Partick Thistle have been known in the past as the ‘great Glasgow alternative’ to Celtic and Rangers. Now the Firhill are once more trying something different, with the appointment of the new manager of their’s women’s side.
As reported by BBC Sport, Brian Graham will be the new manager of Partick Thistle.
What is unique about that is that Graham is currently a member of Partick’s first-team squad.
That is, according to the BBC report the first time that a player who is a current first-team footballer will take charge of the women’s team at the same.
Three first-team players involved
The report goes on to disclose that Brian Graham be the manager. Also, two other first-team players, Richard Forster and Ross Docherty will be part of the backroom staff.
Now, is this a good idea or not? Well, it certainly managed to get some publicity for Partick’s women’s side, which is currently in the second division of the women’s game in Scotland.
However, just how much time will Graham be able to give to the job has to be a question. There has to be a reason that no other clubs have followed Partick’s lead by giving a current player a job as women’s team manager.
However, Graham and those in charge at Partick must feel that he is worth giving the role to.
Does have time to work with players
As Partick Thistle aren’t back in action until next month, Graham does have time at the moment to work with the women’s team, who also do not start their season until October.
Should Graham can get Partick Thistle women promoted to the top tier then this move will have to be considered a success.
Who knows, perhaps then Partick Thistle will be seen as trailblazers. Maybe then other clubs will follow in their path when it comes to selecting managers for their women’s teams.
For now though, the move has to be seen as a gamble. Only time will tell if the decision to appoint Graham will start a trend, or be a one-off.
We shall find out over the next few months. At the moment though its anyone’s guess as to if Graham will be a success or not.
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