Rival addresses how they intend to use 'good money' gained from Hearts transfer deal as squad overhaul awaits

Falkirk boss John McGlynn insists the Bairns will invest some of the money gained from the transfer of Calvin Miller to Hearts back into first team plans.

After back to back titles in the lowers leagues granted a top flight return, Falkirk finished in the Premiership’s top six last season under ex-Hearts manager McGlynn, but face a big summer. Key players like Barney Stewart and Dylan Tait have departed with winger Miller snapped up by Hearts.

Fees have been gained from the sale of Stewart to English Championship side West Brom and Miller’s move to Tynecastle. McGlynn now insists a major overhaul will commence with some of that money to be deployed so complacency doesn’t set in within his Falkirk ranks.

Who must Falkirk replace this summer?

Quizzed on seeing any of the money from player sales like Miller to boost Falkirk, ex Jambos boss McGlynn joked in quotes relayed by the Daily Record: “I’m going to Vegas next week actually – I’m going to put the lot on black! Yeah, we’re going to get some money and hopefully put it into the squad to help us do as well as we possibly can. We need to bring players in and in some instances we’re going to have to spend money.

“Look, it’s difficult to replace Calvin, difficult to replace Barney, difficult to replace Dylan. They’ve all done magnificent jobs. We’ll not replace them like for like but we will replace them. We then need to get the best out of the players we bring in to come together with the players who have been here. It is the biggest overhaul we’ve had since we came in and it is exciting because then we need to do a lot more work. The guys have known exactly what they had to do.

“I’ve mentioned it in pre-seasons previously ... you’re back one, two, three, four, five days and going, ‘What are we going to do now?’ – because everyone knows what they are doing because we do it. But this is different, there’s work in this. Familiarity breeds contempt. That can happen to coaches – you know the boy’s going to do it because he does it all the time, you’ve got it. And now I’m going: ‘Ummm’.

John McGlynn and Calvin Miller | (Photo: Craig Foy/SNS Group)

How much have Falkirk gained from Calvin Miller to Hearts?

“So I need to go step by step through things, go over them, to make sure we all know we’re singing from the same hymn sheet. That’s exciting because it’s a new challenge, it’s doing it with a new team. As a manager and the coaching staff here, we’ve ticked all the boxes. We’ve won two leagues, had an invincible season, we’ve been in the top six. We’ve sold players – which is a manager’s responsibility – brought in fortunes in season-ticket sales and helped sell hospitality... it’s been easier for the guys to sell the hospitality.

“So we’ve brought fortunes in here, brought in big money for Barney, for Calvin, good money. And so the next thing is to do it with a new squad. Everyone, even at the top level, they’re having to bring in new players and a new squad. So this is one where it excites me that we need to try to work so hard to get it like it was, if not trying to get it better.”