Ross County manager Malky Mackay says he will be planning for the long-term as he begins the process of assembling his squad ahead of the new season.
Mackay was appointed as the Staggies’ new boss on Wednesday, replacing John Hughes, who left at the start of the week after guiding the Dingwall side to Premiership safety.
The former Cardiff City and Watford manager has already made a number of decisions on out-of-contract players, with Michael Gardyne, Billy Mckay and Ross Draper among those who have been told they are not getting new deals.
Goalkeeper Ross Laidlaw recently signed a new two-year contract, while Jordan White, Coll Donaldson and Oli Shaw are also among the few contracted for next season.
In shaping his side, Mackay is keen to bring a vision which can sustain success for a long period of time.
Mackay said: “At the club, as with most clubs out there at the moment, there is a lot of movement in terms of contract situations being up.
“After Covid, we will have to see where the land is going to lie, we are going to find a lot of change.
“We have seen it this week in terms of managerial changes in the leagues, and in the next few weeks we will see a lot of movement in terms of players as well.
“There is a turnover of players generally in Scotland and there will be this summer.
“We will be looking at the comings and goings and it will take time for a team to gel.
“But this isn’t knee-jerk. This is a club with an experienced owner, Roy MacGregor, who is very calm.
“He sees projects over periods of time – not four or five games.”
Mackay insists he is determined to be in Dingwall for the long haul, adding: “I know the club very well having been up over the last four years spending time with the owner and chief executive, auditing the youth academy, and I was given the grand tour.
“I saw the structure and got to know the owner. It has excited me when I’ve heard his vision over the last few days.
“If you look at my record in my playing and management career, and beyond that in my governance career, you see longevity. I don’t jump in and out of places, but stay four or five years and that’s been my life since I left banking to play for Queens Park at 21.
“That’s what the fans are going to get.”
The appointment of Mackay has already been met by a backlash from some sections of the County support, with the 49-year-old urging fans to judge him on his tenure at Victoria Park rather than the past.
Mackay is aiming to build foundations which can help the Staggies thrive long beyond his time at the club, and he added: “We have a long-term journey and plan here, and in time people will make their own minds up.
“I have got a chairman and chief executive here who have a very clear vision, as to where they want to go over the next few years, and the type of people they want with them to go on that journey.
“There are processes and systems we want to impart on various areas of the club, to try and improve those marginal gains and make sure there is a long-term sustainability about the club.
“We talk about talent identification and recruitment, and we then have a system which over the next five to 10 years can end up being a real positive aspect of our club going forward, whether I’m here or not.”
