Manager Of The Year Should Look Beyond The SPL

15 April 2011 14:24
The voting for manager of the year should take account of resources as well and relative change influenced by the manager. Craig Levein believes his successor as Raith Rovers manager, John McGlynn, is the standout candidate for PFA Scotland's Manager of the Year. As the season comes to a conclusion, Neil Lennon is looking for a domestic double in his first season as Celtic manager and Walter Smith is hoping to add the SPL title to the Co-operative Insurance Cup win as he finishes his career as Rangers manager. However, Levein believes what has been achieved by McGlynn with his limited resources have more than matched those in the upper echelons of the game, with part-time Kirkcaldy-based Rovers challenging for promotion to the top flight. The Scotland manager said: "My manager of the year has to be John McGlynn at Raith Rovers.  When I look at these things I tend to look for somebody who doesn't have the biggest budget, has had to work hard with the squad that he has and the money that he has. For Raith Rovers to be at the top end of the league, competing against full-time teams and teams with much bigger budgets, for me it's a no-brainer. It's got to be somebody like John McGlynn who has punched well above his weight." McGlynn succeeded Levein as boss in Kirkcaldy when the latter moved to Dundee United in November 2006. Rovers are now one point behind Irn-Bru First Division leaders Dunfermline with four games left, including the 23 April game between the league's top two sides. Levein went on: "I recommended him for the job. The job he's done there is amazing. We're still a fair bit away from the end of the season and it's yet to be seen if Raith Rovers get promoted. But if they do it would be a marvellous achievement."Six Scottish managers - Sir Alex Ferguson, Kenny Dalglish, David Moyes, Steve Kean, Alex McLeish and Owen Coyle - currently ply their trade in the Barclays Premier League and Levein believes more will follow. He added: "The coaching and managing community in Scotland is really strong - we're enormously respected throughout the world. We will continue to produce good managers - there's something in our make up as Scotsmen."

Source: FOOTYMAD