John hopes that Bit O’Red can produce a bit of magic at home
Assistant manager John Russell last played for Rovers in Europe back in 2014 and he’s now helping them in a different role from the dugout
ON July 24, 2014 John Russell was lining out for Sligo Rovers against Norway’s Rosenborg – his last taste of Europe for almost seven years. The Galway-born midfielder’s style was meticulous in nature, weighing up his options for the best pass and when it was the right time to commit to a challenge. That meticulous nature has unsurprisingly followed him into the world of coaching as he prepares the current charges for the task at hand against Iceland’s FH Hafnarfjordur in this week’s UEFA Europa Conference League first qualifying round second leg.
Russell is still registered as a first team player, but his primary focus these days is on guiding the players as assistant to team boss Liam Buckley. “It is all very different,” the 36-yearold said of the experience of being a coach in a European tie for the first time.
“As a player, you really just focus on you and get your briefing on the side you are playing.”
“As a coach it is really the opposite, you are focusing on the whole squad, you are analysing the opposition indepth and looking at how we can improve everyone all the time.”
“You also become a lot more aware of how important European games are, both on and off the field. The stakes definitely feel a lot higher but I love it.”
As a coach, Russell does draw on his experiences as a player and implements that in his coaching.
For example there is that second leg tie with Rosenborg from 2014 (that was in the UEFA Europa League second qualifying round) in which Rovers went from 3-1 up on aggregate to losing 4-3. He admits there is still a sense of it being the tie that got away but is determined to put what he learned from that experience into action – if Rovers overcome FH they’ll set up a second qualifying contest with the Norwegian side.
“You always draw on previous experiences. I remember the next morning, I was raging.”
“It was criminal really, we were probably a bit naive if anything.”
“We could definitely have done some things a bit differently, but they showed what you need to be able to do to adjust in-game and that’s something we have to be able to do.”
When speaking about last Thursday’s disappointing 1-0 defeat in Iceland, he said the result did not reflect their performance which has given them a great sense of optimism for the second-leg. “Looking back we were happy with how we were playing, both sides felt each other out early but the longer it went on the better we were and we looked likely to score, but then the red card changed everything and we ended up conceding.”
“We are well capable of turning this around but we need to start the game well and be involved from the off.” “There isn’t much between the teams but our performance bodes well for this week.”
Rovers also enter unfamiliar European territory this week as they contest a home fixture where the away goals rule is no longer a factor.
The divisive decision to remove the rule was considered bad news for
smaller leagues, but on this occasion, Rovers aren’t sorry that it won’t be a factor in this week’s game.
“We are obviously well used to away goals in European football, the rule was a huge part of so many games and I was fortunate to be on the right end of it a couple of times as a St Pat’s player.”
“Scrapping it evens the playing field this week and it comes at an interesting time as away teams had been winning more games as long as stadiums were empty.”
Rovers will have 400 fans in attendance (as per Covid-19 regulations) and Russell is confident their presence, although only a fraction of what would be there compared to normal times, can play a significant role.
“My last experience was against Rosenborg. The place was absolutely hopping and the crowd had made a big contribution in us having a strong start.”
“Players feed off that kind of thing and I know with that kind of backing on the night they will rise to the occasion,” he added.
Meanwhile, Rovers fans who cannot attend this evening’s game can still support the club from home by buying a virtual ticket for €15.
This purchase includes a link to the live stream of the game, a digital match programme, entry in the halftime raffle for €300 prize money and entry into a raffle for a matchworn European jersey. Virtual tickets can be purchased from www.srfcdirect.com. Those fans who just wish to purchase the live stream can do so by paying €10 on www.loitv.ie. They must have an account on the site in order to purchase and watch the game. It is free to register an account on the site.