Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Ambitious Eddie feels he’s going places with Gartcairn
Wolecki Black says the club’s attitude attracted him to new role
Eddie Wolecki Black says ambition drew him to Gartcairn – and a lack of it pushed him out of Motherwell Ladies.
Wolecki Black was last week appointed director of football at the Airdrie West of Scotland League club, having left his role at Fir Park.
The former Airdrie boss says he’s thankful to Motherwell for the opportunity, but felt that he had his hands tied behind his back.
And he compared challenging SWPL1 teams as “a water pistol against a water cannon”.
Wolecki Black explained: “What attracted me to Gartcairn was ‘ambition’. One word, ambition.
“Gartcairn are very ambitious and are going places.
“I’m overseeing every arm of the club, it’s not just women and there’s a thing there that as much as I’ve managed four women’s teams, I’ve managed four men’s teams as well.
“I’ve actually got a longer history in the men’s game than in the women’s game.
“I first became a manager at 32 and I’m 56 now, so that’s a long time.
“The role is something I did before at Airdrie before I became manager, so I feel like I can take a lot of key areas and advance them to a new level.
“How big can Gartcairn be? How long is a length of string.
“As long as you’re in a pyramid system there is an opportunity to progress, and Gartcairn are in the pyramid system, but each arm has different aims and ambitions.
“For example, it’s far easier to get the women to the top end of the game than it is for the men – to get Gartcairn men to the elite in Scottish football would take millions and millions of pounds, but the women would probably take thousands.
“We have to take each arm at a time and slowly guide them through each area.”
Wolecki Black, who suffered a stroke in 2016 stroke after falling ill during a match between Airdrie and Cowdenbeath, returns to the men’s game following two spells at Motherwell Ladies either side of a season with Celtic Women in the 2018/19 campaign.
On leaving Fir Park, he said: “It wasn’t a wrench to leave.
“The key for leaving Motherwell was ambition, or lack of it.
“When I look at women’s football right now, Celtic and Rangers have both got full-time set-ups, Glasgow City have a number of players in a fulltime set-up as well.
“So look at that and ask how you’re going to compete with that with a bunch of players training a couple of times a week?
“I’m all for fighting beyond the odds, but I’ve got a water pistol against a water cannon – you have no chance, and that’s a factor in results.
“The bottom two teams in the league are Motherwell and Hearts, and the lowest budgets are Motherwell and Hearts.
“You might think that’s a bit drastic, but it’s reflected in the men’s game as well – the rich clubs become better and better, the poor clubs are at the bottom of the table.”
Wolecki Black wanted the Steelwomen to follow suit with Rangers and Celtic, but he says it wasn’t an avenue the Fir Park club wished to go down.
“I put a proposal in place to get Motherwell full-time and it was knocked back,” he claimed.
“I’ve had those same discussions with Gartcairn, and it’s been freely accepted as a good plan.
“It wasn’t going to cost the club a penny, and it took me weeks, probably months, to put all of it in place, using all of my contacts.
“My hands were tied behind my back.
“Here, my ideas are being taken on board and it’s a better relationship.
“That doesn’t mean to say I’m not thankful to Motherwell for giving me the opportunity.
“I had two spells there, and they’ve not been a disaster.
“I’ve kept that team in the top league and I also got them there in the first place.
“I got them to the Scottish Cup final, and got them promoted to the top league, and managed to keep them there, and they’ll be there for another season.”