Manager on Thursday
Thursday, 16th Feb 201216/02/12: JM - "Fans can play a crucial part between now and the end of the season. Especially with the way the finances have been,
Jim McIntyre admitted that it had been a difficult week for Scottish football but what he and his players were now looking forward to was getting back out on the park. Saturday's opponents Inverness Caledonian Thistle is a team that maybe the Pars should have beaten already rather than seeing out draws at 90 minutes in all four of the previous meetings:-
"There have been a couple of opportunities against them when we have done really well and should have won the game. The bottom line is that we have not and you have to credit them for that and obviously look at our own shortcomings for not winning the matches.
"Predominantly they are close affairs; both squads are quite evenly matched and I would expect another tight game on Saturday. Inverness have done really well in going on a bit of a run and you can see how that has taken them away from the bottom two. We will be looking to emulate that by trying to win the game on Saturday and moving on from there.
"If we continue to lose games we will stay where we are. We need to make sure that we are winning games to get in touch with teams above us."
The gap between Dunfermline and Hibs is just one point and with the Easter Road side not playing until Sunday there is a chance for a psychological boost should the Pars be able to get off the foot of the SPL table. Of course standing between that is what has become a mountain - a first home win of the season. 2011-12 has smashed the previous latest record for a season's first home win and that was 11th January 1992. The Manager claims that he and his team do not let that get to them:-
"I do not feel it and I certainly haven't heard any of the players talk about it that way. We have had three or four occasions when we should have won the game hands down but we have not. That is our shortfall. The longer it goes on the longer people are going to talk about it, that is only natural and the more questions I am going to answer on it. Until we win I am going to be fielding the same questions all the time but for me I do not see it as any psychological problem."
The Manager's tactic has been to try and instil belief into his players, show them the video analysis of some of their good play and good moves:-
"The goal we scored against Rangers was a classic, it was a really good move even though they still had a player off the pitch, we worked the ball well with a good passing move, a good cross and a good delivery -you show things like that.
"They are a great bunch of players, absolutely great. Nobody comes in here, even after a poor result at the weekend, without being up for their training. Ready to go again. We knew at the start of the season that we were going to be in a dog fight, there was absolutely no doubt about that in my mind especially once a few injuries took their toll."
Now Macca says that he is taking encouragement from the way his side is starting matches. If the team was scared to be at home, they wouldn't be starting the way they have:-
"We have started a few of our recent home games where we have come out right of the traps. That is important for me; that's a sign that there is no fear there."
The Manager considers it unthinkable for Athletic to go through the whole season without a home win. When asked if he thought he could avoid relegation without winning at home the reply was:-
"That depends how good our away form is! Of course it is possible. If we reversed the records then people maybe wouldn't talk about the same things. Not winning at home is poor, there's no other way of describing it and I am not going to hide from that. The bottom line is - we should have but we have not and we have to take it on the chin, try and rectify what is in front of you to try and get that elusive win."
Macca paid tribute to the patience of the fans but made a special plea for them to turn out on Saturday.
"After the week that we have just had, we need the fans to come out and back us to the hilt even more so than what they have done. They can play a crucial part between now and the end of the season. Especially with the way the finances have been, it is so important that we have as many fans there as possible for what is a key game."
The financial aspects of being the manager of a football club is not something that many are prepared for. Macca was no different:-
"I think there's no doubt that you need to learn what goes on behind the scenes, how things work and the finances that are involved. Probably as a manager you come in and say that you'd like this and like that but these things all cost money and sometimes that money is not there. You need to manage situations differently to try and maximise what you have got.
"The Board have backed me to the hilt in the transfer window. They allowed me to sign some key players. They have been absolutely fantastic and I have more players than I thought that I would get. With the quality of what we have brought in with Turner, Kerr, Hutton and MacMillan I have been very lucky."
As far as the Manager is aware Kyle Hutton is a Dunfermline player until the end of the season and he will be back in the squad for the Inverness match. Iain Turner is still out with back spasms and he will see a specialist on Friday 17th February. Mark Kerr's injury is not as bad as first feared because he left the ground on crutches; he will hopefully only be out for a couple of weeks. Nick Phinn is back in training and has done most of the sessions this week. Andy Barrowman is coming along well, done some light jogging and is ahead of schedule - maybe two or three weeks.
The squad trained on the grass at Pitreavie on Thursday - the first time in four months claimed Macca:-
"The boys thought it was fantastic loving the bobbles!"
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