New boss Caldwell hails ‘huge potential’ of Jags

PARTICK: Club were ‘blown away’ by preparation for interview

Partick Thistle have announced the appointment of former Scotland international Gary Caldwell as their new manager.

The former Hibernian and Celtic defender, capped 55 times by his country, has joined the club following the sacking of Alan Archibald after a disappointing start to the Ladbrokes Championship season.

Caldwell, 36, has previously had spells in charge of Wigan – where he won Sky Bet League One in 2015/16 – and Chesterfield, where he lasted just 29 games.

“The appointment of Gary comes at the end of a rigorous selection process, which we believe has resulted in the best candidate for the job being named as our new manager,” chairman Jacqui Low said on the club website.

“Gary is a driven individual with a clear vision and plan to succeed – a new face our rivals may not expect and will not be prepared for.

“The board also wanted to bring in someone the players would respect for his achievements.

“With his track record both as a player and as a manager, we believe Gary is that man.

“We were blown away by Gary’s interview preparation and, in the space of a week, he had done an analysis of each player, identified a training schedule to deal with the fitness levels and pulled together a vision of how to get Thistle playing well enough to secure promotion.”

Caldwell added: “There is a huge amount of potential in this squad. But it won’t happen overnight.

“We can’t do it on our own, either. I need support from the fans, and so do the players. If we are together, I have no doubt we can achieve a massive amount.”

The Jags, beaten 2-1 by Dundee United at Firhill at the weekend, visit Alloa on Saturday