John Maisano Wants McLaughlin As Boss

It transpires that John Maisano stated on his agent's website, tribalfootball.com (see here for article) is backing Joe McLaughlin's bid for the hotseat at Cappielow. Amidst much rejoicing, the Aussie points out that confidence is returning to the side, courtesy of Joe's kinder, more gentler approach to management. His friendly demeanour and friendship with the players appears to be in sharp contrast to the apparently cold and hostile manner of John McCormack, who was allegedly involved in several bust-ups with prominent Morton players, the fall-out from which was the final, yet undisclosed reason for his departure.

While fans are ecstatic that for the first time in a year the 'Ton displayed the wherewithall to come back from a deficit to win, some may wonder if the comments from players about the managerial situation are to be welcomed at a time when chairman DDF Rae is doing his utmost to get the appointment right. The new boss must not just for the current playing staff but for the welfare of the club as a whole. The chairman's "three year plan" to get us from the depths of the Third Division back into our "rightful" place in the First is currently in its final and crucial year; if a manager of pedigree who is proven to be successful in promotion bids has been shortlisted for the job and ends up ousting McLaughlin, some disharmony could be caused due to the outspoken nature of our playing staff and their agents.

In my opinion, the players who have spoken publically about the job would do better to keep talk about the manager within the Club, and more importantly to do their talking on the pitch. The old cliche about playing the manager into a job earned its dusty old reputation for a reason - it's usually true. Eight goals in two games, and six points, is certainly the right way to go about getting the man they want into the hotseat, particularly off the back of that shocking 3-0 home defeat to Brechin. The team has a break on Saturday due to international fixtures, but the away game to Stranraer on the 16th will speak more about the players and the manager than any player's column ever could.

Of course, this is not to be construed as an attack on John Maisano or any other player. While inconsistent, fans have seen on numerous occasions that he is capable of good, attacking play, and he is undoubtedly a passionate player who is a great ambassador for the club. However, as I'm an old-fashioned, bitter kinda guy, I'm always left wondering just how much "player power" comes into play at Cappielow, and what it will mean for future backroom appointments.