Andy Barrowman has denied Raith Rovers made a ‘knee-jerk reaction’ in sacking Ian Murray – and reject suggestions it was because of a disagreement behind the scenes.
And he has revealed the Kirkcaldy club are already well down the path to bringing in a new manager ‘quickly’ in the coming days.
Murray was axed on Sunday to the surprise of most of Scottish football.
A statement from the Stark’s Park side indicated that ‘results and performances since the turn of the year have fallen short of expectations’.
The former Hibernian and Rangers player had steered Raith to runners-up in the second-tier for the first time in 13 years and to within just one win of promotion to the Premiership for the first time since 1997.
However, he saw his contract, which was extended by three years only last Christmas, terminated in the wake of Saturday’s 1-0 defeat away to bogey team Airdrie.
Barrowman is adamant the club can cope with the financial burden of that decision and insists they are content it was the right move.
“I understand the shock and I can see why it came as a shock to Rovers fans and the wider football community,” said the Rovers chief executive. “I can understand that, given the exploits of last season.
“First and foremost, it’s important for us to express our gratitude to Ian and the job that he did.
“We all experienced some pretty special moments last year. He led us to that, so I think it’s important to recognise that.
‘Opinion formed over months’
“This isn’t a knee-jerk reaction, it’s not an opinion based on one performance, five performances – or eight, including the pre-season games. This is an opinion formed over a number of months.
“We live and breathe this football club. Every waking moment, we think about Raith Rovers. We see things, we hear things, we feel things, that form these opinions.
“Ultimately, it’s our job to make decisions. Whether they are right or wrong, time will tell.
“But this opinion has been formed over a number of months.”
Speaking to the club’s in-house Raith TV, he added: “Despite what people think, there’s no flashpoint, there’s no falling out.
“I spoke to Ian a couple of times on the phone (on Sunday). He was shocked, obviously. I don’t think he necessarily agreed with my points.
“But he also understood them and the rationale behind the decision, which is a mark of the individual as well.
“Ultimately, we don’t believe Ian was the man to take us forward, and that’s why we came to the decision.
“In our opinion, we think there’s been a regress, individually and collectively, as a group, from the turn of the year.
“We didn’t feel that regression was going to change under Ian’s leadership. Hence the reason we decided to make the decision we have.
Barrowman: ‘Time will tell’
“[We’re] fully content and fully comfortable with the decision we’ve made. Again, time will tell whether it’s the right one, whether it’s bold or reckless.”
Barrowman revealed he spoke with the club’s staff before addressing the playing squad, as a whole and in a smaller group, prior to training on Monday morning.
“Whether they agree or not doesn’t matter to me, that’s their prerogative,” he went on. “We had that discussion, we got things out in the open and we move on. It’s business as usual.”
Raith have instantly been linked with a number of candidates, with the bookmakers making former Dundee United manager Tam Courts the favourite.
Others, including Airdrie boss Rhys McCabe, former Kelty head coach Kevin Thomson and John Potter, Rovers’ technical director and now caretaker, have been mentioned in despatches.
However, Barrowman has made it clear there have been possible targets in mind for some time for the manager’s role, just as there always are for the team on the pitch.
“We’re very clear on a short-list of candidates we would like to progress with,” he explained. “There are lots of variables that will dictate how that process goes.
“Much of the research has already been done for a long time. And we’re very clear in our mind how we move forward.
“We want to act quickly – but we’ll get the decision right.
“I think the clarity in our mind allows us to act quickly. We’ve done all the work, all the research, the due diligence. So, we’re very clear in what we have.
“There’s no definite timeframe on it at this stage, but we’ll act quickly.”
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