Caldwell thrilled to be at Firhill after being named Jags boss
GARY CALDWELL set his sights last night on unlocking the ‘potential’ of Partick Thistle — after being confirmed as the Firhill club’s new boss.
The former Celtic and Scotland defender has been tasked with returning the Maryhill club to the top flight after relegation via the play-offs in May.
Seeking to replace Alan Archibald after he was unable to reverse the decline in the opening weeks of this season, the Jags overlooked candidates including John Hughes, Jim McIntyre and Jim Duffy with former manager and current Ayr boss Ian McCall ruling himself out.
Caldwell, 36, who has managerial experience from stints with Wigan and Chesterfield, will take charge of the side for Saturday’s trip to Alloa with Brian Kerr, who he was with at Newcastle, set to join him as his assistant.
‘First and foremost, I am very excited to be here,’ said Caldwell. ‘Right from my first interaction with the club, I have been impressed with how it is run. It quickly became clear that there are positive and exciting plans in place, backed up by a strong structure from top to bottom.
‘There is a huge 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, so do the players. If we are together, I have no doubt we can achieve a massive amount.’
Caldwell failed to make the breakthrough as a player at Newcastle but did so at Hibernian before joining Celtic in 2006. He won two titles, the Scottish Cup and the League Cup at Parkhead before becoming part of Wigan’s 2013 FA Cup-winning side.
His first move into management yielded success when he took the Latics to the League One title in 2016 but he lost his job the following October with the club in the relegation zone.
A brief stint at Chesterfield followed last year but he could not prevent the club being relegated to League Two and left in September.
Insisting the Firhill board were ‘blown away’ by Caldwell during the interview process, Thistle chair Jacqui Low is convinced the club have landed the man to take them back to the Premier League.
‘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,’ said Low.
‘Gary is a driven individual with a clear vision and plan to succeed — a new face our rivals may not expect and won’t be prepared for.
‘We 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 his 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.
‘Put simply, he plans to build a strong defence that allows us to then push forward and play attacking football. His proposals were detailed and realistic. The high degree of clarity and organisation with which he shared his views was a significant factor in him being chosen as the preferred candidate.’
Elaborating on the factors that swung the post Caldwell’s way, Low added: ‘Gary’s commitment to getting young players into the team and working closely with the youth academy was also clear to see and that approach is crucial to us going forward.
‘Gary has a proven track record of identifying young talent and progressing them through to first-team football. This kind of talent development lies at the heart of the club’s long-term footballing strategy.’
Low also praised the fact Caldwell had spent his time out of the game attempting to broaden his horizons.
‘Gary hasn’t sat back while looking for a new position,’ she explained. ‘He has persuaded significant and well-respected managers from across the UK to spend time with him to let him continue to learn from the best.
‘That determination to be a winner, backed up by his clear practical ideas of what needs to be done, starting now, convinced us that he will take no prisoners on or off the field. He also brings a streetwise attitude that we will need for the rest of the season if we are to achieve our aims.’
Low hopes that Caldwell’s success at Wigan can be the blueprint to return Thistle to the top tier.
‘Gary’s experience in getting Wigan up from League One to the Championship at the first attempt mirrors what’s required of him here,’ she continued.
‘But he can’t succeed on his own so the board will back him come the January transfer window if he wants to strengthen the squad.
‘It’s been a challenging time of late for our fans. I’m grateful to them for sticking with us. I hope they will welcome Gary and give him the chance to show what he can do for Thistle.’
Kerr, the current East Kilbride boss, is set to become Caldwell’s assistant. ‘I am in talks,’ said the ex-Motherwell and Dundee midfielder. ‘Nothing has been agreed yet, but we are talking and I hope it will all be finalised soon.
‘The lure of everyday football is a big one so it’s a very difficult decision. I’d hope to sort my situation in the next few days but it has to be right for me because I’m in a very good job at the moment.’