Martindale’s narrative change drives Livingston back to Premiership

“I’m in with the bricks and mortar, and I’m happy to shake everyone’s hand and move on.”

Not a man who beats around the bush, David Martindale.

On May 19, 2013, the most open-minded player in Scottish football appeared before the cameras. With new owners acquiring the club and his team being relegated, the Livingston manager had to wonder what the club’s future would hold.

Through hard work and hardship, Livingston’s return to the top was in Martindale’s own image.

With a 4-2 nighttime and a 5-3 aggregate, Ross County’s Premiership play-off victory over them may have appeared convincing, but they had to deal with a late equalizer on Thursday before falling 2-0 behind in the Highlands.

Nothing was straightforward even at this point. Livingston and eventual championship rival Falkirk had been fighting for a while, but they eventually lost when the season came to a home straight to finish three points behind.

After meeting with a Ross County side without a win in 10, Partick Thistle were despatched 4-0 over both play-off semi-final ties.

“I’m really proud of the staff and the players,” he said. Martindale, surrounded by supporters, said, “I get the credit, but this isn’t about me.”

The Premiership’s Martindale’s teams were renowned for having terrible opponents. Physical . aggressive . in your face

Watching silky soccer wasn’t a Saturday staple for the Livi support, especially with the aging plastic pitch.

He has, however, used the opportunity to rebuild and reevaluate since dropping down to the Championship. Qualitative players like Stevie May, Robbie Muirhead, and Lewis Smith, who scored his team’s fine first in Dingwall, were chosen.

Livingston finished the championship with the second-best goal difference of 28 when combined with a strong defensive core.

Former Livingston boss John Robertson on Sportsound stated, “They’ve reinvented themselves, this is what one year in the Championship has allowed them to do.”

“Martindale has selected some very talented football players. You wouldn’t associate them with a Livingston team, who had to find a way to play for six years. They play good football.

He “drives a lot of it,” according to BBC Scotland pundit Michael Stewart, who added, “They play good football, they play well, they have new investment, and you heard it from the man themselves that the club are in a really good position.”

A few football fans will likely be let down by the outcome of Monday’s play-off final.

Livingston’s previously combative style, which they used in their previous top flight appearance, is partially attributable. partially due to how little they back them. partially as a result of Dingwall not having a cracking away day when the football comes back from the summer…

Martindale and his players will not care about anything else.

Henry Ford’s son Calvin Ford, the great-great-grandson of the Ford Motor Company, recently became the club’s majority shareholder. There is a solid foundation here, he said earlier this month, “Let’s build this better, get this club back where it belongs, back in the [Scottish Premiership] and then see where we can go from there because I believe there is a lot of potential there.”

It’s possible that the Livingston will be a much different beast than the one that left 12 months ago, with new investment and also the addition of a brand-new artificial surface being laid.

However, their manager seems to have stayed the same throughout the coming season.

According to Stewart, “David Martindale is a significant member of the club.” You must give him a lot of credit this season,” he said.

You can tell from his own assertion that Calvin Ford has given him new life. David Martindale is such a key player, not just for obvious reasons; last season, it appeared as though his talent had started to fade and they were relegated. If you looked at him this season, you could tell it was once more bubbling away.