Rutherglen Glencairn manager Tam Miller has admitted his disappointment at losing captain Dom McLaughlin, revealing that signing his younger brother was not enough to convince him to stay. Dom McLaughlin has departed the Hamish B Allan Stadium to join Lowland League West side Pollok, while the Glens have brought in his sibling Aiden McLaughlin to bolster the squad.
Miller on the Rebuild
Miller described the close season as stressful, his first experience of the period. He said: "It has been quite stressful. This is my first time doing a close season and now I know why all the managers get stressed! We had a couple of blows losing our captain, Dom McLaughlin, to Pollok and then arguably our best player, Anthony Maguire, to Auchinleck so that was tough to take."
Despite the setbacks, Miller expressed understanding: "There's no hard feelings about that, football is football and those teams are in the Lowland League West now so it's a chance for them to move up." He added that while replacing such players is always difficult, he is pleased with the recruitment so far, bringing in several young players with experience.
Aiden McLaughlin Signing
The signing of Aiden McLaughlin was already in the pipeline before Dom's decision to leave. Miller explained: "Aiden is Dom's wee brother so when he left we ended up signing him, but that was on the cards beforehand. We played against Aiden last season and I liked his attitude. He's a very tidy player at the back and pretty solid."
Miller had hoped that bringing in his brother might influence Dom's decision: "I thought his brother coming in would give him a wee decision to make, but he has opted to leave." Dom had been targeted by Pollok for the last three years and eventually decided to take the opportunity.
New Captain: Sean McGuire
With Dom McLaughlin's departure, the armband has been handed to club stalwart Sean McGuire, who is entering his 15th season with the Glens. Miller described it as an easy decision: "Sean should have been the captain a long time ago. That's not taking anything away from Dom because he was a great captain for the club, but Sean was a natural successor and it was an easy choice. He leads the dressing room well anyway, he has a good rapport with the guys, and he is a very well-liked person within the club."
