Bartley eyes clarity within days over Livingston future
Marvin Bartley wants to stay Livingston manager and hopes there is "clarity" over his and his backroom staff's future at the relegation-threatened Scottish Premiership club "in the next few days". Bartley and his coaching staff are out of contract at the end of the season and are yet to win a game since he took over from David Martindale, who moved to become sporting director at the start of February. Livingston sit bottom of the table, 12 points adrift of St Mirren and Kilmarnock, but Bartley is keen to stay on even if they are relegated and says planning for whatever league the team find themselves in is already under way.
"It's something that obviously we know needs to happen," he said. Listen: What do fans really think of Premiership run-in? Does McLeish keep his job if he keeps St Mirren up?
Ayr appoint Rankin as interim boss for season end "I'm very open in terms of the contracts of me and the staff at the moment ends at the end of the season, so we need clarity in terms of that. "That's something that I've spoken to the club about and we'll see what happens with that, but I think everyone needs clarity, don't they? " Livingston host leaders Heart of Midlothian on Sunday in the first of two games before the Premiership splits into two for the final five games and Bartley could understand why the media is asking about his future.
"All our planning is into Sunday, but I get what you're saying, you have to have probably one eye on next season as well," he said. "Hopefully, in the next few days, we have clarity all around for that. "Obviously, we've got a different structure at the football club now, having a sporting director,.
You've got Brian Rice up there as well and Tom [Irvine] as well, so you've got three people who are full-time in terms of forward planning for the football club and I imagine that's been going on for a while now. "Preparations for next season will be under way. " Livingston also have 16 members of their first-team squad who are out of contract at the end of the season and Bartley recognises that potential summer signings will also want to know about the club's direction.