Martin is a club legend

Chairman hails departed manager’s time at Accies

Hamilton Accies chairman Allan Maitland ended Martin Canning’s time as manager on Tuesday, then hailed him as a club legend.

The 37-year-old defender parted company with the club ‘by mutual consent’ after almost 11 years at Accies as a player, captain and manager.

Mr Maitland says it’s going to be difficult for somebody to fill Canning’s shoes, but said it was time for change.

He said: “It’s hugely tough; everywhere you go around this stadium there are photographs of Martin as a player or as a manager. Martin has done fantastically well, ten-and-a-half years as a player and a coach, so it’s a sad day.

“I think for Martin it’s probably a relief, to be honest with you.

“I think he has had a really difficult time in terms of the results, and in many ways he will feel let down by some of the general mistakes that we were making on a Saturday or in games, so it was time for change.

“Everybody needs to look within themselves about this. That’s the whole club – myself, the board of directors, staff, players, everybody – we have all let Martin down.

“Martin should be remembered at this club, both as a player and as a coach, as someone who has been fantastic.

“He was thrown into a really difficult situation as a coach, but he has been here for four seasons and managed to keep us up in the Premiership, so his record will be untainted.

“Martin has been fantastic. He is a legend at the club, there is no doubt about that.”

Mr Maitland is aware of fans’ unrest during the latter months of Canning’s time in charge, but said that wasn’t necessarily a factor in the decision to part company.

He said: “It is a mutual decision. Martin has been here for a long time, he wants what’s best for the club, so the two of us agreed that, moving forward, it was time for a change.

“There has been a lot of negativity recently, from within, so that’s all got to change. We have to have a positive approach to the games, and we have to have proper backing from the supporters.

“We need to get the momentum of a winning team, so that needs to change. Supporters recognise that. They’re not stupid, they know there is a need for change.

“The change has not been made necessarily because of what has happened with supporters, it has been made because Martin and I had a discussion about it and we both feel that the right thing for the club is for change.”