Ian Murray has revealed the ‘mantra’ he says is allowing Raith Rovers to beat ‘big-spending’ Championship rivals to signings this summer.
The Stark’s Park boss has confessed he feared losing out on Paul Hanlon after discovering what the freed Hibernian stalwart was being offered by competitors for his signature.
Hanlon has said he knocked back offers from the Premiership, second tier and abroad to join Raith.
Likewise, Shaun Byrne has admitted he turned down more money elsewhere to sign on permanently in Kirkcaldy after last season’s loan from Dundee.
In both cases, the persistence of Raith’s pursuit – led by technical director John Potter – paid off.
And, with the likes of Partick Thistle and Ayr United seemingly ‘splashing the cash’ in the transfer market, Murray is adamant Rovers’ success has come despite being outgunned in monetary terms.
“We have to be very clear again,” he told Courier Sport. “We’ve had a fantastic transfer window again so far, we’re not going to deny that.
“But we’re most certainly not the big hitters in the league, that’s for sure, in terms of what other teams are offering, seemingly, to other players.
“We try to build it around the atmosphere, the environment, the potential, the support we’re getting from the supporters and the facilities we’re trying to create.
‘We don’t have pots of gold’
“That’s alway our mantra.
“I keep saying it and people don’t agree with it, but we don’t have pots of gold, we really don’t.
“These boys aren’t here for the money, that’s for sure.”
Potter’s role in the recruitment process is one that is repeatedly mentioned by new signings.
And it is one that Murray has been happy to pass on since last summer’s takeover sparked a revamp of the football department.
The manager is still very much at the heart of the conversations over targets. But the leg-work is often completed by Potter, who Hanlon said had been on the phone nightly during their discussions
“John has done a fantastic job in selling the place, and he doesn’t lose too many battles in these situations, which is great,” added Murray.
“That’s John’s job and it’s not an easy one, or a particularly enjoyable one at times, because you’re on at players all the time.
“There’s kind of a chain. I’ll text Pottsy asking what’s going on and he’ll get back to me and it ping-pongs between me and him, and then finally we’ll get an answer.
“With Paul in particular, we had a lot of conversations with him. It got to the stage where I knew what other teams were offering him – and they were outgunning us pretty substantially.
‘One battle we might have lost’
“So, I was a little bit surprised we got him. I was on holiday when I got the call from Pottsy to tell me Paul had agreed.
“I was delighted, because I genuinely thought it might be one battle we might have lost.
“Longevity is the thinking, really. Paul, Lewis [Stevenson] and guys like Shaun Byrne are not stupid guys, they understand they’ve got young families and sometimes location is also important to players in terms of their home life.
“Sometimes more money doesn’t always win. Most of the time it does, but not always.
“So, I’m delighted with guys like Shaun, who was offered a lot more money elsewhere but decided that wasn’t the driving factor in his next move.”
