Ian Murray was sure management was the “next progression” for Jim Goodwin after seeing how he handled a tumultuous time at
St Mirren.
The Raith Rovers boss will go head-to-head with the Aberdeen manager in Sunday’s crucial Premier Sports Cup match.
The televised affair sees the Dons firmly in the driving seat – anything better than a single-goal win will see Rovers hoping that second place will be enough.
Even that is not guaranteed, with Stirling threatening to take advantage of any slip-up.
‘A lot of changes’
Murray got his management career off to a flyer at Dumbarton before he moved to
St Mirren – fresh after being relegated from the Premiership.
He penned a two-year deal in Paisley a month after his 34th birthday, taking over from interim boss Gary Teale.
Goodwin, born in the same year, was assistant along with Gary Teale to Tommy Craig.
“Gary Teale was then the (interim) manager and Jim was back in the changing room,” remembers Murray, speaking to Courier Sport.
“There was a lot of transition going on at the club, a lot of changes.
“So he had a lot to deal with at the time but he never caused any problems – he was a real help.”
‘Not what the public perceived’
That experience, and sharing Uefa Pro License course with Goodwin, led Murray to think management was “probably the next step in his progression”.
“He was coming towards the end of his career and for a lot of us it’s all we’ve known for a long time and it would be the next progression,” adds Murray.
“So I could see it, he was perhaps not what at the time the public perceived, he did think a lot about football and he would look for new ideas and look to learn.”
“Since then it has progressed ten-fold for him from Alloa to Aberdeen.”
Murray also had a huge amount of respect for Goodwin as a player – a heart-on-the-sleeve battling midfielder in his time.
“I always enjoyed playing against him – because you knew what you were getting from him and against him,” adds Murray.
Hard but fair
“It was a 50-50 contest. He could take a bit, he could give a bit.
“He wasn’t underhand, he wasn’t sneaky.
Murray alludes to an old cliche: it is often the quieter ones you have to be wary of.
“You often find it’s the other ones that are a wee bit naughty – they play to the crowd a little bit.
“They’ll maybe put in a couple of naughty challenges. Jim went in hard but fair most of the time.”
Uphill task ahead
After the draw with Dumbarton earlier in the week, Murray spoke about having to now go about qualification “the hard way”.
He is fully aware of what is required for progression to the second round of the Premier Sports Cup.
The Rovers boss says things have progressed “ten-fold” for Goodwin since the Irishman made his first steps into management with Alloa.
The Dons have won three from three in Group A so far, without conceding a goal.
Even a single-goal win for Rovers would not guarantee a spot as one of the best three runners-up.
“It’s great for him, he seems to have recruited well this summer,” adds Murray.
“Getting the money in from the two players has helped but he’d still got to go and find those players.”
- Aberdeen v Raith Rovers is live on Premier Sports on Sunday, kick-off 3pm.
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