Former Elgin City manager Jim Weir revealed he is forever thankful to the League 2 club for giving him the chance to be the boss at Borough Briggs.
The former Hamilton, Hearts and St Johnstone defender has rejoined the Moray outfit as part of current boss and his good friend Gavin Price’s backroom staff until the end of the season.
The 52-year-old was first recruited by Elgin in 2014 and he guided them from the bottom of the division to promotion contenders during his three years at the helm.
He was succeeded by his former assistant Price, who has remained a close ally and that bond led to their reunion last week, with Weir accepting a short stint request to help coach the squad amid Covid and staffing issues.
Weir guided City from bottom place
Weir will never forget how the Black and Whites handed him the opportunity to be their manager after looking for the right job following his exit from Brechin City in 2012.
He said: “Elgin is a great club and it was tough leaving it.
“When the job came up in 2014, many people hadn’t given me a chance, but the Elgin board, and the chairman in particular, gave me that chance. I had a lot to thank the club for at that time.
“People tried to talk me out of it because of how difficult it would be to get players, but I felt a real warmth for the club and I felt confident at the interview stage I could get them out of the predicament they were in (at the bottom of League 2).
“We went on to move the club up (to seventh overall) and had a fantastic next season (runners-up to East Fife).
“We were on course in year three, but we lost (striker) Shane Sutherland (who joined Peterhead) and it didn’t quite work out (as the club finished fifth).
“I only left the club because of work commitments, which were two nights a week travelling up to Inverness and the game on Saturdays. I was sad to leave the club.
“However, I have always kept in touch with some of the players, the chairman Graham Tatters and, especially, Gavin.
“Gavin and I have always spoken after almost every game. Even when I was out of football, we’ve spoken on a Saturday, whether it’s after a good win or a disappointing defeat, so we’ve always been close.
“Gavin had been at me for a wee while, asking me to come back, saying I was a loss to football. After my car accident in 2019, I needed a break.
“It’s good to see how the players have developed and how Gavin has developed as a manager. He has Steven Mackay as his assistant and he’s managed at Brora and had a good playing career. Although I’m an experienced manager, I am sure I can also learn from them.”
Weir helps out until the summer
Weir, who bossed Montrose and Arbroath at the start of his senior coaching career, is only looking as far ahead as the end of this term due to work duties.
He added: “I’m trying to be fair with the club, Gavin and Steven Mackay. Due to work, I can’t commit to beyond the end of the season.
“At the minute, I will try to get to some of the training nights, but I will be there on the Saturdays. If I was to commit longer-term, I would also need to commit to training and my concern right now is I wouldn’t be able to do that.
“Again, it will come down to whether Gavin and Steven feel they’ve benefited from me being part of the backroom staff.”
Weir was in the dugout on Saturday as Elgin lost 2-1 in a close encounter down at Annan Athletic, a result which keeps them eighth, with seven matches remaining.
Impressive on-loan Cove Rangers defender Jevan Anderson suffered what is feared to be a fractured collarbone against Annan, although there is no fresh news on this at the moment.
Elgin are gearing up for back-to-back home fixtures, with champions-elect Kelty Hearts heading north on Saturday, with fourth-placed Edinburgh City their visitors seven days later.
