Managers Corner

Paul Hartley after final game of season

Sun, 06 May 2012 19:22:26 GMT

We were not at our best today, it wasn’t good, a lot of people came to watch and putting on a performance like that wasn’t great but we got ourselves back into the game in the second half. We’ve had one home defeat all season and we beat our previous Third Championship winning tally by gaining 77 points. The players have done brilliantly over the season, they have been absolutely magnificent. You always have expectations and you always want to try and get promotion but sometimes it doesn’t turn out that way. I’ve got to give the players great credit, they’ve been magnificent. We’re going up to a higher division next season so it will be tougher. Our aim is to encourage people to come and watch us, so we hope some of the 2,551 people who we at the game today will come back next season – I think we have to try and consolidate because we know we’re up a league – we are in the process of speaking to a few more players – we’ve already tied up ten and got two or three pre-contracts. The pressure will be on us to move up a division and do well. I’ve committed myself for the next two years and it’s a building job here. Our ambition is to reach the First Division so we will have a right go at it and see where it takes us.

Paul Hartley

Alloa Athletic FC ...

Paul Hartley previews final game of season

Fri, 04 May 2012 22:38:41 GMT

Today I would like to extend a warm welcome to Harry Cairney and Andy Aitken, the players, coaches, supporters and directors of Annan Athletic as they visit Recreation Park for their second league game of the season, we are looking forward to the game in completely different circumstances to when the sides meet in May, 2011. Today is the culmination and reward for the hard work and dedication of everyone at this club to make sure the club returned to the Second Division at the very first attempt. I am hoping there will be a big crowd to enjoy the occasion, it is something to savour as this type of day does not come around on a regular basis, the last time the club won the Third Division title was back in Season 1997/98. It has been hard work, the players have been brilliant, it is a magnificent achievement and I can’t thank my players enough for what they have done this season – their attitude, commitment, their desire to win, work rate, everything that has been asked of them, but it has not just been about the players but everyone at the club who have worked as a team – the chairman for giving me the chance in management and for rewarding me with a new two year contract. Today however we want everybody to enjoy the occasion, we will look to put on a good performance and end the season in style, win the game and hopefully entice people to come back next season. We are a community club and want the people in the county to enjoy our success, we have only won three championships in the club’s history in 1921/22, 1997/98 and again this season. Some of the players, even the older ones have never been part of a Championship winning side and these days must be savoured. The young players have got to enjoy the occasion and remember the feeling, while the older players will cherish the reward for their years in the game. It lifts the whole spirit at the club, it’s a new era now and hopefully we have brought something different to the club, it is a club in progress, it comes down to hard work, the harder you work the better rewards you can achieve, we will now turn our attentions to next season and look forward, we will try to keep the majority of the players, we will look to add and strengthen the squad and keep the momentum going for next season – lets enjoy today and hopefully we can see some of today’s crowd returning at the start of Season 2012/13.

Paul Hartley

Alloa Athletic FC ...

Paul Hartley after draw at Broadwood

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 20:32:11 GMT

We were a little bit flat today – we started really well in the first 15 minutes we were excellent after that it was not great. We were excellent last week I think we just took our foot of the gas a little bit – I thought during the first 15 minutes I was enjoying it but the rest of the match I didn’t enjoy – we didn’t pass well, the tempo of play was too slow, decision making was poor - the main thing is that we didn’t get beat. I didn’t think Clyde looked like scoring today but all credit to them they worked hard. We still had the best chances of the game. We scored a great goal – we have done well all season passing the ball , but we look forward to next week when we get the trophy – that has been the reward for all the hard work – at the start of the season we said we wanted to be in the top four and we managed to do that in style, so next week will be great – we are hoping for a big crowd – we want to put on a performance I don’t want it to be flat – I want to go and win the game – we want to encourage as many people as we can to the game and hopefully come back again.

Paul Hartley
Alloa Athletic Manager

Alloa Athletic FC ...

Paul Hartley after Stranraer victory

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 18:03:06 GMT

I am delighted – our performance was great today the players were tremendous and some of the football was fantastic today. We scored three goals and could have scored more. The goals were great - Ryan McCord’s two goals were outstanding and Robbie Winters showed his experience again – he was fabulous again today for us. I know what I get from my players - last week was most unlike us but it was because we had made so many changes but I did expect a lot better last week but overall during the season they have been absolutely magnificent and today again just shows how good a team we are. We are still hungry even though we have won the league we still want to win every game. I still want to finish the season on a high and we still have a lot to play for and get as many points and goals as we can and finish the season on a real high. The team have came on leaps and bounds throughout the season - they get better and better as the weeks and months have gone on – I know what to expect from my players and know the standards we have set. As soon as we clinched the league I started to look forward to next season and try to get things in place and try and improve the squad and try and make everything better but it will be a real challenge for us next year. There is no doubt about it – it will be much tougher and we will need to work hard and get things in place.

Paul Hartley
Alloa Athletic Manager

Alloa Athletic FC ...

Paul Hartley previews Stranraer game

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 22:51:55 GMT

Today I would like to extend a warm welcome to Keith Knox and Chris Aitken, the players, coaches, supporters and directors of Stranraer as they visit Recreation Park for the second time this season, we are looking forward to the game and know Stranraer have been one of the best teams we have faced in the division this season and are also top goalscorers in the division so we will threat them with the utmost respect.
Our last home game against Elgin City was a fantastic occasion and on winning the Championship in such style on the day in was brilliant, we have played some wonderful football this season and been the best team by far, the players have been brilliant, it is a magnificent achievement and I can’t thank my players enough for what they have done this season – their attitude, commitment, their desire to win, work rate, everything that has been asked from them, but it has not just been the players but everyone at the club who have worked as a team – the chairman for giving me the chance in management. It has not just been about myself, we have put a team together and got them to play in a certain way, to try and entertain but also win games, we have done that and never looked to change that all season, we kept playing the way that we know how to play because of the players we have at this club and we have now got our reward because the players have been absolutely wonderful and give me everything each week so I can’t ask any more from them. It been a sheer joy, I would like to thank everybody my assistant manager, coaches, physio, goalkeeping coach, kit men, the chairman and directors it has been a real team effort as we have a pulled together – you work hard and get your rewards, but you still need a fair bit of ability to get with it and we have managed to do that, I can’t thank everyone enough.
We now look forward to today’s game against Stranraer, it will be another hard game, we will be up for it, we still want to win every game until the end of the season and we will look forward to receiving the league trophy on the final day of the season, that is the most important thing, we are champions and we still want to show people why we are champions and why we deserve to be the winners, we have done alright this season and I’m sure we will be fine today, I know how my players respond, I totally trust them, we are all raring to go, it’s a great thing to have and we look forward to the game, hopefully there will be a good crowd and we go and have a go at entertaining them.

Paul Hartley

Alloa Athletic FC ...

Paul Hartley after Berwick defeat

Sat, 14 Apr 2012 20:52:31 GMT

I think the changes I made today in hindsight I shouldn’t have made them but I expected a little bit better from the guys that I brought in to the team, it was an all round poor performance from the guys – I am not taking anything away from Berwick Rangers, we just didn’t play well today. We were not at the races, we were sloppy, we were just poor in every department of the park today so I have got no complaints about the score line – it could have been more, we know we have to get better than that, and I am not going to accept it. It was a disappointment after last weeks win against Elgin and I am not going to lie, I expected better today – I rested a few of the players, the players who have been playing every week, sometimes you think it’s a good idea and then you look at it and say maybe I shouldn’t have done that but I have got to have a look at other players in the squad because some of them have not been playing a lot this season and I have got to have a look at them and see how they can perform. We just didn’t perform well – I felt that for the full team that played today that none of them would get a pass mark. So we have got to do better next week – I am sure we will do – I am not accepting that again. I want to win every game – I said that to the guys before today’s game - we are not coming here just for a jolly - we came here to win the game but we just didn’t perform. It’s not like my players they have been absolutely magnificent all season but I understand that when you win the league sometimes the season peters out but I am not going to have that. Berwick Rangers might not have anything to play for on the face of it, but all players have contracts to play for and they looked hungrier than us, they were better than us it is as simple as that – I have no complaints about that but we still have three games to play this season and I will look to end the season playing to win the games.

Paul Hartley

Alloa Athletic FC ...

Paul Hartley after winning league

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 17:45:26 GMT

Honestly today is unbelievable – the way the day panned out and the way my team performed, I am so proud of them. It is a special moment for myself but the players have worked ever so hard, they deserve it. It’s all about the guys we are nothing without the players - we try and prepare them and get them as fit as possible – but once they cross that line it is up to them to. We need guys out there who are good footballers and do the business, they need a will to win and they have had that since the first day they came in for pre-season. I am proud of them it is a great achievement for them but today was just unbelievable, the way we played is the sort of football we have been playing most of the season and to score eight goals, I know they are down to ten men but it wouldn’t have mattered if they had eleven we would still have won that game convincingly, just because of the way we were at the game. Our performance and attitude I am so proud. I have done a lot in my career but this is my best moment and if you see the guys in there because this does not happen all the time – I tell them that – savour this, especially the young players – some of the older players have never won anything – my assistant manager, Paddy Connelly has never won a thing and has been in the game 20 years. This is my greatest achievement and I know I have won title with Celtic and the Scottish Cup but this is up there with the best. I will now enjoy the occasion and enjoy next week and take it all in. I will enjoy tonight, it is fantastic. It’s not an easy thing to do, to score eight goals at any level of football but Stevie May was on fire and he wanted to score and we could have scored more. Everybody wanted to score. The full team was magnificent. A magnificent achievement for us to have only four defeats in thirty two games – and we will look to win every game between now and the end of the season – we are looking to get as many points as we can. We have 72 points just now – Livingston won the league with 72 points and they were full time two years ago – this just shows you what our team is about – we have had to build from scratch. The fans were brilliant today, everybody was great, it’s a team effort here, that’s what we tried to do when we came in we wanted everybody to be positive because the club had been on a bit of a downer with relegation and we had to build again and people took a look at the Chairman and said it was taking a bit of a gamble getting relegated and taking on a rookie manager – I have got to give my Chairman so much praise because he did take the chance on me – anything I have asked for he has tried to give me and I am so pleased for him because he has taken a lot of stick over the last 18 months to 2 years. We are back to hopefully where we belong and we can try and kick on from here.

Paul Hartley

Alloa Athletic FC ...

Paul Hartley previews Elgin City game

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 11:47:20 GMT

Today I would like to extend a warm welcome to Ross Jack and Barrie Wilson, the players, coaches, supporters and directors of Elgin City as they visit Recreation Park for the second time this season, we are looking forward to the game on the back of good results over Queen’s Park and Montrose, our victory over Queen’s Park in our last home game was terrific the boys were different class in a game against first and second in the league and we proved just how good a team we can be.
Today we face another difficult game against Elgin City, they are a good team we have found it hard against them at Borough Briggs but had a good victory at Recreation Park on Boxing day, it will be another tough game, every game has been tough, but we go into the game on the back of a good run since our defeat at Borough Briggs, having won our last six matches, so we go into the game with confidence knowing at this stage of the season we look at each game one at a time. Today the players will need to be ready and focused for another difficult game, but in fairness to the players they have been absolutely wonderful, they give me everything every week, we have been playing some great football, so I can’t ask any more from them.
Ryan Harding will miss today’s match through suspension but I am hopeful Stevie Masterton will be able to return to the squad he has been doing some light training this week and is desperate to get back involved. I have no problems and trust the players in the squad to do a job when called upon which they have done throughout the season.
Its been a long season but good so far, we know where we want to be and are in a nice position just now but we know we need to keep it going, everybody knows how quickly things can change in football, the players know that and will be fully focused – winning games is a good habit and the mentality it brings in thinking you can win every game, the players certainly don’t like getting beat, it’s a nice thing to have in the dressing room.
Let’s hope everybody can look forward with five games left knowing our destiny is in our own hands.

Paul Hartley

Alloa Athletic FC ...

Paul Hartley after victory at Montrose

Sun, 01 Apr 2012 14:19:46 GMT

I’m delighted with the result, particularly as we played for 70 minutes with ten men. We’ve already shown we can play with ten men this season. We were really good today, fantastic, we have already showed that this season, there have been a couple of games when we were down to ten men and we have managed to win it plus get a clean sheet – we know what we are about, we work ever so hard – we have a really good work ethic about us and we can play good football – I am delighted and it is another game ticked off and I was delighted especially with the second half performance. It looked like a penalty from where I was but sometimes you don’t get a clear view – I have no complaints about our sending off, it was a red card all day so it evened up a little bit – they had a couple of shouts for penalties but I don’t think our goal keeper had much to do in the second half. Playing against ten men is hard but the way we work with our team everybody works hard – you see that attitude with the players they give me everything every week and you can’t ask for any more. A game at a time is all we keep saying there is no title talk in the dressing room we just want to see where it takes us at the end of the season. At the start of the season our aim was to get in the top four and we have managed to do that.

Paul Hartley

Alloa Athletic FC ...

Paul Hartley after beating Queens Park 4-0

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 22:44:31 GMT

We were terrific today – the boys were a different class – we have played Queens Park four times this year – the other three times they were unfortunate to get beat or so they say, maybe they were unfortunate again today – we were absolutely fantastic and the team was a joy with some of the football being played we could have scored more than four goals we played them down there the last time – they said they had an average age of 23 and we had the exact same average age. They are saying this week that we have real experience in our team – yes we have one or two experienced players so I am very pleased with the performance from the players today. We are in a good position that is for sure with six games to go but we just need to take a game at a time and see where it takes us to at the end of the season but we have just got to keep working hard, today was top versus second and we showed how good a team we are today. I don’t look at next season I concentrate on this season – the guys we have brought in on loan have been good but so have the full squad of players it’s not just about two or three players that you bring in on loan it’s about everybody but I am delighted with my team – they deserve the credit they have not always had that this year and it’s that everybody else has been unlucky against us but we showed what we are all about today and we have to keep it going – we know we are a good team so I am pleased. It is testament to the players, my assistant, the coaching staff, physio, kit men we are all in it together. There is still a long way to go and it’s game by game we don’t get carried away with ourselves that’s for sure.

Paul Hartley

Alloa Athletic FC ...