Scottish football should doff its baseball cap to John McGlynn (2025)

The Bairns are 11 points clear and on the verge of the Premiership again

John McGlynn has taken Falkirk from the Bairns to the verge of being one of the main men in the Scottish Premiership again.

The weekend win over Airdrie takes them 11 points clear of their nearest rivals in the Championship, and although Livingston still have a game in hand, the Bairns are within touching distance of a return to the top-flight – and it's going to happen sooner rather than later.

The former Hearts and Raith Rovers boss is right at the forefront for Scotland’s manager of the year for what he has done in this campaign.

McGlynn has done a truly remarkable job and he has well and truly dragged the club out of the doldrums.

For long spells, the Falkirk Stadium was described as soulless and an empty ground but now it is jam-packed and bursting full of life.

You can hardly get a ticket for love nor money with home games selling out every other week.

That should continue as they step up to the Premiership.

The Falkirk board and chief executive officer Jamie Swinney have to take a lot of credit for that and their decision to appoint McGlynn back in 2022.

The 63-year-old failed to take Falkirk out of League One in his first season but since then it has been a rocket of a rise.

They won the League One title last season without losing a game and this season has been a continuation.

Falkirk have continued to ride the crest of a wave and have pretty much led from the front for most of the campaign.

You only have to look at how they went to Celtic Park and gave Brendan Rodgers’ side an early scare.

McGlynn has not only produced a winning team but one who attacks and loves to score goals.

He isn't one for sitting in and trying to strangle the life out of games.

The fact that the Falkirk Stadium has been sold out for weeks shows the job he and his team have done.

Things have been relatively straightforward on the pitch for Falkirk. Yes, there had been times when Ayr United or Livingston had looked like they could reel them back in but they always found another gear.

McGlynn has also had his challenges off the park.

His assistant manager Paul Smith suffered a heart attack and thankfully has now fully recovered.

Star man Callumn Morrison also asked to leave because he wanted to play regularly rather than being part of a rotation system.

Morrison was sold to Linfield and that freed up cash for McGlynn to play his trump card by bringing in Scott Arfield and Luke Graham back on loan from Dundee.

They are now set to return to the top league for the first time since 2010. It has been long overdue!

McGlynn is famed for his baseball cap but most Scottish football has to doff its hat off to him for what he has done at Falkirk.