Don Cowie insists he is ready for the challenge of leading Ross County after chairman Roy MacGregor confirmed he will become the Staggies’ permanent manager.
After Cowie steered County to Premiership safety, with a 6-1 aggregate victory over Raith Rovers in the play-offs, MacGregor confirmed the process of appointing the 41-year-old permanently is already underway.
MacGregor revealed that Cowie was informed upon taking the interim reins that he would be given the opportunity regardless of whether County stayed in the top-flight.
Cowie says his full focus has been on keeping the Staggies in the top flight, but he now plans to finalise the terms that will see him become the Dingwall club’s new boss.
Cowie said: “What was said was that the chairman saw me as the person to take this club forward.
“We were aligned in not thinking that needed to be the focus, because we didn’t need any distractions.
“Our main focus was on keeping this club in the Premiership.
“You have to have a chat and see how things look. The chairman has shown a lot of belief in me, and he has stated that he sees me being the person to take the club forward.
“At any club you need to have a bigger conversation about how that looks going forward, and we’ll have that.
“I’ve said all along that I want to be a manager, and I felt I was ready three months ago.
“Since then that belief I have in myself has only strengthened, and this is a club I have a lot of affection for, so I don’t see any issues there.”
Cowie proud of Staggies’ resolve
After coming through two successive play-offs, Cowie is now determined to build on his work ahead of the forthcoming campaign – which will be the Staggies’ sixth consecutive top-flight season.
Cowie, who led the Staggies to memorable home victories over Rangers, Hearts and Hibernian, is proud of the resolve his side have shown to ensure their safety.
He added: “We understand the fight that we have every year.
“We punch above our weight to be in the top league in Scotland, and we embrace that.
“It’s challenging, so there are times you find yourself in the play-of spot, but we need to improve.
“The more you’re down there, eventually you will fall, and it’s up to me now to make sure that doesn’t happen.
“We were in a very precarious position when I came into this role.
“The spotlight was on us, and early on we played Livingston where if they beat us we would have been level on points.
“I needed calmness, and the football club to come together, and ultimately that’s what has happened.
“We could have missed the play-off, but it wasn’t to be, and the character the players have shown over the last two games makes me really proud.”
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