David Martindale has insisted his return to the dugout is strictly temporary. However, he admits he does “miss coaching” as he prepares his side for Friday evening’s trip to Cappielow. The Lions confirmed the dismissal of manager Glenn Whelan after just nine games on Sunday, following a disappointing Championship start featuring two wins and three defeats. Martindale, who spent six years as manager before stepping into a sporting director role in January, stepped back into the dugout to give the board breathing room in their search for a successor. “I will step in as long as needed, but this isn’t something I’m looking to do in the long term, I’ve made that crystal clear,” Martindale said. “That ship’s sailed. I miss coaching, but long-term, I think we need to be looking elsewhere rather than Davie Martindale. “It probably buys us a wee bit of time to try and bring someone in so there’s no panic or immediate knee-jerk reaction.” Addressing the decision behind the early managerial change, Martindale highlighted the pressure and high expectations surrounding the club’s promotion push. “The expectation from ownership is that they want to win this league, and we’re all well aware that the start hasn’t been good enough,” he explained. “We were pretty keen to try and get to at least matchday nine, where everyone has played each other once, and then reassess. S “Sitting fifth in the league after losing three out of five games isn’t where we want to be. Dropping points against part-time teams, who have been magnificent to be fair, probably added a wee bit of fuel to the fire as well.” As the club begins its recruitment process, Martindale revealed that Livingston plan to “cast the net a wee bit wider” to find their next head coach. “We have a really strong knowledge base when it comes to UK football,” Martindale added. “You could ask me about almost any domestic league, and I can give you information or make a quick phone call. “European football is a little bit different, though. We need to bring in expertise and experience in different markets compared to the ones we’ve traditionally looked at.” Livingston face bottom side Greenock Morton on Friday evening, looking to break a two match winless run, and reignite their Championship campaign.
Six players who Sebastien Pocognoli could hand Scotland debuts to next month.
Sebastien Pocognoli confirmed his Scotland backroom staff yesterday, and will confirm his first squad on Tuesday ahead of the first round of fixtures in the UEFA Nations League. Many are expecting a new era to begin on the pitch, along as in the dugout. Scotland mainstays Scott McTominay and Lawrence Shankland are already confirmed to be missing Pocognoli’s first camp, but it’s likely many of Steve Clarke’s World Cup camp have played their last matches for Scotland. Clarke always maintained loyalty to players who helped him qualify for tournaments, which led to criticism from fans for failing to adapt to an ageing squad. But, Pocognoli doesn’t hold this loyalty. He’s also been known to promote younger players during his management career, and with a promising young generation of players coming through, some of Clarke’s favoured players could make way to usher in a younger generation. Here’s a handful of players who could be handed their first Scotland call-ups on Tuesday. Josh McPake: The Hearts winger has been one of the standouts of the season so far and thoroughly deserves a call-up. Pocognoli was present for the recent Edinburgh Derby, where McPake provided a goal and assist. The only thing going against his call-up chances is that Pocognoli typically favours a 3-4-1-2 formation, which leaves little space for wingers. Calvin Miller: Whilst Miller has spent a lot of time on the right-wing this season, he excelled on Falkirk’s left flank last year, and even had a stint at left-back in August. Kieran Tierney seems better suited to a left centre-back role as opposed to wing-back, and Andy Robertson isn’t getting any younger, handing Miller his Scotland debut makes perfect sense next month. Robbie Ure: The Sevilla striker was in fine form in Sweden before sealing his switch to Spain. It makes sense that Ure is handed his first Scotland cap given his goalscoring form, age and level he’s playing at. Luis Binks: Despite playing every minute in the Champions League qualifiers, minutes have been hard to come by for Scott McKenna in the Coatian league this season. Binks if four years younger and offers similar qualities to McKenna in the left-side of a back three, whilst also playing every minute in the Danish Superliga this season, captaining Brondby. Binks could offer a breath of fresh air at a time that feels like a sliding doors moment for the National Team. Stephen Welsh: He was in fine form at Motherwell last season and probably deserved his seat on the plane to America. Welsh has been a mainstay in the Swansea defence this season as they find themselves third in the Championship. Josh Mulligan: Given Scotland’s midfield options, this could be an outside shout, but even given a recent dip in form, Mulligan has been a great addition at Hibernian, and could be in line for a debut. Analysing Scotland’s last World Cup squad, McTominay will miss September’s camp, it’s unlikely Tyler fletcher returns to the squad this soon (granted Billy Gilmour is available for selection once more). There’s a chance Kenny McLean doesn’t return to the National Team again at 34-years-old, so a big change in midfield options could make room for Mulligan. Between his time at Dundee and Hibs, Mulligan is used to playing in front of a back three and has also been known to fill in at the right-side of defence from time to time. The Hibs midfielder has been involved at Scotland before, earning a late call-up for October’s home win against Belarus, but didn’t get on the park for his first cap. On the other end, players such as Grant Hanley and John Souttar could be the ones to make way for a new wave of Welsh and Binks, whilst a forward combination of Lyndon Dykes, George Hirst and Ross Stewart could allow for Ure to come into the squad. Whilst he’s already made his debut, Sassuolo’s Kieron Bowie is also a promising option to lead the Scotland front-line for years to come.