Pressley would relish Celtic role

The 35-year-old Falkirk defender is calling time on his 19-year playing career and wants to go straight into full-time coaching.Pressley, who won the double with Celtic in 2007 during an 18-month spell there, believes he is ready to walk straight into a big job, including working under Gordon Strachan's successor at Parkhead.He said: "It's a very attractive proposition and if the opportunity came around to assist somebody at Celtic then of course I'd be very interested."I feel confident in my own ability to do that type of job and if the right man comes along that needs assistance then hopefully I'll be that man."Pressley is already an assistant to Scotland boss George Burley and has been studying for his UEFA Pro Licence for the past year.So self-confident is he, the former Hearts captain would even have no fears about taking over the managerial reins at the likes of Aberdeen and Hibernian."I believe that I'm ready for management but I'm not ruling anything out," said Pressley, before conceding his eight-year spell at Tynecastle would probably prevent him becoming Hibs boss."If the right coaching opportunity came along then I'd definitely be interested."But, at this moment in time, I have a belief in my own ability to manage or coach and I'll definitely consider any opportunity."I've got my own ideas about how a club should function and a team should function and I do genuinely believe that I'm ready to take on that type of responsibility."Pressley, who insisted he had not applied for any job, was more coy about the prospect of taking over at Falkirk should John Hughes leave this summer.He said: "The one thing for sure is that I have a great deal of respect for John as a person and as a manager and to comment on his position would be wrong."Pressley has been preparing for a move into management for some time, revealing he had reached the decision to retire "several months ago".He added: "To be honest, it was a relatively easy decision for myself and that's why I knew it was the correct time."My involvement with the national team, my involvement in the UEFA Pro Licence has certainly whetted my appetite."I'm far more motivated by that than the playing of the game."And also, physically, I felt that I could no longer produce the types of performances that I expect of myself and I just thought it was the right time in my career to close that book and start another chapter."Pressley started his senior career at Rangers in 1990 and went on to play for Coventry and Dundee United before joining Hearts in 1998.It was at Tynecastle where he made the most impact, spending eight years there and becoming club captain.After lifting the Scottish Cup in 2006, he left controversially at the end of that year when he and team-mates Craig Gordon and Paul Hartley publicly criticised majority shareholder Vladmir Romanov.After his spell at Celtic, Pressley had a four-month stint at Danish side Randers late last year, which was followed by a return to Scotland with Falkirk, who he helped avoid SPL relegation this season.Pressley also earned 32 Scotland caps between 2000 and 2006.Asked about his career highs and lows, he said: "Once you finish playing, I don't believe there are any low points. I think former players never tend to have bad games, do they?"In their own minds, they never made mistakes."All my experiences very much helped me as a person and developed me as a person and I've been very fortunate to be in that type of environment."Highs? Possibly the highlight was leading Hearts to the Scottish Cup in 2006."With my association with the club at that time, I think that it was a truly memorable moment for myself."Pressley believes his taking a stand against Romanov three years ago showed he would have what it takes to be a manager."I found myself at Hearts managing many situations that I think has certainly benefited me," he said."As a person, I've always had very high morals and very high values."I've grown to understand people over the course of my career and I think all these factors, along with the tactical aspects, have made me very keen to be involved in coaching and management."

Source: Team_Talk