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THE man himself is on the phone, typing and sending a text message.
Mark Spalding is sitting to his right, while Colin McLelland and Jim Gallacher are later to join us in the far corner to his left.
Some managers prefer to be alone with their thoughts a couple of hours before a big game.
Ian Murray isn’t that kind of gaffer.
Approaching 1pm on the day of Dumbarton’s game with Falkirk, the Sons boss is as relaxed as they come.
Maybe it’s because his team already has one foot in next season’s Championship – a prospect which becomes even more real just hours later after Sons beat the Bairns 1-0.
Even before the game, it’s a good time to be Dumbarton manager – and to be taking questions from a journalist, and the fans, on how things are going.
Mobile phone now away, he’s sitting comfortably. So we’ll begin.
Is the job of securing a place in the division done now?
Mathematically we’re not done, and in terms of personal pride we’re not done, but it’s going to be difficult for other teams to catch us. Livingston are not going to do that, while Alloa and Cowdenbeath need a dramatic turn in form and we’d need a monumental collapse. We are where we hoped we’d be earlier than anticipated. It’s out of our hands what other teams do, but we’d like to get it sealed sooner rather than later.
How good would it be to have safety secured before Rangers visit the Rock on Saturday, April 18, meaning there is no pressure to get a result?
Rangers are going to have something to play for when they come here, because of how Hibs, Queen of the South and Falkirk are competing with them for the play-off places. When the fixtures came out at the start of the season we looked at the run we had at the end and felt it might be difficult. However, if we are already safe we can go into that game with confidence and it will be nice for the guys to enjoy the game in that way, rather than the trepidation of needing a result.
What has been your personal highlight of the season so far?
There have been a few. Getting points at Easter Road, and against Hearts at home, is great, but in the grand scheme of things the occasion is not as big for the staff as it is for the players. The players enjoy facing these teams but for the management there is just as much edge to games against the likes of Livingston and Cowdenbeath, as they are teams nearer us in the table. A big moment for us was beating Livingston 1-0 at home at the start of the season with Chris Kane scoring in injury time. At that point we were struggling a bit in terms of results. We’ve had a few late goals which have given us points at vital stages of games, and the attitude and resilience the players have shown has been pleasing.
How have you enjoyed going to manage at venues like Ibrox, Tynecastle and Easter Road?
I have enjoyed them, but they are bigger for the players as it is a chance to play against quality sides in good stadiums, which doesn’t come very often. For us, it’s a case of going to places where the home team is expected to beat you. A few people accused us at the start of the season of sitting in during these fixtures, but we played no differently from usual. We played with one upfront against Livingston last week and won; we did the same at Easter Road, got a draw, and suddenly everyone is against you for how you play.
Have you started preparing for next season in terms of contracts and signings etc?
We haven’t spoken to anyone at all. We’ve got to meet with the chairman over the next two to three weeks to see where we are in terms of budgeting for next season. It’s important that the club is looked after – we can’t go chasing a dream which isn’t there. We will see what is best for the long term and plan accordingly.
What about pre-season – are there plans for games against Hearts or Norwich City (now managed by Alex Neil), or for a tour of New Zealand? (last part submitted by a Sons fan who is based in said country)
(Laughs) Is he paying? I’m sure we won’t be going there! I can’t imagine us going anywhere except in Scotland. We have an obligation to play Hearts in pre-season as part of the deal which took Jack Ross to Tynecastle last year, so we will have to find a date that suits both clubs. Norwich might be in Scotland as a result of Alex’s connections but I’m not sure where it comes from that we might play them. We’re just starting to get emails from clubs looking to play friendly games. We’ll look to play a couple of Premiership sides, maybe an English team and one or two Lowland League outfits. There may also be opposition from Leagues One and Two, and we’ll use the Petrofac Training Cup first round tie as our final friendly.
Are there plans to fill the assistant manager position soon?
Nothing has changed. When Guillaume Beuzelin left I said to Mark Spalding and the guys that we wouldn’t bring anyone in for the time being. That was at a time when results weren’t going for us and that was the first thing people picked up on, but we had to stick with what we thought was best. I was speaking to Mark on Thursday and we discussed how there was only a 0.5 per cent difference in points taken with an assistant and without an assistant. He, Colin McLelland and Jim Gallacher are still in place here and people say we’ve lost a pair of hands, but things have stayed much as they were when Guillaume was here.
Why have Dumbarton conceded so many goals with one of the best keepers in the league?
There’s no question that our goals against total is high, but the individual games tell you a lot. We’ve let in 14 goals against Hearts, nine against Hibernian and 10 against Rangers. That’s 33 goals – about half of our total. These are against teams with resources far higher than ours and who work constantly on having the ball and attacking. Queen of the South have scored a few against us as well, but our main competition is from the other part-time teams and our goals against ratio against them is actually fairly decent. If you look at the goals for column, we’re about two off being the fifth highest scorers in the league (before the weekend games), but no-one wants to focus on that as we are punching above our weight. If we could score goals and defend as well as anyone else we would be top of the league. We’re not and it’s not rocket science.
What have you made of the players who have come to the club on loan this season?
Most of them have done fine. Getting Chris Kane back was a big one for us and if it was anyone else we wouldn’t have taken him, because we had no money to do so. Kieran MacDonald maybe didn’t do as well as he wanted, but it was difficult for him to get a run in the team. Dylan Easton has come in and done fine but still needs to find his feet a bit, while we went to see Chris Duggan a couple of times and thought he could be an asset. Partick Thistle think very highly of him and he’s come in and done well. Danny Rogers and Stuart Findlay have been excellent. Danny had a really tough start because he was travelling from Aberdeen and didn’t know the guys. He’s now part of the Republic of Ireland under-21 squad and I know Aberdeen think he will be their number one goalkeeper eventually. We’d be delighted to help him achieve that goal. Stuart is another who has done great – he’s got himself back into the Scotland under-21 squad and has been immense for us. If these players’ clubs feel they need to go out on loan again, hopefully they will be on the phone to us. If we get some of them back, great, if not, we need to plan for life without them.
Who do you think will win the Sons Supporters Trust player and young player of the year awards? (being voted for by the fans as we conduct this interview)
It’s a tough one. Andy Graham has been really good this season. It took him time to get going last season but he’s been excellent right from the start this time around. Danny Rogers has been great in goals while Scott Agnew has been immense in some games, even ones that we’ve lost heavily. Garry Fleming, in some games, has been unplayable when you get him on the ball while Mark Gilhaney has shown a tremendous workrate. When you take him out of the team you notice he’s not there. I think any of those guys will be in with a shout. Young player of the year will be between Danny and Stuart Findlay.
How would you feel about the club going full-time if that were to happen?
It would be good for the club if it can afford to, but you need to make sure that you can. You need to look at good examples of that, such as Ross County and Inverness CT, and it would be worth bending their ear. Then you have Livingston, who have probably spent outwith their means, while Dundee have been in administration a couple of times. It’s fantastic for a year or two and then things change to the extent that the club is not only looking at going part-time, but being in real trouble. If it’s going to be right for the club, then brilliant, but it would be a lot of hard work.
What have you made of Ricky Sbragia’s decision to exclude Real Madrid’s Jack Harper from the Scotland under-19 squad, on the grounds that he has selected a squad of physical players and runners?
I saw the national team training on Tuesday evening and the quality they showed was commented on a couple of times. It wasn’t just me who was watching – Paul Hartley and Gary Teale were also among the onlookers. Scotland looked a well-drilled side and you would expect that to filter down to youth level. I don’t claim to know a lot about the youth sides but I do understand Ricky’s explanation. Harper plays for Real Madrid, but has anyone seen him play? I’m sure Ricky has, and deems him not good enough to start. It shows that the guys who are playing games are growing quicker and we don’t need to get ourselves worked up over it.
If the final games of the season are dead rubbers, do you intend to field some of the younger members of the squad?
No, we won’t be doing that. It’s not a case of just letting guys play for the sake of it. The likes of Donald McCallum, Keir Whitefield and Daniel Lightbody have been in the matchday squad this season but have played under-20 football for most of the time. It wouldn’t be fair on the players, or the teams we are playing. We need to be sure that the youngsters are ready and deserve to play. If we start throwing guys in who aren’t ready it will be a blow to their personal pride. If they are ready, there’s a possibility they will be involved, but not if they’re not ready.
The Dumbarton Terrace 