PLAYER-MANAGERS and co-managers have enjoyed some noteworthy successes at a high level in football over the years. Kenny Dalglish, Ruud Gullit and Graeme Souness lifted silverware with Liverpool, Chelsea and Rangers respectively. Alex Smith and Jock Scott, meanwhile, memorably did a cup double with Aberdeen one season.
Yet, both combined roles have become real rarities in the modern game. So when Arbroath appointed David Gold and Colin Hamilton as their player-co-managers back in August it was an unusual move. For some cynical onlookers, it was a bold experiment that was destined to fail.
The Gayfield Park club had parted company with the experienced Jim McIntyre after just three matches of the new William Hill League 1 campaign and were in bottom spot in the third tier table. Could midfielder Gold and defender Hamilton really steer them to safety? It seemed improbable.
It has, though, proved to be an inspired decision. Arbroath were crowned champions with three games to spare following an emphatic 4-0 home triumph over third-placed Stenhousemuir amid jubilant scenes yesterday. It was just the fourth time in their 146 year history they had clinched a national title.
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So how did the part-time Angus outfit go from being bottom to top dogs in the space of eight unbelievable months? Gold and Hamilton were both, despite a disappointing start which had seem them register just one victory in seven competitinve outings, confident they could enjoy a decent 2024/25 campaign when they took over and their suspicions were proved correct.
“I had no idea I would end up managing going into it this season,” said the former. “I was signed as a player on a two-year deal. I had no managing or coaching experience at senior level, but I always had aspirations to go that way.
“The club approached Colin and I and said, ‘Would you guys be able to step up and help out on an interim basis until we make a decision on a permanent replacement?’ We both share that passion for the club so we were never going to turn them down when they were in a need of help.
“We've made a few changes. We've moved a few on and we've brought a few in. But we knew we had good experience and good quality in the dressing room. Maybe it was just a case of fresh voices, fresh ideas. We tried to get that fun factor back as well.
“Being co-managers has worked really well to be honest with you. Colin's a friend and we have been team mates for many years now, eight or nine years. So there's always been that massive respect for one another, that natural trust and loyalty. That has been hugely important.
“David and I are the kind of guys who go in and give it everything we can,” said the latter. “We did exactly that. But going way back, getting that first league win against Annan in September was obviously key. It gave us that bit of confidence and we kicked on. We tried to keep the mood in the camp as high as possible.
“But we knew we had a lot of quality in the changing room. It was about trying to get the boys to show that and express themselves. The signings in the summer had been good. It was about getting them to show what they were capable of.
“But we've been at the club through a lot of highs and a few lows. We know how to keep spirits up as we've been in the changing room ourselves. It was really just a case of David and I working together. He’s got his strengths, I've got my strengths. When you put them together it is hugely beneficial."
Both Hamilton and Gold spent many years playing under the inimitable Dick Campbell, who took Arbroath to the brink of the Championship title and a place in the Premiership back in 2022, and admit “The Bunnet” had a profound influence on their outlook on both management and the game in general.
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“I played under Dick for a really long time, eight years,” said Gold. “We won a couple of leagues (League 2 in 2017 and League 1 in 2019) together and we spent five years in the Championship. It was an excellent experience.
“His success was down to the environment that he created. The boys properly enjoyed coming in to training and focusing on the football and that's one of the big things we've tried to do. Alongside that, his recruitment was always bang on. He would always talk to the players about that as well.
“When it came to the football side of things, he just kept it simple. He never tried to overcomplicate things, never asked folk to do things that they couldn't do, just played to key strengths. It worked for him.”
Hamilton said, "He was definitely a big influence on us. We learned a lot of good stuff from Dick that we have taken into our own coaching. But we learned off Jim [McIntyre] as well. We learned things from speaking to different managers in different leagues. We are like sponges.”
Losing to Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the play-off semi-finals during that remarkable season that Campbell oversaw was a hammer blow which both Gold and Hamilton felt did lasting damage at the club. They worked tirelessly to lift spirits after taking over last year.
“The big thing for Colin and I when we came in was, ‘Can we try and break out of that cycle? Can we try and change the mindset? Can we make the guys more confident and resilient and put together a few more wins?’ We’ve obviously done that.”
Arbroath clinched the League 1 title in some style. A Sam Stanton double and Fraser Taylor and Andy Winter doubles saw them romp to a 4-0 victory over Stenhousemuir at Gayfield Park on Saturday. The performance was typical of those they have regularly produced this term.
“It's changed throughout the season,” said Gold. “But we quite like to be very organised and compact in our possession and very hard to beat. We've got a lot of key players in the final third of the park with pace and a bit of flair. We try to utilise them as much as possible. We try and let the boys play with a bit of freedom and enjoy the football.”
Aaron Muirhead, the Partick Thistle centre-half who joined Arbroath on loan in February so he could get the competitive game time which he needed to get back to full fitness following injury, has revelled in being a part of things in the past few months.
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“I have definitely enjoyed it,” he said. “When you look through the squad there's experienced players there and young boys who are keen to learn. It was kind of a whirlwind when I joined. I made my debut the day I signed. But it is such a good squad that I settled in quickly. It has been great.
“We generally play with a 4-2-3-1, have a solid back four, a good foundation. But we have got ecellent attacking players as well. I have been impressed with Fraser Taylor and Andy Winters, the lads we have had on loan from St Mirren and Livingston. But Scott Stewart and Ryan Dow have both been excellent on the wings.
“I had played against both David and Colin quite a few times. They work the co-manager thing well, have a good dynamic. They're both young so they're good in and around the changing room. Colin has been out with a long-term injury and David is out just now, but he played when I first joined. So they are genuine player-co-managers.”
Carlsberg don’t do testimonial seasons, but if they did they would have struggled to arrange one quite as glorious for Gold. The 32-year-old is celebrating 10 years at Arbroath and has been honoured with a series of events by the Gayfield Park club. Hamilton has been delighted for his fellow player-co-manager.
However, it is the fans who turned out in their thousands on Saturday evening and invaded the pitch following the final whistle who he has been most pleased for.
“It's been a good year for David,” he said. “He's been fantastic for the club and has deserved it. But the town as a whole has been absolutely buzzing. The support we have received as young managers in our first job has been incredible. We are glad we were able to get some silverware at the end of it.”
