Raith Rovers’ new player-manager Grant Murray maintains he is still one of the lads at heart after taking over at Stark’s Park.
The 36-year-old has been appointed on a two-year contract, heading up a new-look management team in Kirkcaldy which sees Paul Smith continue as assistant manager and Laurie Ellis becoming first-team coach.
As club captain Murray was already an influential figurehead in the dressing room but he is relishing the added responsibility on his shoulders following the departure of previous boss John McGlynn.
”As a backroom staff we now have a responsibility for all the players and what happens at the club,” he said. ”It’s up to us as a coaching staff to get the best out of each and every one of the players.
”I don’t want that to be an awkward situation. I’m going to be available as a player so the players have got to realise I’m still one of them.
”I’m still going to train with them so there has to be that relationship between myself and all the players so it isn’t an awkward situation.
”We’re here to help them and get the best out of all of them, and get the team’s work ethic right.”
Murray has been in the game too long to start setting grandiose targets but the new boss believes the club’s united front will help foster success at Stark’s this term.
”We have to just get our feet flat on the ground a lot has happened in the last week and once we get all the staff back together we can sit down and discuss what our aim is,” he told Courier Sport.
”From day one the fans have been magnificent to me and the team as a whole and we just hope that continues.
”We just want to put a team on the park that they are happy with so they flood through the gates in their numbers and give us as much support as they can.”
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Talks relating to finances and transfer targets have yet to be had with the board, although Murray is keen to strengthen his squad.
”We would be looking to bring in one or two players but that discussion hasn’t been finalised at this moment in time,” he added.
”The quickness of John departing and Paul Smith on holiday, there’s been a lot of work between a few people from myself, Laurie, goalkeeping coach Craig Ireland and others have been helping out.
”Everyone has had to dig in, the players have had to pull together but there’s been 100% effort from everyone here.”
With around a fortnight remaining until the new season, Murray also reckons the fact the new management team knows the club so well will be a huge bonus.
He said: ”I think it was an important thing for the board in their decision they knew we knew how the club worked.
”It was a big decision from their point of view but it’s a great opportunity for us.
”If I had been coming in fresh it might have been a different situation because no-one at the club knew me but I’ve been here three years, Laurie’s been here 10 years, and right away there’s a bond there and the new lads here have fitted in magnificently.
”We’re grateful to the board for giving us this opportunity.”
Ellis admitted the last week had been a bit surreal but has been buoyed by the support of everyone at the club.
”I must say the way the players have trained and the application that they’ve shown us even just as we’ve been standing in, even before any appointments, has been brilliant,” he said.
The management set-up has the full backing of the Raith board, with director Turnbull Hutton revealing the club has had a ”ready-made succession plan” in place for some time in the event McGlynn moved on.