Paul Hartley

Paul Hartley (born 19 October 1976) is a Scottish professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. He is the manager of Scottish League One side Cove Rangers.

As a player, Hartley won trophies with both Hearts and Celtic, and earned 25 caps for the Scotland national team. He also played for Hamilton Academical, Millwall, Raith Rovers, Hibernian, Greenock Morton, St Johnstone, Bristol City and Aberdeen during his career.

As a manager, he guided Alloa Athletic to successive promotions. He then moved to Dundee, who he helped win promotion to the Scottish top flight in 2014. Hartley was sacked by Dundee in March 2017. He was then appointed by Falkirk, but he left this position after less than one year. Hartley joined Cove Rangers in July 2019 and led the club to two promotions before his move to Hartlepool.

His time at Hartlepool United was short-lived. After signing 17 players in three months, he was unable to register a league win in the first nine games of the season and he departed with the club in 23rd position in the table. He returned to management in January 2023, re-joining former club Cove Rangers for a second spell.

Hartley was born in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire. Hartley started his senior career at Hamilton Academical, where he spent two seasons. Millwall paid £380,000 to gain his services in July 1996; this remained Hamilton's biggest sale until James McCarthy moved to Wigan Athletic for an initial £1.2 million in 2009. Hartley returned to Scotland a year later, joining Raith Rovers for £150,000, before moving to Hibernian in 1998, whom he helped win the First Division in 1998–99.

In season 1999–2000, he spent a short spell on loan at Greenock Morton.

St Johnstone manager Sandy Clark, who had previously managed Hartley at Hamilton, signed Hartley for a £200,000 fee in 2000. Billy Stark, who succeeded Clark in 2001, started using Hartley as a central attacking midfielder during the 2001–02 season. This change of position from his previous role as a right winger, coincided with a significant upturn in his performances, but it was not enough to prevent St Johnstone's relegation to the First Division. Hartley's personal success continued as he was nominated for the SPFA First Division player of the year award in 2003, but his team failed to gain promotion back to the SPL in 2003.

Hearts signed Hartley on a free transfer when his contract with St Johnstone expired in the summer of 2003. He helped Hearts to third place in the Premier League in 2003–04 and starring in their subsequent UEFA Cup run. In January 2005, Celtic attempted to buy Hartley, but their £300,000 offer was considered significantly below Hearts valuation and was rejected. Hartley subsequently signed an improved contract with Hearts.^{[citation needed]}