My Hart wasn’t in game
Everything good work IdidatThistle. the good happens andbad for a reason work in fromit. and I’ll take England I’d bewilling a or to football abroad. snob, I’m not I’d anywhe go
Sunday Mail 61
Paul Hartley has revealed he was ready to QUIT football when he was sacked by Falkirk.
The former Scotland star was left disillusioned when he lost his job at the Bairns after just 10 months.
And Hartley admits for months after his dismissal, he was f inished with the game altogether.
The ex-Dundee boss now has an appetite to get back involved in some capacity.
But the 42-year-old – who was l inked with the Hamilton Accies job last week – admits being out of work has been tough.
He said: “It’s difficult to keep busy. I’ve gone to games and done some media work just to keep my eye in.
“I now want back in but I didn’t for a couple of months after leaving Falkirk.
“I was totally scunnered with the game and didn’t even want to watch it.
“I felt I had to try to do something else with a bit of longevity and security.
“I don’t know what I’d do outside of football. It’s all I’ve known since I left school, 25 years of playing, coaching and managing. To try to go into another industry, I’d be stuck to be honest.
“The most difficult thing has been filling my time during the day.
“When you’ve been in a job for that length of time and all of a sudden it gets taken away from you – how do you fill your time?”
Hartley feels ready to immerse himself in the game again but claims he lost a bit of self-belief when Falkirk fired him.
He said: “My confidence took a bat ter ing but sometimes you have to take a backward step. I feel I can still manage at the top but sometimes you have to step back. I’m not afraid to work.
“I’m 42 and I’ve been involved in management for eight years. I’m still young but the game is becoming younger and younger.”
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