John McGlynn Reflects on Falkirk's Success and Future Aspirations
John McGlynn expresses his satisfaction in guiding Falkirk beyond expectations since their return to Scotland's top flight, while also acknowledging that it would be intriguing to manage a club with a larger budget one day.
The 64-year-old coach has successfully led the Bairns to consecutive promotions as league champions, earning the title of PFA Scotland Manager of the Year on both occasions.
Despite his successes, McGlynn revealed that he has never been approached about managing another club while currently overseeing a team that sits sixth in the Premiership.
When asked about his ambitions to manage a bigger club, McGlynn told BBC Scotland, "It would be interesting. I’ve never really had any money to work with. Even during my brief return to Hearts, there was no financial backing, and the same was true at Raith Rovers. It would be fascinating to operate at a club with a blank checkbook, but my assistant Paul Smith and I have managed to be resourceful and field the best team possible with what we have."
McGlynn made these comments following the announcement of the loan signing of 21-year-old Sheffield United midfielder Louie Marsh.
"We received a small amount of funding to bring Louie in and to sign striker Brian Graham, but that’s about it," McGlynn stated.
This season, Premiership rivals such as Celtic, Rangers, Kilmarnock, and Aberdeen have been searching for new managers; however, McGlynn noted, "No one has ever talked to me about that. I am happy to be here and to entertain our fans."
Falkirk's next match is against Celtic, who are currently managed on an interim basis by Martin O'Neill for the second time this season. McGlynn remarked, "It is an exciting prospect. We were the first to experience Martin's return at Celtic Park, and it didn’t go as planned, so we aim for a better outcome this time. The atmosphere at Celtic Park, with 50,000 fans supporting their team, will be quite different from our home ground with nearly 7,000 fans behind us. However, we are in a good place, having taken nine points from a possible 12, and we look forward to the game."
'It is a bit of a fairytale'
Celtic's upcoming visit to Falkirk Stadium marks their first since 2010, four years after McGlynn took charge of a team that had just finished sixth in League 1. "It is a bit of a fairytale," he admitted. "There are players here who were in League 1 and would never have imagined they would be competing at this level; they are excelling."
"So far, so good. We are sitting sixth and have a bit of a cushion, but it's not enough to consider our season secure. We’ve demonstrated for half a season that we can compete, and we just need to maintain that form for the remainder of the season. The players now possess the confidence they need, and we’ve proven to other clubs that we can be a match for anyone on our day."
McGlynn emphasized that Falkirk's appealing style of play has led to an impressive total of 5,700 season ticket holders, far exceeding the board's expectation of 2,000. "Currently, we are very much on the rise, but we are not getting carried away," he stated.
What if they secure a top-six finish? "I would feel incredibly proud," McGlynn concluded. "This is a scenario where the true significance of our achievements may only be fully appreciated in hindsight, once I retire and reflect on my career here."