Crawford grabs chance to entercrash course in management

Published on Friday 17 April 2009 22:19

A WEEK ago, Stevie Crawford was contemplating his latest return from injury and how to occupy his children in the final days of their Easter holidays. This afternoon, he will discover the harsh realities of football management having been catapulted into the front line at East Fife.

Dave Baikie's resignation at New Bayview Stadium on Tuesday has left a void which Crawford, temporarily at least, will fill. There are no time-scales in place, no indications that victory over Alloa this afternoon would lead to the 35-year-old being handed the reigns on a permanent basis. However, in situations like this the opportunity to be caretaker allows Crawford the chance to make himself impossible to ignore.

"I was shocked to hear Dave had resigned," said the former Raith Rovers protege and subsequent man of many clubs, who surprised some by signing for East Fife last summer. "I had been out with my kids and picked up a message from the club secretary, who asked me if I would be willing to take training and organise the team for Saturday.

"It took me an hour to gather my thoughts. The first thing I did before agreeing to anything was phone Dave; he had brought me to the club, I wanted to hear from him that he had resigned and express that I was sorry about that. He gave me his blessing to take the job and wished me good luck, which was a big thing for me.

"I have been given an opportunity here. Who is to say how many more of them I'll get in management?"

John Robertson is the most high-profile figure to be linked with the position thus far, even if it remains unclear whether or not he would be willing to work in the Second Division. Barry Wilson, currently playing at Queen of the South, is understood to be among around 20 applicants for the post but off-field matters in Fife are perhaps significant.

Willie Gray, close to both Baikie and Crawford, resigned as the East Fife chairman amid a boardroom move to switch his role to that of vice-chairman. It was hardly a harmonious departure, Gray irked that incoming chairman Sid Collumbine held a board meeting to effect the change while the former was on holiday in Egypt.

"I met with the board on Tuesday night and gave them my thoughts," Crawford said. "They now know that management and coaching is something I am keen to get into.

"There is not long in the season to go; first and foremost we have to make sure we retain our Second Division status and that means beating Alloa. We have a lot of players out of contract in the summer, once we make sure we are in the Second Division then I, or any other manager, can sit down and go through budgets with the chairman."

Experienced help is hardly in short supply for Crawford. He admits to being "delighted" to call on the services of Jason Dair and Scott Crabbe as assistants. Lee Makel, who recently returned from a player/coach's role in Swedish football, is also part of the Bayview staff. Sensibly, the interim manager concedes his ideal route into management would come after working closely with a more senior figure but this is clearly a chance he is willing to grasp with both hands.

"It is maybe unusual for someone to get a chance in management as early as me but I am not frightened of it," Crawford said. "There is a good set-up here, it reminds me a lot of Raith Rovers when I was there; we went from being a part-time club in the Second Division upwards and into full-time football.

"I have been in football too long to see this as a one-game, high-pressure situation. I am keen to be involved in management, this is an exciting opportunity. Even if I am only in charge for one game, I will have gained from that. It is the start of a learning curve.

"And if I don't get the job at this stage, in no way will I regard it as a knock-back."

Crawford plans to implement the option of the further year on his contract at East Fife but knows his playing days may be compromised by a move into the hot-seat. "It is easy just now, I am injured so don't have to pick myself," he smiled. "That sort of thing would all have to be discussed but my initial thoughts are that it is very difficult to play and manage.

"I look at two of my former team-mates, Craig Brewster and Owen Coyle, who would pull on the boots if needs must. That would probably be the way I would look to go, if I thought I could make a difference."

Securing Second Division safety today would also represent exactly that.