It’s 1.45pm on Thursday and it’s quiet inside Balmoral Stadium.
Paul Hartley is alone in the manager’s office, working on set-piece drills ahead of Clyde’s visit yesterday.
Apart from him, the club’s secretary and commercial guy are the only others around, a relaxed and tranquil scene.
That’s the way it always is in Cove Bay, the tiny suburb on Aberdeen’s south-east edge and home to just 8000 folk.
When you think back to Hartley the player, it was about intensity, passion, desire. A winner. That grizzly beard.
He played for massive clubs in Hibs, Hearts, Celtic and Aberdeen and won 26 caps for Scotland.
Hartley thrived on big crowds and relished being hated by opposition fans. He lived for the high pressure so how does he cope with that void now?
Sitting on his own, inside Cove Rangers’ ground, he could barely be further removed from that previous life.
Even as Dundee ’s gaffer for three years, he was consumed by football.
But not now. Of course, the burning hunger inside him is still there.
That has never left him from being a kid at Hamilton Accies in 1994 trying to make his way in the game.
But after a period of reflection when he was unemployed, followed by the move north, Hartley has changed.
He was down after losing his job at Dens Park, having previously rejected Cardiff.
After a disastrous spell at Falkirk three years ago, he became disillusioned.
Cove – albeit in a part-time gig – have given him back the love of the game.
Irrespective of what level you’re at, that’s priceless, especially in this cut-throat, young man’s managerial game now.
Hartley is content but, of course, he knows the intensity he once had 24/7 is missing.
He told MailSport : “It’s a bit different. Things are definitely quieter up here but I’m still as intense for the job.
“I’m working with good people at an ambitious club.
“Obviously it’s on a different level to what I was used to as a player.
“I was at big clubs where there were big derbies, crowds and rivalries but I enjoy it and I’m thankful to still be in a job because it’s not easy.
“Sometimes I miss the intensity and the madness but what I really miss is day-to-day involvement with players.
“That’s the hardest thing to get used to. I only see my lads two nights a week and on a matchday so I’ve got a lot of time to think and try to keep myself as motivated as I can.
“As a player, I thrived on big crowds. I usually turned up on the big occasion.
“It’s hard to get those back when you stop playing. But even now, I still have to win every week. That’s the business of a manager, to win.”
When Cove lost to bottom-of-the-table East Fife last weekend, Hartley was devastated. Saturday night and Sunday were ruined.
In the past it would have lingered. He’d have let it affect him. Not now.
After leaving the Falkirk job he was low but despite that constant will to win, being in charge at Cove Rangers has given him a sense of perspective.
He said: “I was a bit disillusioned with the game at that point.
“But I was 45 last Tuesday. I’m in my 30th year of being involved in football and for only 18 months of that 30 years I was out of a job.
“That’s not bad but that period was hard. When I left both Dundee and Falkirk it was tough.
“Here at Cove I’ve got a little project going on and I’ve got a really strong relationship with the chairman.
“I can do what I want here, if that makes sense. I please myself. He doesn’t question me or call me after a game.
“I still take defeats hard and he knows that. There was a period after leaving Dundee and Falkirk when it did become difficult for me so I’m glad to be in a job again and I love it. I still love the game.
“What price do you put on happiness? I’ve got family here, I’m settled and in a good environment.
“For managers, the madness of it has only got worse in the last 10 years. The scrutiny guys come under now is crazy.
“I’ve seen it this week, the pressure some of them are working under because they’re at big clubs.
“Do I miss that? I wouldn’t say I do.
“But I still felt as bad as I’ve ever done when we lost to East Fife last week. That Saturday night was terrible.
“My Sunday was bad as well. I didn’t take it well but that’s because I’ve still got that drive in me. I still hurt when we lose.
“When you win you move on. I don’t think winning is as enjoyable as a manager as it is as a player.”
Hartley will feel a lot better this Sunday after yesterday’s 3-0 win over Clyde kept Cove on track for promotion.
But he accepts that management has changed, even from his first job at Alloa, and certainly from his playing days.
The entire football landscape is different, largely due to the influence of social media.
Hartley doesn’t have a handle on any of those platforms. He’s just pleased that his bruised and battered mobile phone still works. His
outlook is different now. The long trips back down to the west of Scotland give him ample thinking time and opportunities to make calls. That’s his life now and he wouldn’t change it.
He said: “I’ve beaten myself up so many times over the years. Even around players at half-time or full-time, I became very intense, especially in the first few years.
“I was angry but it’s a different ball game now. It’s different players you’re dealing with. I tend to calm things down.
“I’ve had to change what I do and say. This is the world we live in now. I very rarely lose my rag now with players. Do I want to do that? I’m not sure it helps me or my health. Does anyone care? Do the players bother? You have to look after yourself now.
“It’s a stressful job, whatever level you’re at. I’ve been involved in dressing rooms where gaffers gave you it and you took it because you weren’t doing your job properly.
“Now, you can’t do that. You have to manage people and be careful because there are mental health issues. You don’t know what’s going on in people’s lives.
“Maybe being up here has helped me change in that sense. There’s not the intensity of down the road.
“You get peace and quiet up here. There’s a lot to be said for that.”
