Don Cowie continues to savour the challenge of leading Ross County as he approaches his first full year in charge.
Cowie will take the Staggies to face Rangers at Ibrox on Sunday, where he made his managerial bow on February 14 last year.
The match, which Ross County lost 3-1, came six days after Cowie was handed the interim reins following the resignation of Derek Adams.
After steering the Dingwall club to Premiership safety, Cowie was handed the job permanently in the summer.
After serving as assistant to both Adams and Malky Mackay, Strathpeffer-raised Cowie felt he was well prepared for the jump to frontline management – but insists he continues to learn with every passing day.
Cowie said: “You are always learning – and the year has been a big learning curve for me in all aspects.
“When you are the first team coach or assistant manager, you are protected from a lot of what is actually going into running a football club.
“Your focus is on designing and taking sessions, and getting the team ready for the Saturday.
“It has been about adapting, and getting used to off-field situations.
“In terms of actually being a manager, it’s everything I thought it would be. There are highs and lows – I have to deal with things in games, and issues that arise.
“It’s just about always being able to adapt to that. I wouldn’t change it for the world, I have loved every minute of it.”
Cowie hopes calm approach rubs off on players
Cowie vowed to bring calmness to Ross County after being handed the job last year.
He inherited a difficult situation following the departure of Adams, at a point when the Staggies were five points adrift in the relegation play-off spot.
Although that’s where the Staggies ultimately finished, the togetherness instilled by Cowie helped them to emphatically defeat Raith Rovers 6-1 over two legs to retain their top-flight status.
Cowie insists his calm demeanour is a portrayal of how he wants his team to act on the field.
He added: “I think I’m a pretty calm person, so I manage to deal with the highs and lows pretty well.
“At the same time, you are the person leading the team. That’s why I always talk about never getting too high or too low, because I’m the one everyone looks to, to see what frame of mind I’m in.
“If I keep that as consistent as I can, that is then a good reflection for the players.
“I don’t believe me being animated is going to help the players. I ask them to be consistent on the pitch, so I think it’s only right that I act consistent on the sidelines.
“Yes, there are things that rub me up the wrong way sometimes and I get frustrated, but I try to keep that as contained as possible.
“I speak to the players all the time about having no disappointments, so that’s something I have to do as well.
“When we scored the equaliser against Hearts, my emotions came out there because of the importance of that goal and how dramatic it was.
“It does come out, but I think it’s important for my reflection of what I expect of the group to keep that contained as much as possible.”
Survival remains key target for Ross County – as Hamilton departs
Staggies goalkeeper Jack Hamilton has departed the club to rejoin Championship side Livingston.
Hamilton joined County in the summer from the Lions as understudy to Ross Laidlaw.
The 30-year-old made just six appearances however, with the addition of Jordan Amissah in December pushing him down the pecking order, and Laidlaw now returning from a knee injury.
Ross County sit 10th in the Premiership table, with the trip to Glasgow the first of 14 matches remaining.
Although they are just a point ahead of Kilmarnock in the relegation play-off spot, only four points separate them from sixth-placed Hibernian.
Cowie insists securing top-flight survival remains the key priority, adding: “We concentrate on ourselves. We want to progress on what we did last year, which was 11th place and in the play-off.
“The goal is always to be in the Premiership. We understand the challenge of that, and the goal first and foremost is to give ourselves the best opportunity to do better than what we did last year. That remains the focus for us all.”
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