Manager on Friday

16/01/09: They are an honest team that replicate their manager - hard working - with good footballers in their side. They all work their backsides off for each other ..

Jim McIntyre will be without Stephen Glass and Kevin Harper in addition to his long term injured Simon Wiles and himself. Scott Thomson has recovered from a "bad bang on the nose" last week and Scott Muirhead had no ill effects from the blow to his head that saw him laid out slain on the pitch for a couple of minutes in the first half.

The Pars Manager is happy that his side has conceded only one goal in the last three games and feels that captain Scott Wilson has made a difference following his return after suspension. Muirhead too, has caught the Manager's eye:-

"I like my full backs to get forward when we are in the ascendancy and play like a winger. That's the way I like to play. He has got good energy to get up and down the park."

The absence of Stephen Glass through injury will force a change in midfield for the visit of Airdrie United. Options are available however with Alex Burke, Graeme Holmes and Greg Ross all available to fill the slot.

"Airdrie will give us a very tough game; 0-0 at home and 3-1 away that was never a 3-1. Airdrie were very good that night, we just scored three excellent goals and put our chances away, that was the difference on the night. There was nothing between the teams.

"They have two good strikers who know where the goals are" said Macca referring to Paul Di Giacomo and Simon Lynch. "They have played at a higher level and I like the midfielder MacDonald. They have good energy about their team. They are an honest team that replicate their manager - hard working - with good footballers in their side. They all work their backsides off for each other and you can see how much they enjoy playing for their manager."

Airdrie may sit bottom of the league but they drew with St Johnstone when they travelled to North Lanarkshire to play them.

"If you look at the points between top and bottom there is not a lot in it. Any team on their day can beat each other so you really need to be at it from the word go, match people's work rate and hopefully, on the day, your better players produce something for you. Kenny will be wanting the same from his better players.

"It is such a tight league, we say the same every week because the results continue to surprise everybody. It is not a surprise any more - 18 or 19 games in to it and you can see what would be classed as a shock result every week now. That's credit to every team in the league."

Macca explained that he would not be pursuing interest in Sebastian Sorsa the Finnish U21 internationalist who was released by Hamilton. That is despite the trialist scoring for the reserves in the League Cup match at Arbroath on Monday night. Eighteen year old St Mirren player Andy Stirling has also been on trial at Dunfermline but again the Manager is not going to follow that one up.

"He is not ready to play first team football yet and we are not in the position to take on players to bring them on."

Sorsa (above) has played at HJK Helsinki and was at Leeds United
before joining Hamilton at the start of this season.

Ross Campbell was on loan from Hibs in the early part of the season, Jamie Mole and Rory Loy are currently on loan from Hearts and Rangers and the Manager has been trying to bring in another one.

Jim McIntyre has little money to spend in the transfer market but sympathises with Mark Hughes where £100m brings as big a problem:-

"I have heard people say that is as hard with money as it is without it. I would love to have a bit of money but we all realise the situation that we are in. In the current climate everybody in the nation is going through the same thing; there is no money out there. The banks have no confidence and they are struggling to lend it out.

"It would be great to have money but I just enjoy the job. It is a challenge to put a team out to try and win the game. The fact of the matter is that we don't have money. We are not alone in that. Who pays transfer fees these days? Nobody.

"The attraction for players coming here is the size of club we are, our history and tradition. It is a fantastic club so I'd like to think if we are going after a player that our club has a better chance than most clubs in this division, and even some in the Premierleague. It is up to you to convince the player that this is where he should be.

"A player arriving for a game here can see how big a club we are. Fans are very important. It makes all the difference when the fans are behind the team, there's no doubt about that. The fans have been great especially away from home. They have been excellent at turning up in their numbers and supporting the team. Look at the conditions last week, it was horrendous against Clyde and yet they came out."