Steven Pressley might have been turned down for the Dundee United job this week but he barely missed a step as he resumed a familiar role yesterday.
The Falkirk manager was considered for the position at Tannadice only for Jackie McNamara to be appointed, yet he was inclined to take a broader view of the Scottish game as he settled back into his routine at his club's Stirling training base.
That Pressley was nominally there to speak about a William Hill Scottish Cup fifth round tie with Forfar Athletic seemed a modest stage from which to outline his ideal for Scottish football and the issue of league reconstruction but, then, the Falkirk manager seldom waits for an invitation to speak his mind. Goodness knows how the United board managed to restrict Pressley to his ambitions for their club during his interview.
The Scottish Football League clubs met this week to consider league reconstruction and threw a 12-12-10-10 set up into the mix, as well as plans for one governing body and a more equitable distribution of money. There has been a momentum within the governing bodies to bring in the changes by the start of next season but Pressley does not see the need to rush.
"We had a fans forum and the consensus was that they were not in favour of the proposals," he said. "They are in agreement with the greater distribution of the wealth and having one governing body, these are two vital aspects.
"With the league format they were not convinced. If you can't agree on the size of leagues then delay that for another year but bring in the other two aspects."
His view was to the horizon but Iain Campbell was moved to dredge up an unpalatable memory ahead of today's cup tie. The Forfar defender was a member of the Dunfermline side that reached the the CIS Cup final in 2006 but he was denied a place in the last two rounds after he was told that he was suspended.
That proved to be an administrative error by the SFA but Campbell had lost his place in the team as a result. Dunfermline lost the final to Celtic.
"There was absolutely zero apology from anyone for what happened. The whole experience left me gutted. Roy Keane was playing for Celtic in the final but I was in the stands."
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