Steven Pressley has taken over as Falkirk manager following Eddie May’s decision to resign in the wake of their 1-0 defeat to Kilmarnock last night.

The former Hearts, Rangers and Celtic defender has been May’s assistant at the Falkirk Stadium since John Hughes departed for Hibs last year and both men had the guidance of Alex Smith as Director of Football. But results haven’t gone the way of the Bairns since the change in management last summer and they currently sit three points adrift of second bottom Hamilton Accies with only three wins in 23 league outings so far.

The move to replace Pressley followed hours after May’s resignation and it’s his first managerial job, which presents something as a gamble for Falkirk, given their precarious position at this stage of the season.

Pressley though has never hidden his desire at becoming a manager, but even he would have expected to be assistant manager longer than he actually was, but a huge challenge awaits in the coming weeks.

Fixtures with Hearts, Aberdeen, Dundee United and Celtic are all coming thick and fast, barely giving “Elvis” time to settle into his new position and allow the players the chance to get used to the change.

However May’s decision to walk away is hardly surprising after what has been a struggle at the club and following Hughes’ into the Falkirk office was always going to be a huge act to follow. Under “Yogi”, they won promotion from Division One, reached the Scottish Cup final, qualified for Europe and consistently kept their place in the SPL, while also bringing through arguably the most talented group of young players the club has seen for years.

Darren Barr and Scott Arfield are two of the brightest stars, but sadly for the club, both look set to move on, with Barr in particular having already signed a pre-contract agreement with Hearts. But on paper there is a decent group of players that perhaps haven’t performed to the best of their abilities and the experience of Jackie McNamara and Lee Bullen, along with new faces in Enoch Showumni and Colin Healy haven’t quite gelled as May would have hoped.

The transfer window is well and truly shut now so Pressley has to work with the tools he has and, who knows, he may well bring out the best in his squad, perhaps in a way Eddie May couldn’t. But with such tough games coming up, the former Scotland international has to hit the ground running and although the battle to avoid the drop is tight enough that they can get out of it, relegation would be hard for Falkirk.

Questions of Pressley’s experience will be asked and rightly so, but he does have the steady hand of Alex Smith behind him to guide him along and that will be invaluable as the story of Falkirk’s season unfolds. He has already vowed to keep the club in the SPL and straight away, he has put himself under pressure. Now he has to deliver.

As for May, he can be proud of his achievements as the club’s youth manager, who brought through Barr and Arfield, but as he looks back over the last few years, he will be ultimately disappointed that his transition to the “big job” didn’t go to plan.

Tagged with: Falkirk, manager, may, pressley

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