Ross County’s first move in the January transfer window is to land Morecambe’s Greg Strong as their new head of recruitment.
Derek Adams, who became the Scottish Premiership club’s manager for a third time in November, raided his former employers to bring Strong to the Highlands.
Ross County Football Club are delighted to announce the appointment of Greg Strong as our new Head of Recruitment.
Full story 👉 https://t.co/STEXyHDqXl pic.twitter.com/C1ZcZusbl1
— Ross County FC (@RossCounty) January 1, 2024
Adams and Strong, who were Motherwell teammates in the late 1990s, will link up once more.
Strong has ‘excellent contacts’
Strong arrives in the north of Scotland with a wealth of experience in similar roles with Plymouth Argyle, Salford City and most recently Morecambe.
Boss Adams was is sure this is a positive step forward for the Staggies.
He said: “I am delighted Greg will be joining as our head of recruitment.
“He has worked with me before at Plymouth Argyle and Morecambe where he has understood my footballing philosophy and the type of player that is required to be recruited for this to be a success.
“Greg is vastly experienced and has excellent contacts within the game.”
Morecambe sorry to lose Strong
Morecambe chief executive officer Ben Sadler, meanwhile, said: “We are naturally disappointed that Greg is moving on to a new opportunity, as he is a top quality colleague and person, but we’re very thankful for the work he has undertaken in the 18 months he has been at the club.
“Greg is a popular member of the team here and has been a pivotal part of our player recruitment across a number of transfer windows now. We all wish Greg the very best in his new role.”
After replacing Malky Mackay in the Dingwall hotseat, Adams has had to quickly assess the player pool, with his view that the current squad is bigger than he would normally assemble.
Adams caused a storm after last month’s last-gasp 1-0 defeat to Dundee when he slammed the standard of Scottish football over the five games he’d bossed since his return.
He later said he’d apologised to his players for describing League Two Morecambe as 100 times better than Ross County.
📺 PPV will be available for Tuesday’s home match against @AberdeenFC!
Purchase here 👉 https://t.co/A0UKy9kRHa pic.twitter.com/nlek18Lreu
— Ross County FC (@RossCounty) December 31, 2023
County v Dons in New Year derby
On the pitch, Ross County’s final fixture before the mini Premiership shutdown is on Tuesday as they host Aberdeen at 3pm.
County, who drew 2-2 at third-placed Hearts on Saturday, are 11th in the league, just one point below the Dons, who have played one match fewer than their opponents.