On the face of it, choosing McStay as manager to succeed Derek Adams (who left to join Colin Calderwood at Hibs), Ross County picked a coach with some experience, even if that experience has not always been at the top level of the game in Scotland.
McStay made his bones as reserve team coach in a fifteen year spell at Parkhead, during which he won eight reserve titles. Following Tony Mowbray’s arrival and the subsequent shake-up at the club, McStay, a former Celtic player himself, departed for Hungary and his first managerial post with Ujpest: McStay’s replacement as reserve coach was current Celtic manager Neil Lennon.
McStay’s short spell in Hungary was relatively successful, but amid claims of financial troubles at the club, McStay cut his stay short after only nine months and returned to Scotland, perhaps hoping for the top-job at Parkhead (he had been amongst the bookies favourites). In the end, that job went to Neil Lennon, leaving McStay to take up his previous post as reserve team coach. This time McStay’s stay at Celtic was cut short again as he fell foul of a reorganisation at the club: Lennon once again rang in the changes, costing McStay his job.
Since McStay joined The Staggies back in November, nine games ago, they’ve won only the one game and find themselves in the relegation play-off zone on level points with Cowdenbeath and every Dundee-creditors least favourite club, ehm, Dundee. For a side that where in second place in the league at the same point last season and which would eventually reach the Scottish Cup final via Hibs and Celtic, it would be safe to assume that some kind of improvement on that success might not be unreasonable.
Buoyed on by last seasons expectations, the club where hoping to build on that success. A lack of any significant signing during the off-season may have played it’s part in this seasons slump in form, but with the exception Alex Keddie, Steven Watt and Martin Scott, the Staggies’ 2010/2011 team features most of the team that made it all the way to Hampden last season.
In the end it was a lack of finishing quality up front and a leaky defence that most probably cost McStay his job. In his nine games in charge, McStay’s Ross County scored as many goals as the team had scored under Adams up to that point, seven, but had conceded 13 more. The failure to kill of opposition teams cost them dearly on three occasions as the Staggies gave up leads and drop valuable points.
And so, following this weekends nil-nil draw with bottom side Stirling Albion, Director of Football George (father of Derek) Adams swung the proverbial axe and off-loaded McStay. Adams will take temporary charge of the team until a new manager is found.
The life expectancy of a football manager is becoming shorter with every passing season. Sacking managers is a disruptive affair for any club, but with so much riding on preserving league status, club owners are becoming increasingly jumpy. The financial implications of dropping out of the league are severe, quite possibly severe enough to make the disruption of managerial changes a risk worth taking. There are currently several former-managers without jobs and with experience in managing financially stricken clubs, so finding another manager quickly should not be an issue.
“In his nine games in charge, McStay’s Ross County scored as many goals as the team had scored under Adams up to that point, seven, but had conceded 13 more”
Chris Sutton has expressed an interest in the job. Other candidates include John Hughes, Gordon Chisolm, Gus MacPherson and Jimmy Calderwood, while Gary Bollan, whose Livingston side are continuing their ascent up the leagues and who are favourites for promotion from the Second Division is another possible manager with experience at this level of football.
With the season almost at an end, you’d be mistaken in thinking there’s nothing left to play for. The Second Division still needs a champion, and there’s the tricky matter of quite a few relegation and play-off places still up for grabs.