For long enough, the joke about Don Cowie among disillusioned Ross County supporters was that, in just about all of his post-match press conferences, he was ‘disappointed’.
That was the word he kept using in last season’s relegation battle. And it was the one he repeated when they lost to Livingston in the playoff. There was more of the same after a hopeless start to life in the Championship.
Safe to say, he was ‘disappointed’ when the club announced his departure this afternoon, although there was no mention of it in a statement that said the decision had been reached by mutual consent.
Less than 24 hours after a 3-1 home defeat to Partick Thistle, County responded to a growing clamour for Cowie’s removal by confirming that his spell as manager was over.
A parting of the ways is never easy, but County owner Roy MacGregor must have found this one especially difficult. Cowie supported the club as a boy, had two spells there as a player and comes from a family steeped in the Staggies.
And yet, it was the only decision County could make. Cowie had steadied the ship when he took over from Derek Adams in February 2024, but a horrendous run at the end of last season sent his team tumbling into the second tier where their form has scarcely been any better.
Don Cowie has departed Ross County by mutual consent after a poor start to the season
Assistant manager John Robertson has been tipped to take over at the struggling Dingwall club
They failed to progress from their Premier Sports Cup group, have gathered one point from three league matches and are bottom of the table, already eight points behind leaders St Johnstone.
It had become an intolerable situation for MacGregor, who has invested heavily in the team, determined to ensure they return to the Premiership at the first attempt.
Declan Gallagher Jamie Lindsay, Ross Docherty, James Scott and Gary Mackay-Steven are among the new arrivals that saw many make County strong favourites for the title.
While most fans agree with the decision, some are asking why it didn’t happen during the summer when it was clear MacGregor had his doubts. Otherwise, he would not have removed members of Cowie’s backroom staff — including his brother, Paul — and brought in John Robertson as a more experienced assistant.
The conspiracy theorists had a field day, predicting almost immediately that, if it started badly for Cowie, his successor would already be in the building. Former Hearts striker Robertson, who lives in the Highlands, has managed County already, as well as Inverness.
As yet, though, there has been no hint of that from the club. ‘The board will meet in the coming days and begin the process of appointing a new manager as soon as possible,’ said chief executive Steven Ferguson. ‘An interim coaching arrangement will be confirmed in due course.’
County have little time to waste. Now is the time for new ideas, new energy and a manager who can change the narrative.
Hearts’ Adam Forrester was recalled after just five days of a season-long loan to St Johnstone
Flexible loans have their flaws
The new system of flexible loans, as part of co-operation agreements between clubs in different divisions, isn’t quite the flawless innovation it is made out to be.
Yes, it gives young players more chance to experience first-team football by allowing them to move between partner clubs over the course of a season.
But let’s not pretend that it’s perfect or that clubs are suddenly desperate to put players first when there is a decision to be made about where they should play and train.
Hearts right-back Adam Forrester joined St Johnstone on a season-long loan early this month, only to be recalled five days later because Christian Borchgrevink had been injured.
Under the principles of the new system, the decision was understandable, or at least it would have been had Forrester been given the opportunity to play for his parent club.
But the 20-year-old defender hasn’t even been in the matchday squad, never mind in the starting 11, for either of Hearts’ two games since then, against St Mirren and Motherwell.
To make matters stranger, St Johnstone have since signed another right-sided defender in Liam Smith, which suggests Forrester is no longer part of their plans.
Maybe there is a good reason for Forrester’s exclusion, one that Derek McInnes, Hearts’ manager, will explain in the fullness of time. Maybe there is another, potentially better loan lined up for the youngster.
But it was an odd way for Hearts to kick off a partnership that, for the moment at least, does not appear to have served the player especially well.
