PARS ROLE’S GIVEN ME A BUZZ AGAIN
James McPake was in no rush to get back into management after being burned at Dundee.
But a ca l l from Dunfermline Athletic last week has relit the fire in his belly. And the butterflies he felt at the thought of leading the Fi fers convinced him it was time to return.
Now the 37-year- old is convinced the experience at Dens Park will ensure the Pars are getting a far better gaffer.
McPake said: “My mind is fresher now. I’ve got a better life balance and I will continue to have that going forward.
“I wasn’t looking to get back in – that’s why I’d booked to go on holiday with my family on July 2.
“That will be cancelled now but I couldn’t turn this opportunity down.
“It’s like the boxer who says he’ll never fight again.
“My wife Dawn has seen a new, different me in the last few months.
“I’ve felt it myself. So Dunfermline are getting a better manager than I was before.
“I’ll be more balanced in the way I work and how I manage my time. I don’t mind saying that I worked too hard at Dundee. It was 24/7, there was no balance.
“Now I feel brighter. When Dunfermline called, I got the butterf lies, the buzz – whatever you want to call it.
“I feel relaxed and excited. I’m at a big club with a big support.”
McPake has a huge job on his hands after the Pars’ shock relegation to League One.
And he’s already started work on the recruitment of players and a backroom team at East End Park.
He said: “I’m assessing the squad and staff now.
“I know most of the players already there and I’ll try to bring in new ones.
“There are good staff here but I need to get people in. There is no assistant or coach so we’re looking at targets.
“It ’s tough because people are already in jobs.
“I can think of one at a Premiership club and one at a Championship club that would interest me.
“So it’s tough and I’ll have to be imaginative but I need someone who I can trust.
“That’s all going on in the background.”