THE more cynical observers of Falkirk manager John Hughes' summer recruitment drive have suggested he has transformed his club from the SPL's kindergarten into its retirement home.
But if there truly is no substitute for experience then Hughes is entitled to be optimistic that his efforts to bring a more streetwise edge this season to one of the league's most aesthetically pleasing teams will bear fruit.
The combined age of
the three new signings now sharing driving duties to and from Falkirk's training facility in Stirling is 104. But far from going through the motions as they wind down their playing careers, Lee Bullen (37), Jackie McNamara (34) and Neil McCann (33) have been making the journey with the enthusiasm of teenagers on their first professional contracts.
"Joining Falkirk has given me a new lease of life," McNamara says, "and I know Lee and Neil feel the same. We look forward to going into work every day and we are all genuinely excited about the new season."
It is the kind of relish for playing football which McNamara seriously doubted he would ever experience again. The former Celtic captain had been planning a move into coaching after leaving Aberdeen in deeply unhappy circumstances before the end of last season.
His 25th and final appearance for the Pittodrie club saw him substituted during their ignominious Scottish Cup semi-final defeat to Queen of the South at Hampden in April. Soon afterwards, a disillusioned McNamara terminated his contract by mutual consent with Aberdeen manager Jimmy Calderwood.
He had headed north last summer, after two injury-affected seasons with Wolves, hoping to revitalise his career. Instead, he found himself on a different wavelength to Calderwood and his staff and was only rarely deployed in the holding midfield position he'd moved to occupy.
"I was quite down when I left Aberdeen," admits McNamara. "I had gone there looking to enjoy my football again, but it didn't work out as I expected. I wasn't sure what I was going to do next, maybe play for one more year somewhere and go into coaching at the same time."
It was then he received the call from his former Celtic team-mate Hughes which would return the spring to his step.
"Out of the blue, Yogi was on the phone," he says, "and once I'd spoken to him, I felt great again...
I couldn't get to Falkirk quickly enough to sign."
McNamara agreed a two-year deal and was joined by close friend McCann, formerly of Hearts and Rangers, and ex-Sheffield Wednesday captain Bullen.
Falkirk narrowly missed out on a top-six finish in the SPL last season and McNamara will be aiming to ensure the team attains that goal in a season which begins with the visit of Rangers.
The full article contains 469 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
