Hamilton Accies director of football David MacKinnon says he will act as a sounding board for new head coach John Rankin, if and when he needs it.
MacKinnon says the best thing he can do for Rankin is not to impose himself, but be there when he’s needed.
The former Rangers, Airdrie and Partick Thistle defender has experience of working with football clubs, having been general manager at Kilmarnock, chief executive at Dundee and latterly he was CEO of Morton.
MacKinnon also has experience of being at Hamilton Accies as media and communication director, and says they’re the only club that he would have come out of ‘semi-retirement’ for.
He said: “With this club, like all the clubs I’ve been involved with, I think in helping a young manager you don’t impose yourself.
“What you do is, you’re there for a sounding board, if and when they require it.
“I know the chairman, Allan Maitland, has worked well with the managers and I’ve always worked well with managers, because I’m there if they need me.
“I’ll certainly be there to help John, because he will experience things he will never have experienced in his life, and it’s how you deal with things that’s important.
“We’ll give him all the support in that.
“There will be bad times, and we’ll support him through those, and in the good times we’ll share that.”
MacKinnon says he was so disillusioned with football that he effectively gave it up to concentrate on his business concerns, but says talking to chief executive Colin McGowan and chairman Allan Maitland persuaded him to return.
“I’m delighted to be back” he said. “I’m really excited, I’m looking forward to it.
“I’ve been in the game a long time, but I was a bit disillusioned with some of the things that had gone on in football over the last few years.
“I’ve got a successful business, so had resigned myself to coming and seeing games occasionally, but I spoke to Allan and Colin, people I really trust and respect.
“The only club I would really come back to was Hamilton, because I knew exactly what I was getting into, warts and all.
“They’re really decent people, who are football people, and when I spoke to them I thought ‘this is a no-brainer’ to be honest.”
MacKinnon says his knowledge of football and of the Championship will also help the club and Rankin.
He said: “I watched a game the other evening, and was really impressed with the players that we’ve got.
“It’s a difficult league, I know it inside out, but with the right focus and everyone being aligned within the club – because that’s important – then we can do well.
“The objective is to improve on last season.
“We will all be aligned to the common objective, and we’ll support John, as we have done with many managers here.”
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