John Potter says player recruitment drive continuing as Raith Rovers hunt for new boss

John Potter insists Raith Rovers’ recruitment drive has not been allowed to stall during the hunt for a new manager.

The Stark’s Park outfit are currently seeking a successor to Ian Murray, who was sacked after the opening league game of the season.

Potter has stepped in as interim boss with assistant Colin Cameron, and the duo steered the team to a 1-0 victory over Partick Thistle at the weekend to kickstart their Championship campaign.

As technical director, Potter is involved with chief executive Andy Barrowman in identifying the right man to take over in the dugout.

Aberdeen first-team coach Peter Leven is thought to be high on the list of targets. Speculation has also linked the likes of Tam Courts, Liam Fox and Darren O’Dea with the job.

With just over a fortnight remaining in the transfer window, Potter is also immersed in Raith’s search for fresh signings.

And, despite no new manager being appointed yet, Potter is adamant player recruitment is not being allowed to stand still.

“We’re always on the case,” he told Courier Sport. “We’re continually speaking about and looking at players.

“We’ll try, if the right opportunity comes, to strengthen the squad.

‘We’ll be patient’

“But it’s got to be the right guy, the right person, that we think can come and strengthen it.

“We won’t just try to sign players for the sake of it. That’s what we’ve thought from the start.

“So, if we can get guys to come in and improve the squad and improve the guys we’ve got then we’ll try to do something.

“But it’s difficult at the moment. A lot of teams are looking for the same types of players.

“So, we’ll be patient with it.

“If the right one comes up and they want to come to Raith Rovers and it ticks all the boxes then we’ll try to do it.”

Potter also believes his role overseeing the football department has allowed Raith to cope better with the departure of Murray.

It was a structure implemented when the new owners arrived at the club in May last year.

“I just think it’s the way it should be,” added the former Dunfermline and Kelty Hearts boss.

“I remember times when I’ve been at clubs and four or five members of staff are leaving and four or five are coming in.

‘The structure stays the same’

“First of all, it’s expensive for clubs. And, at the same time, it can be a lot of change very quickly.

“The idea last year was to come in and build that structure behind the manager.

“So, when these moments come – when the manager leaves, for good and bad reasons – then the structure stays the same and the staff are there to do their jobs in those departments.

“I’ll oversee that and then it’s up to us to go and find a new manager or head coach to plug into what we’re doing here.

“That’s what we’re doing at the moment, but a lot of other things have stayed the same.”