Baraclough gone

[Sheridan]

Surprised it happened so abruptly. Not surprised it happened, though.


Sligo Rovers can confirm the club has parted company with manager Ian Baraclough and assistant Gary Stevens.

Baraclough led Rovers to three trophies in just under two and a half years at The Showgrounds, becoming one of the most successful managers in the club’s history with a Premier Division title in 2012, a FAI Cup in 2013 and a Setanta Sports Cup last May.
The club wish to express our gratitude to Ian for his enormous contribution at Sligo Rovers since joining in February 2012.
In winning a first league title in 35 years, securing a fifth FAI Cup and a first ever All-Ireland crown, Ian’s partnership with the club has been a memorable period for the Bit o’ Red, one that will forever be part of a glorious era in our history.
We also thank Gary Stevens for the imprint he leaves on the club in both coaching of the team and his work in the community behind the scenes.

We wish them both every success in the future.

[Jofspring]

Not huge surprise but can't really see the reasoning behind it at this stage. Is there someone already lined up?

[BonnieShels]

Not huge surprise but can't really see the reasoning behind it at this stage. Is there someone already lined up?

You would assume if they have made the decision now. But who knows... unless they're thinking of punting on Robbie Horgan.

[Couch Potato]

I'd imagine Nutsy will be a front runner and they've gotten rid of Baraclough now before someone else gets the chance to appoint Nutsy.

[White Horse]

Sligo must be keen to tie up Roddy when he is between jobs.

[Longfordian]

Fenlon maybe? Though he could be expensive.

[White Horse]

Bara needed to win more silverware. It must be over a month since Sligo last won a trophy.

[Sligo Hoops.]

Talk to the Board in Whitestown Way. They know a thing or two about making rask managerial decisions.

[Sligo Hoops.]

rash. Dam autocorrect.

[Mr A]

Bit harsh- overall he has done very well.

[Nah Nah Nah Nah]

Very harsh. It's only a month ago we were about 8 points off the lead and had just won the Setanta Cup. He's won a league, FAI Cup and Setanta Cup in his 2 and a bit seasons with it. Deserved time to try and turn things around. Very bad precedent to be setting if that sort of record isn't good enough to be given some time. We'll never have another manager who wins that much with us in such a short time span I would think.

[Jofspring]

Fenlon maybe? Though he could be expensive.

Good shout, I'd say you'd be right there. Has a decent enough squad to work with and may take over for the rest of the season and go from there.

[cheifo]

Will Sligo write of the season and try to off-load players on top of this. Could make it hard to recruit the likes of Fenlon if thats the case.

[seand]

Roddy, Roddy, Roddy... in, in, in!

Seriously though, are Sligo expecting more than one league title and one FAI Cup in two seasons' work? Or does he have something lined up across the water?

[Charlie Darwin]

Will Sligo write of the season and try to off-load players on top of this. Could make it hard to recruit the likes of Fenlon if thats the case.
Doubt it, they still have Europe to come and have an outside chance of snatching fourth and a possible European spot for next season.

Surprised to see Baraclough sacked but I suppose the board felt they needed to change something. I suspect the less attractive football they've been playing under Baraclough is an issue alongside the results. I wonder if he saw the writing on the wall himself and approached the board for a pay-off.

[redarmyfaction]

I wonder if he saw the writing on the wall himself and approached the board for a pay-off.

Possibly, whatever the reason he seems to have given most of the work over to Stevens and was content to just wear a suit and go to meetings.

[oriel]

I don't understand why Sligo are making a change 2 weeks before playing in Europe, makes absolutely no sense.

They could have seen how things went after the break and if they wanted, got a new guy in for start of August.

So now they need to get a new man in, and maybe his first game will be a European match with players and opposition he has little knowledge off.

Thought he was a decent honest guy myself, liked listening to him too, definitely think he will be a loss for the league.

[Sheridan]

I'd say Gavin Dykes will be in charge for the European matches. I liked listening to Baraclough too. He was a great talker anyway. Just couldn't back it up, ultimately.

[ger121]

I'd say Gavin Dykes will be in charge for the European matches. I liked listening to Baraclough too. He was a great talker anyway. Just couldn't back it up, ultimately.

I think he more than backed it up during his tenure with Sligo. As with all Managerial appointments, they eventually unravel after a period of time, resulting in them exiting the club

[PartySaint]

IJust couldn't back it up, ultimately.

Just the League, FAI Cup and Setanta Cup in the 2 and a half season, him and his spoofing....

[Dunny]

I'm very surprised to hear this news tbh.Have too speculate whether he went by his own resignation or was pushed?(my money being on by his own hand)His record is as good as you can get in LOI.Can't see why Sligs have done this at this moment in time?

[avvenalaf]

Roddy Collins and Seanie Connor is our dream ticket.

[Charlie Darwin]

Roddy Collins and Seanie Connor is our dream ticket.
Could you not find a role for Croly in there? Maybe as attacking coach, he's good on that.

[McNasara]

http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/league-of-ireland/sligo-want-fenlon-for-top-job-30370104.html

[Straightstory]

Utterly crazy decision by Sligo.

[Mark]

Nothing in that to say they've even spoken to him. If there's a shortlist then that means there are others that the article doesn't even mention. All speculation that.

[CityRebel]

Fenlon
Glenn Roeder
Roddy
Cooke
Roy Hodgson
????

[oriel]

Fenlon is in a great position at the minute, he can just sit there and wait (within limits) for the job he fancies. He already turned down Linfield, but I can't see him moving to Sligo mid season and in their current form, with only EL to get anyway excited about. Now I could be wrong, and he might fancy the challenge, but I'd say he would be more interested in a job like this to start fresh pre season and with his own players.

Whoever takes it could be in for a long 4 months of the domestic front, could be a tough one to sell. This makes the timing of the change in management team even more strange.

[Longfordian]

Fenlon
Glenn Roeder
Roddy
Cooke
Roy Hodgson
????
Tony Cousins

[Mr A]

I hear there's a two for one deal available on Roddy Collins.

[avvenalaf]

Looks like John Coleman will be taking over. Cookie played for him at Accy ans was coach when they took the team into the league. Was since with Rochdale and Southport but wait for it - sacked by Southport as his antics on the line with officials was unbecoming for a family club. Let the craic begin.....................

[Trainee]

Is it just me who think Baraclough is not a good manager, any half decent manager would have won the trophies Sligo have won & Possibly more trophies, as all the hard work was done by Cooke & Sligo had the best squad when they won the league

[redarmyfaction]

He was a dead man walking, he inherited a good squad, inevitably you loose players, but his signings to replace them were poor, we are 17 points off the top with only half the season gone, dumped from the cup and 9 points off 4th place, the Setanta though we won it is a Mickey mouse trophy, and to cap it all we are playing a tedious brand of football. I expected he would see out the season as a lame duck as we have nothing left to play for domestically but either he or the club were not happy with that scenario, my feeling is that he was pushed because earlier in the season it appeared that the worse we played, and the worse the results the happier he said he was, furthermore Stevens coaching regime seemed to get more players injured than competitive football.
.

[Mr A]

There's many a manager that has inherited a good squad and done feck all with it- Baraclough's trophies deserve respect regardless of the club's situation he inherited.

[sligoman]

The only people surprised by Baraclough's sacking is non-Rovers fans. Rovers weren't playing well for a good part of last season and all of this season. Winning the cup saved Baraclough's job last season, and even in that we only played well for the final 20mins. His football was very negative, which is acceptable if you're getting results but we weren't anymore. The season being over by early June is not acceptable for the budget we have and his signings weren't good enough. I feel sorry it had to end like this as he was our most successful manager ever but his time was up. Hopefully Coleman can get rid of the deadwood and bring in some good players to get us going again for next season, but possibly even clinch a European spot this season.

[Terry]

A sligo supporter here in work is saying that Keith Curle is to be interviewed for the position? Don't know how true it is?

[avvenalaf]

A sligo supporter here in work is saying that Keith Curle is to be interviewed for the position? Don't know how true it is?

I am apalled by the suggesttion that the words 'a Sligo supporter' and 'work' should appear in the same sentence. Tell that man that supporting The BitoRed is a full time job. Also tell him that he is as likely to be interviewed for the job as Keith Curle. John Coleman it is.

[dong]

In the end I think it all went a bit flat for Baraclough and Stevens. He couldn't seem to get the players playing for him anymore and the players he did bring in were ultimately worse than those he let go.

He may have been restricted though by a reduced budget and the positive spin he put on the likes of Odhiambo came back to haunt him. To be fair to him he never once used the reduced budget as an excuse or spat the dummy about it. He himself might regret not doing just that and leaving on a high after the cup win last year.

From what I've seen of the man he is a gentleman and as always when things go pear shaped, he was let down by the players to a large degree. Injuries were a big issue this year too but from around the middle of last season it had become obvious that the style aspect wasn't something he would bring to the team. As Sligoman says if you are winning this is not a problem but often it appeared that the object was not to lose and that started to unravel.

I will always be grateful to him for bringing a league title to the club, which had been starved of success for too long. It's a big call to sack him and if the idea is to bring in some dead duck manager until the end of the season we could see things gets lot worse.

[Dalymountrower]

Ultimateyl he either tolerated or was too weak to take on the boozing culture in the Sligo squuad. Any new manager will need to remind many of the senior players that they are paid as full time professionals.If the new manager doesnt clear out half a doxzen of them ,Sligo woll be struglling in the bottom half of the league next season with crowds of 1500.

[avvenalaf]

Ultimateyl he either tolerated or was too weak to take on the boozing culture in the Sligo squuad. Any new manager will need to remind many of the senior players that they are paid as full time professionals.If the new manager doesnt clear out half a doxzen of them ,Sligo woll be struglling in the bottom half of the league next season with crowds of 1500.

Where the F does this notion come from?

[nigel-harps1954]

Coleman confirmed:


Sligo Rovers are pleased to confirm John Coleman as the club’s new manager.The 51-year-old joins with assistant Jimmy Bell to form the new Rovers managerial team and will be presented to the media and supporters at a question and answer evening at the Clarion Hotel in Sligo on Sunday at 6pm. All supporters are welcome to attend.
Coleman is a former manager of Accrington Stanley, Rochdale and Southport in England.
He led Accrington to the Football League in a near 13-year spell in charge of the club, which at the time was the third longest in England.
Coleman was one of the most prolific non-league goalscorers during his playing career, netting over 500 goals over almost two decades.
Bell has previously worked with Coleman at all three clubs and has also been part of the backroom team at Port Vale.
They join Rovers on a rolling contract.
Coleman said: “Sligo Rovers have had unbridled success over several seasons and I see an opportunity to try to keep the club at that high level.
“The first target is to try to get up the table and challenge for the European places because that is paramount.
“We have to get impetus. Sometimes a season can hit a flat spot and I firmly believe that with hard work we can grow during this campaign and also achieve things as well. We have good players here and I want to get the best out of them.
“It’s a well-run club and it’s run by the town. The people care about the club and you want them to feel it and get behind you. That has attracted me to Sligo Rovers.
“I feel I will bring passion, good coaching, organisation and a style and ethos to play on the front foot that I hope the fans will enjoy.
“I’ve worked with Jimmy for many years and we’ve known each other for a long time. I believe we make a great partnership .
“We begin work immediately in preparation for Drogheda and the European matches as well. We don’t just want to play in a round of Europe. We want progress and an extended period time of European football for the town to savour in big games in The Showgrounds.”

[oriel]

Never heard of this guy.

Just on The previous mgt team, I still think it was a little harsh on IB, but when I looked at the free kick challenge on Soccer Rep a few weeks ago and spotted Gary Stevens doing a handstand, I just thought this guy is a pure joker and what exactly is he adding.

[Dalymountrower]

[QUOTE=avvenalaf;1761420]Where the F does this notion come from?[/QUOTE

Comes from a lad who was playing pre season with them who left because of it.
Ever wonder why players who Sligo have signed in the past two years disimproved after going there?

[jinxy lilywhite]

An interesting appointment. There are good guys at the top in Sligo and I think they know the difference between a spoofer and a good man. They hired Cooke who was on the verge of reaping the rewards from his very good side.
IB won a league fai cup and setanta cup too.

Normally I would urge caution and say be careful what you wish for but I reckon the Sligo board know what they are looking for

[Nah Nah Nah Nah]

[QUOTE=avvenalaf;1761420]Where the F does this notion come from?[/QUOTE

Comes from a lad who was playing pre season with them who left because of it.
Ever wonder why players who Sligo have signed in the past two years disimproved after going there?

I don't think any of them have "disimproved". They were just never that good.

[Nesta99]

Funny how its the provincial clubs that 'drinking culture' is most associated with. Under the microscope or are players based in the capital just consumate professionals.

[Charlie Darwin]

More eyes on you in Dublin maybe? I have no idea if it's true, mind. God knows there've been a few Rovers players over the years who were fond of a jar.

[dong]

Sure there was a huge booze culture when Cook was at the club too but people forgot all about it when we were playing the best football in the league and winning cups.

[pineapple stu]

More eyes on you in Dublin maybe? I have no idea if it's true, mind. God knows there've been a few Rovers players over the years who were fond of a jar.
More gossip down the country though?

[Longfordian]

Would have thought it'd be a lot easier to get away with it in Dublin to be honest given the number of places they could go to.