Mccall says a tearful farewell to Ayr as he makes an emotional return to Firhill
An emotional Ian Mccall outlined his pride at returning to his dream job at Partick Thistle more than eight years after leaving with his life “spiralling downhill”.
Mccall spent almost four years as Thistle manager first time round, later admitting he had departed to deal with a serious gambling addiction.
The 54-year-old subsequently spent almost four years out of football management before rejuvenating his career and the fortunes of Ayr United after being handed an unexpected chance by Somerset Park chairman Lachlan Cameron.
The decision to leave Ayr proved even tougher after a 4-1 win at Alloa on Saturday kept them level on points with Championship leaders Dundee United, while Thistle hit bottom spot with a 3-0 home defeat by Dunfermline.
But Mccall, who will be assisted by both former Thistle boss Alan Archibald and Neil Scally, could not turn down a return to the club he loves.
He said: “There’s not many people apart from my mother and my son maybe who are proud of me, but I am proud of what I have done, because it was hard, hard times for me.
“I owe (chairman) David Beattie, and (former director) Billy Allan to a certain extent, for how they handled my departure, because my life was spiralling downhill.
“But hopefully it’s an example to everybody that second chances do work.
“So I’m very, very proud to stand here as Partick Thistle manager after what I went through in my life. It’s been tough but I’m really proud and honoured to be back. And I say that on a hugely emotional day having seen everyone at Ayr this morning. There were a lot of tears, and it wasn’t easy.”
Mccall, who led Ayr to the League One title and the Premiership play-offs in his final two seasons, added: “It’s been an incredibly emotional day, in a good way and a bad way.
“I’veknownsincewednesday or Thursday and I had a long conversation with Lachlan, who has been a very important figure in my life. I had a job for life at Ayr, although I have heard chairmen say ‘I’m never going to sack you’ and then they do.
“He said: ‘Listen, if you had only been here two years then I would definitely not allow you to speak to anybody’. But he does know that I’ve turned a few down. He said: ‘It’s up to you’.
“My mind was nearly made up but it became harder on Saturday because of how my young players at Ayr played, pretty unbelievably.
“But the first person to know was Lachlan on Sunday and it has been handled very professionally since then. So I’m back and it’s good.”