McCALL PROUD TO SEAL JAGS RETURN
IAN McCall last night spoke of his pride at returning to his dream job at Partick Thistle more than eight years after leaving with his life ‘spiralling downhill’. McCall, who confessed in 2017 that he had departed to deal with a serious gambling addiction, is now back as Jags boss after revitalising his career at Ayr United. ‘I owe (chairman) David Beattie and (former director) Billy Allan to a certain extent, for how they handled my departure, because my life was spiralling downhill,’ said the 54-year-old at his Firhill unveiling. ‘But, hopefully, it’s an example to everybody that second chances do work. So I’m very proud to stand here as Partick Thistle manager after what I went through in my life. ‘It’s been tough but I’m really proud and honoured to be back. ‘And I say that on a hugely emotional
day having seen everyone at Ayr this morning. There were a lot of tears and it wasn’t easy.’ As McCall prepares for his second spell in charge after replacing Gary Caldwell, chairman Beattie has set him the twin goals of finishing in the play-offs and helping Thistle rediscover their soul. ‘Ian is definitely one of the best managers in the league and one of the best I’ve worked with previously,’ he said. ‘And having Alan Archibald — another guy I hugely respect — back as his assistant and Neil Scally, too, is fantastic. ‘I felt the soul of the club seemed to have been lost. We want to get that heart and soul back. ‘It would be unrealistic to target promotion but I think we can achieve a top-four finish to get into the play-offs.’ Meanwhile, Beattie urged fans to trust the Jags board after breaking his silence on a potential takeover by a wealthy international consortium. Beattie insisted the board have the club’s best interests at heart — and dismissed speculation that Firhill could be sold by the prospective new owners.
Sportsmail exclusively revealed how a group led by Chinese American billionaire Chien Lee, who also own English side Barnsley, were in talks to purchase a controlling 55-per-cent stake in Thistle. Angry at being kept in the dark, supporters launched a campaign called Thistle Forever aimed at securing a majority shareholding in the Championship outfit. But Beattie said yesterday: ‘I’d ask the fans to trust us. I can tell the fans that the board of directors and the shareholders only have one thing on our agenda — doing what is best for Partick Thistle. ‘If the best thing for the club is the consortium — which I believe it is just now — then fantastic. And there is absolutely no truth in reports of somebody buying the stadium or Partick Thistle moving elsewhere.’