John McGlynn confirmed as new Livingston manager

Former Hearts and Raith Rovers manager John McGlynn looks set to replace Richie Burke as Livingston manager. Picture: Ian Rutherford

The 51-year-old was appointed by the Championship strugglers yesterday when it emerged that manager Richie Burke had tendered his resignation “due to personal reasons”.

McGlynn had been out of work since his departure from Hearts in February this year after a disappointing eight months in charge at Tynecastle, where he had previously spent a decade as first-team coach.

Prior to his return to Gorgie in June 2012, the one-time Bolton Wanderers youth player had spent six years with Raith Rovers, where he guided the Kirkcaldy club to the Second Division title and to a challenge for promotion to the SPL, which won him the PFA Scotland manager of the year award in 2011.

McGlynn, who will retain the services of assistant Mark Burchill, had been interviewed for the Livingston job in March when Burke took over from

Gareth Evans and admitted he was thrilled to have been given the nod this time to become the Almondvale club’s 17th permanent manager since 2000.

With tomorrow’s bow against Morton looming large, McGlynn said: “First of all, I’m delighted to be back in football and also at such a good club as Livingston.

“They are renowned for playing good football, they have a good stadium that everybody enjoys coming to and I’m

delighted to be here.

“I don’t have an awful lot of time before Saturday’s game but the aim will be for us to start climbing the table as soon

as possible.

“When you are out of work you apply for jobs and I was interviewed earlier in the year, so, hopefully, the fact they have come back to me shows I made a good impression on the board of directors at that time.

“I feel I’ve got a good track record and hopefully they

recognised that.

“This club has a lot of good football players. When I was with Raith Rovers we obviously played against them and we also played a League Cup tie against them when I was with Hearts.

“So, I know the way the club likes to play and the quality of player at the club, and that was part of the reason why it was a no-brainer to take the job.”

Burke’s exit was the first managerial change of the Scottish season. The Liverpool-born coach – who headed to America, where his wife and family are based, at the start of the international break and is believed to still be there now – was only appointed to the West Lothian post back in March.

He took the position following the controversial sacking of Gareth Evans and subsequent resignation of the club’s director of football, John Collins. Evans had been brought to Livingston as the club’s first team-coach by his former manager at Hibs, John Hughes, in the summer of 2012, and he assumed control of the first team when Hughes left for Hartlepool last November.

At that time, the Lions lay in fifth place and Evans actually improved their standing before he was sacked in February with Collins walking out in protest.

Burke, who had a long career coaching in the States before joining Livingston to work in their Youth Programme was chosen to replace Evans. However, the move didn’t really work out, with only four wins in 16 league games.

Livingston are bottom of the Championship at the moment and were dumped out of the Ramsdens Cup by Berwick Rangers in the first round.