Press insight has opened my eyes

MY short spell as a sports writer comes to an end on Friday and, while an enjoyable experience, it has been a steep learning curve.

I’ve always had respect for hacks and what they do but working for the Tele has given me a far greater insight into the world of journalism.

It is easy to get isolated as a football manager and feel that everyone in the press is against you but, having seen this side of the coin, I now realise the journalists are only doing their job.

My take on things is that they would much rather work with managers than against them.

It is a two-way street, though, and I think it would be beneficial for all managers, some more than others, to get a proper insight into this side.

The beauty of football is that everyone has an opinion and we all don’t agree on everything but it is only an opinion and it doesn’t make it right or wrong.

I’ve been extremely fortunate to work with Tom Duthie, who has shown me the ropes in my time here and I’d like to thank him for all his help.

Having known him for years, he makes the job look easy and I’m still trying to work out how he manages to talk as much while still getting his work done.

I’ve also been fortunate enough to have some old team-mates take the time to be interviewed for good articles in the paper and their help is greatly appreciated.

It has also been great to work with a lot of the guys that have interviewed me through the years.

It’s quite humbling at times the amount of people that want to help and these guys are second to none.

Hopefully, in the short period I’ve been writing for the Tele, I have brought the readers a better understanding of the way a manager may see the game.

It is only my thoughts and by no means does that make it right but it is an educated view.

After the weekend, I will return to the job I love most and where I feel most comfortable.

There is no better feeling than on a Saturday at 4.45pm when you know the hard work you have put in during the week comes to fruition and three points are in the bag.

That’s why the chance to manage at East Fife was too big an opportunity to turn down.

Barry is back doing what he enjoys most as boss of East Fife.