David Robertson is just the sort of character needed for the Peterhead dressing room following Jim McInally’s long service at Balmoor Stadium.
Jim did a terrific job with the Blue Toon, but, following his departure from the club, it was important for the club to really freshen up the place with his replacement.
He was there for 11 years. In that time the club will have worked a certain way – his way – and it takes a strong character to put their stamp on a club after replacing someone like Jim, who had that length of service at one club.
Davie certainly meets the criteria of being a strong character. He has been out of Scottish football for a long time, but he’s certainly not been sitting about with his feet up.
He’s tested himself in the United States and India following his early jobs at Elgin City and Montrose, and he has returned to Scotland after being a manager for almost 20 years.
Clearly, this is no rookie coming in at the Blue Toon.
It has been a tough season for Peterhead as they find themselves fighting for survival in League 1, and I expect Davie to go in at the club and really shake things up.
He has a massive game for his first match in charge this weekend at Kelty Hearts – Peterhead are bottom, 10 points behind last season’s League 2 champions.
A win at Kelty would take the Blue Toon off the bottom of the table and above Clyde, if the Bully Wee were to lose at home to Edinburgh FC.
Psychologically it would give everyone at the club a huge shot in the arm from day one.
Peterhead squad set for a shake-up?
The short-term aim is to keep the club in the division, but I’m intrigued at the hints being made about trying to bring more locally-based players to the club.
It can’t be easy trying to get a squad of guys from the West of Scotland together in the Central Belt while their teammates in the north are training in their own group.
I know Jim and Davie Nicholls tried to get the group together once a week in Dundee, but I do wonder if all the changes which were made in the summer have made that task harder this season.
There are good players out there in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire – Cove have picked up a few guys with top-flight experience, while Fraserburgh have been strong for a few years in the Highland League.
Banks o’ Dee have also shown how strong the junior scene is by adapting to the move up to the Highland League, with the majority of the squad who did so well in the Superleague playing leading roles.
Clearly, Davie has a big job ahead of him and I expect a lot of changes in the months ahead at the club as he looks to make his mark at Balmoor.
I wish him the best of luck.
World Cup finally sparking into life
We’re finally seeing signs of the World Cup cranking into life as we head into the knockout phase of the competition.
I enjoyed the shocks of the opening round of games, but the second matches in the groups left me cold.
They were drab, uninspiring affairs and it felt as if the leading nations were going through the motions until the real work started in the last 16.
Even Brazil, my pre-tournament pick to win, haven’t hit the heights.
Maybe I’m getting old and find all the games to be a safety-first, cautious approach from teams, but I’m optimistic it’s starting to brighten up now.
Argentina looked like they had finally turned up at the tournament in their 2-0 win against Poland in the final group match.
Lionel Messi may have missed his penalty, but he still pulled the strings in what was a very strong and confident display.
Whisper it, but England have done okay, too. I don’t think they faced much in the way of opposition in their group, but they have a good mix of youth and experience in the squad.
Marcus Rashford has hit form and the younger flair players are enjoying the chance to express themselves.
The real tests now lie ahead, starting with Senegal on Sunday, and it will be interesting to see if Gareth Southgate’s side can still move up through the gears.
Vital couple of months ahead for Cove Rangers
Cove Rangers need to make hay while the sun shines as they bid to move away from the relegation zone in the Championship.
It is such a competitive league that two wins can have you up in mid-table pushing for the play-offs, while back-to-back defeats can leave you languishing in the bottom three.
Cove’s priority has always been to solidify their place in the division this season and December and January are going to be big months for Jim McIntyre’s side.
The going traditionally gets much tougher for part-time teams competing against full-time opposition every week in the second half of the season, and it is important Cove try to get as many points on the board over the winter months.
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