Jim McIntyre can transform Ross County - Burchill

INSTALLING Jim McIntyre as manager made for a move from Ross County that Mark Burchill admitted he “didn’t see coming”. Yet, if the Livingston assistant had been asked to give a character reference for a man he played with, played under and has pitted himself against in the coaching sphere, then the Dingwall club’s owner Roy MacGregor might have been tempted to come in with ten-year contracts for his new man and assistant Billy Dodds.

Jim McIntyre is enthusiastic, good tactically and a great man-manager, according to Mark Burchill. Picture: SNS

Burchill, speaking at Hampden as his side were drawn at home to Stranraer in the Petrofac Training Cup yesterday, bigs-up the now former Queen of the South manager like nobody’s business. “It is a fantastic appointment for Ross County [and] whoever at the club chose him has picked a winner,” he said. And picked an individual on the right basis, with credentials and Scottish-based knowledge counting above an ability to generate publicity – as seemed the only reason why some fanciful names were attached to replacing Derek Adams at the Premiership’s bottom-placed club, a team pointless after five games.

“There were a lot of really big names getting linked with the job, with guys like Patrick Kluivert,” Burchill said. “But this is a very measured appointment by County. They wanted someone to fit the bill and Jim does that perfectly. He is the right man for that job. It’s a great appointment as he’s a fantastic young manager. I’ve seen his coaching first-hand and I’ve also gone up against him in the Livingston and Queen of the South games. He brings a lot to the table. He’s enthusiastic, he’s good tactically and is a great man-manager. He managed to play and coach at Dunfermline, which was a difficult thing to do.”

The former Celtic striker’s opinion carries real weight precisely because he has watched the 42-year-old at close quarters for the best part of a decade. When McIntyre arrived at East End Park from Dundee United in 2006, it was to partner Burchill in the Fife side’s attack. Within a year, McIntyre had stepped up to become his temporary boss, thrust into the player-coach at the second tier side following the sacking of Stephen Kenny.

“When I worked under him, he was a rookie,” Burchill said. “I remember his first team-talk and he was nervous, as you can imagine. At that time, Jim didn’t expect to be in that position. He was interim boss to start with but he did well and got the job. Coaching against him, I can see he is a very cool, calm, collected guy who does everything for his players.”

McIntyre led Dunfermline to the First Division title in 2010-11 but was then jettisoned by the club when relegation loomed in March 2012. “He got sacked when he didn’t deserve it. He went to Queen of the South and on a limited budget did a good job. They played good football and he is a good fit for County.”

Many thought McIntyre wouldn’t fit right back into management following the bruising end to his time at East End Park. But after recharging his batteries coaching at Bristol City under Derek McInnes, he did. Identified as the perfect replacement for Allan Johnston at Queen of the South, after Johnston was enticed to Kilmarnock on the back of his Second Division title and Ramsden Cup double, he did decent work last season and has the Dumfries club lying fourth in a Championship boasting Rangers, Hearts and a struggling Hibs.

“It says a lot for Jim that he has bounced back so quickly after what happened at Dunfermline,” he said. “Queen of the South played great football under him. They were a dynamic team who caused you problems. If he can translate any of that into Ross County, I’m sure he will turn them around. This is the next step for Jim. Queens are a decent-sized club but going to County is a step up and I’ve no doubt he will establish them in the league.”

What MacGregor will also be hoping McIntyre and Dodds can do is re-establish a Scottish identity at a Highland club that became an all-too-brief stop-off for any number of modest imports under the Adams axis of manager Derek and his director of football father George. Burchill believes McIntyre can achieve that objective too.

“Look at what Jim has done at Queens. He took a guy like Mark Durnan who nobody wanted in the top flight and turned his career around. He will be a Premiership defender one day. Iain Russell was released by Livingston but Jim took him and he scores 20 goals a season.

“He knows Scottish football inside out and he will be able to take the best Championship players and guys from lower division up to County. It will be difficult for Jim to start with because there are so many foreign influences up there. But he will be able to get the best out of them.”