McLean Looking Forward to Getting Started

Brian McLean sat down with the official website to discuss his thoughts after being appointed Head Coach last week.

“It’s a fantastic opportunity, and probably at the right time for myself. I’m delighted to take up the job and delighted for the trust of the club and Jim, who I’ve worked with for a number of years, and I’m looking forward to enhancing that relationship.

“In terms of us going forward as a club, it’s important that we have some continuity but we also need to have transparency so the fans are onside as I know they will be from the start. It’s a journey, not just for the players or staff, everyone needs to be in it together and fighting in the direction we all want to go.”

Brian spoke about what he will be looking for from his team:

“I think the biggest element we need to look at is fitness and being able to run to create angles for players in possession and putting opponents under pressure. We have to have an intensity about ourselves and I want to try and install that identity in us so conditioning will be a massive factor in how I want us to operate, and then the tactical side will develop in due course.

“Having the dynamic between myself and Jim, and just having that sounding board, will be fantastic and valuable. It’s important we get across the right message to the right players in the right areas of the pitch to connect some more passes going forward, as well as having that cutting edge to put opponents on the back foot.”

At 38 years old, McLean has confirmed that he has decided to hang up his boots after a career spanning 22 years:

“It wasn’t really a hard decision to do, I’ve had a decent career lasting 22 years! I’ve learned a lot from myself from a young age and I’ve always had an old head on young shoulders. I’m now ready for this opportunity and that’s why I’ve made the decision to retire so I am fully immersed on the other side of the white line.

“I’ll have extra guidance from Jim, which will be invaluable for me, so we can have that shared discussion and approach for how we want to things going forward.”

Finally, Brian spoke about how important the backing of the Bully Wee fans will be this season:

“Momentum is everything, it’s important we get the nucleus of the new squad together as soon as we can and get to work from Day 1 which is a week on Saturday. We need to lay the foundation early to get across our identity and what we will stand for.

“We know the backing will be there, it’s up to us as players and coaching staff to try and make sure the performances match the backing every week. The fans recognise that, and it’s up to us as a result driven business to make sure they get the results they deserve.”