Livingston have parted ways with head coach Glenn Whelan after just nine matches in charge, turning once again to David Martindale to steady the ship on an interim basis.
Whelan, the 42-year-old former Republic of Ireland international, was handed the reins in May following the club's relegation from the Scottish Premiership. His tenure proved brief and largely unsuccessful, with Livingston currently sitting fifth in the Scottish Championship after registering two wins against three defeats in league action. The club fared somewhat better in the Premier Sports Cup, picking up two wins and two draws during that competition.
The final straw appears to have come with a 1-0 defeat away to Stenhousemuir on Friday, a match that saw former Livingston boss Marvin Bartley taste victory against his old employers. Bartley had stepped away from the Livingston job after the club's relegation was confirmed following a difficult season in the top flight, one that concluded with Scott Arfield taking charge as player-boss for the final three fixtures.
Announcing Whelan's departure, club owner and chairman Calvin Ford made clear that the search for a permanent successor would be conducted differently this time around. "Our net will be cast far wider than it was in our previous search, and the focus of the search will be via data analytics," Ford said. He added a pointed message regarding the club's standards, stating: "Mediocrity is not an acceptable solution, and we will continue to work to find the leader that delivers on the ambitions and aspirations of sustained, high-level success that we expect at Livingston."
In the interim, the club has turned to a familiar face. David Martindale, who spent six years at the helm before stepping back into a sporting director role in January, will resume first-team duties on a temporary basis. He will be joined by Frankie McAvoy as interim coach, with Grant Murray and Brian Potter also assisting the coaching staff during this transitional period.
Martindale's track record at the club appears to have made him the obvious choice to bridge the gap while a longer-term appointment is sought. Ford praised the returning coach's history of success, saying: "Davie's past success and proven track record in the Scottish Championship made this decision easy, and we look forward to refocusing and finding success on the pitch while he holds this position."
The upheaval marks yet another chapter in what has been an eventful year for the West Lothian club. Having dropped out of the Premiership, Livingston have now cycled through multiple figures in the dugout in a short span of time, from Bartley's departure and Arfield's caretaker spell, to Whelan's short-lived appointment, and now Martindale's return alongside McAvoy.
With the club sitting mid-table in the Championship, attention will now turn to how quickly the interim coaching setup can arrest any slide and stabilize results, while the recruitment process for a new permanent head coach gets underway using the data-driven approach outlined by Ford. The chairman's comments suggest the club is looking beyond traditional networks in Scottish football to identify their next leader, signaling a shift in how Livingston intend to approach managerial appointments going forward.
For now, though, the immediate priority will be results on the pitch, with Martindale and McAvoy tasked with restoring some consistency to a Livingston side that has shown flashes of promise but also clear vulnerabilities in the early stages of the season.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.