In a sit-down interview last week discussing on and off the field updates, McLinden stated that the “football club is in safe hands”.
When asked if the Dumfries outfit would go part-time if they couldn’t get to the Championship next season, McLinden said: “I have no plans to go part-time. I’m not even considering it.
“The football club is in safe hands. I won’t make any decisions that would jeopardise the place. We’ll make sure we keep things running and trying to improve all the time.
“I have no plans to leave. This is my first year and I’ve learned a lot. I think I’ve made some good decisions and some okay ones but I’ve got the feel for the place.
“I have a lot of time for the club and it’s grown close to my heart. My wife Helen has become a full-time Queens fan too. She wants to go to every game with me when she can. We’re loving it.
“It’s been different for me but I’ve really enjoyed it. There’s been challenging times in there and some great moments. But it’s a work in progress.
“When I look back, would I do it again? 100 per cent I would.”
Some of the Palmerston faithful have had questions about the lack of new faces at boardroom level at the club.
Current chairman Billy Hewitson and directors Mark Blount and Craig Patterson said they would stand down.
But Hewitson and Patterson remain on the board for now until McLinden finds his new crew.
And he hopes he’ll be able to get them in as soon as possible.
McLinden added: “One person is very close, they have been for a while, just personal circumstances set that back, it should be close to happening. I did have another one close too.
“When I joined the board, I know Billy and Craig and Mark all said they were going to stand down. I was asked to come in, take over and bring my own people in.
“But I made it a condition with them that they would stay on board until I found the right people.
“Billy and Craig last season came into a bit of criticism, but I know what they’ve done for the football club and know how much money they’ve put in in the past.
“I know stuff that they don’t tell anybody about because they don’t self-publicise. Right at this moment in time, they are perfectly suited to be part of the board.
“But in time when I get the right people in – and that’s the key thing getting them in – then they will stand down.
“They have been a fantastic support to me and I always talk through my decisions with them.
“They have a wealth of football directorship experience, which I don’t have, so it’s been great to draw on those guys when needed.”
The club’s AGM is due to be held in the next few weeks and McLinden knows he’ll be asked some difficult questions.
He added: “I’m sure a lot of people will have their views and will want to express them. That’s fine because I’ve always said I’m here if people want to chat.
“I didn’t come in and buy a massive chunk of shares. I just bought the minimum because I could’ve spent a lot of money on shares or I could put more money into the football club and that makes more sense. I don’t think the club is ever going to be owned by anyone, there’s thousands of shareholders and it’s a real community club owned by its fans.”
Meanwhile, McLinden states the club has done as much work as they could during the summer and says they will continue to make improvements.
He said: “We replaced the toilet block, did work in the stands, repainted all the seats in the old stand, rebuilt the walkway down the front of the main stand and generally tidied and spruced the place up.
We’ve got more plans to hit the ground running as soon as the season is over.
“We’re looking at stuff like replacing changing rooms and a number of other things we want done. That includes repairing the stands, the metal work at the stand.
“We’re trying to improve the facilities without breaking the bank because the most important thing is to have the most competitive team that we can put on the field.
“We want to try year-on-year to improve the experience for fans on match days.”
And McLinden praised Palmy chief executive Dan Armstrong for his role.
He added: “We’ve got a really good working relationship, we talk every day about all aspects of the football club and what’s going on, from the big to the small.
“It’s been good working with Dan, it’s obviously a new role for him and everyone has to grow into that and it’s no different to me.
“I’m a businessman who’s in a football director role so we’re all there to support each other to make sure we do the best for Queen of the South.”
