Likely candidates for the Bray job
MARTIN Russell: The ex-UCD and Limerick man would be the obvious choice. His last management job ended 12 months ago when he was released by Limerick. Russell, 50, started his life in the dugout as UCD manager where he remained from 2009 to 2013. Following a brief stint as assistant manager with St. Patrick’s Athletic, he took over the reins at the Shannonsiders but after struggling in the top flight, his tenure was brought to a premature end. Would his tiki-taka style of football fit the squad?
Roddy Collins: Will the Seagulls become the latest Rod Squad? He is, to the best of our knowledge, the only man involved in the League of Ireland with his own parody account on Twitter. He has managed 11 different clubs in his lifetime and enjoyed success in that time but it has become less frequent as time has gone on. His last stint in management was an ill-fated reign at Athlone Town last year. He became the club’s general manager but resigned from that post in February so is available should Gerry Mulvey make the call.
Collins, brother of former boxer Steve Collins, tends to bring drama - and his son Roddy Jr. - wherever he goes. It would definitely be interesting.
Paul Doolin: The almost forgotten man of Irish football. He guided Drogheda United to their first ever FAI Cup and Premier Division titles before rocking up at troubled Cork City. From there, he progressed to the international set-up, overseeing the Republic of Ireland U-19 side - where he mentored the likes of Dylan Hayes - from 2010 to 2016. Since then, he has been kicking his heels. He complained on a podcast recently that he can’t get a job and is believed to have applied for the Bray post before Mackey was appointed in December.
A potential desire for a large budget could scupper his chances and he may not be willing to work with the bare necessities.
Gary Cronin: Another man that was in the running for this position in December. Cronin is alleged to have been the frontrunner until a late change of heart saw Macket get the nod. He would be the surprise package having - like Mackey - never managed at senior level before. The 39-year old spent three seasons at the Carlisle Grounds as a player and served Longford Town as assistant manager for six seasons until stepping away at the end of the 2017 campaign as he looked for a new challenge. Could this be the one? Or will it be once bitten, twice shy for the dark horse?
Keith Long: The outside bet. There are whispers that Wanderers will attempt to prise the ex-Bray assistant manager back to the Field of Dreams but there would need to be some extreme sweet talking done to persuade Long to leave the relative normality of Dalymount Park for the seaside. Long has proven that he can operate on a small budget and get the best out of his players so in that regard, he fits the bill perfectly. The gigantic stumbling block though is that Long appears to be very happy at Bohemians.