Dunfermline are in safe hands with new chief executive David Cook.
That is the view of East End Park boss John Hughes as he hailed the Pars die-hard.
Although his laser focus remains on steering Dunfermline to Championship safety, Hughes has been able to meet with Cook and sporting director Thomas Meggle — the latter visiting from Germany — in recent days.
And he has been heartened by the CEO’s plans for the business and passion for the club.
“David’s got his finger on the pulse,” lauded Hughes. “I had a meeting with him last week. He introduced himself and told us what he expects.
“It was really just emphasising what he feels Dunfermline’s all about. We’re all on that same page.
“He’s got his own agenda at the moment, in terms of finding out how the club works and setting into the role. But I think they [Cook and Meggle] are happy with the football side and what we’re trying to do.”
Although Cook has worked for Celtic, Everton, Nottingham Forest — and even had a spell with Etihad in Abu Dhabi — the Fife-born marketing expert always held on to his East End Park season ticket.
And while Cook was keen to emphasise that his decision to join Dunfermline was not driven by emotion, Hughes reckons that affinity with the fanbase can only be positive.
“It’s massive when you’ve got that connection with the community,” continued Hughes. “If I’m a Dunfermline supporter, then you feel safe.
“We’ve had a hard two years — with Covid and results on the pitch — but we’ve got a massive part to play and I don’t think that goes unnoticed with the players, either. It’s our job to bring everyone together.”
‘We have good numbers’
Meanwhile, Hughes says it is unlikely that Dunfermline will add to their squad prior to the closure of the loan window at the end of this month.
The Pars brought in Stevie Lawless, Coll Donaldson, Joe Chalmers, Bobby Kamwa and Jakub Stolarczyk in January.
Efe Ambrose then arrived on loan from St Johnstone earlier this month.
And asked whether Dunfermline’s business has been concluded for the campaign, Hughes added: “It looks like that’s it, unless something [unexpected] crops up.
“You never know if someone might need to go out, but at this moment in time we are happy.
“We’ve got good cover for all our positions and, although we might be one short here or there, we can cover it up. We have good numbers.”
