Any manager in scrap could go, says Alan

ALAN ARCHIBALD insists Mark McGhee’s fate could have befallen any of the managers scrapping to climb out of the bottom half of the Premiership this season.

The Partick Thistle boss lamented the ‘crazy’ nature of the modern game as he insisted McGhee could still have steered Motherwell towards a top-six finish.

Appointed in 2013, Archibald is the longest-serving Premiership manager and is grateful for the support received from the Firhill board during tough periods.

That faith has been justified. Bottom of the table before Christmas, Thistle can move into sixth spot by recording a fourth straight win when they visit Dundee tonight.

Archibald, though, believes the congested nature of the table below St Johnstone has given every manager a taste of the pressure that ended McGhee’s Fir Park tenure.

‘It could be any of us,’ said the 39-year-old (below). ‘The last time we went up to Dens, me and Paul (Hartley) were both at the bottom of the league. I think it was Paul’s name up at that point and he was under pressure.

‘A few weeks later, it was me at the bottom of the league and getting a bit of stick. We have all taken a turn of it.

‘Thankfully, our club stuck by me and we’re now in a better position.

‘I have an open relationship with the board. They don’t say I have a free run of the place and can afford to keep losing games. It’s not like that.

‘But we have open dialogue all the time and we know where we both stand. I have a good relationship here and long may it continue. ‘I like Mark. I spoke to him after we played and he would always have words of wisdom for you. I appreciated that coming from an older manager than me. ‘It just shows you that football is crazy. Motherwell were top six last year and they were still more than capable of getting top six this year — hopefully not, but they are more than capable of doing it if they put a run together.’