The time was right for a change, & we now have to move on

A football manager’s position is always a precarious one. Dave Robertson said himself that as a football manager you are only ever three games away from the sack.

Unfortunately for him, time was called on his spell at Sligo Rovers last Wednesday. I know I’ve been critical of Robertson but seeing a man lose his job is never nice.

Robertson gave everything he had to the job. He moved his family over from the UK. That’s a big move to make and I don’t think anyone could question his commitment to the job.

I sat in his office last November when the dust had settled following the season’s end. He had everything planned meticulously for this season. Players had individual training plans for the winter, he was on the phone constantly as he went in search of signings, and the planner on his wall had dates marked in for pre- season friendlies, with a clear plan in place.

Things don’t always work out as you hope. Rovers enjoyed an excellent season last year - one that few would have expected.

Games that stand out for me were defeats over Dundalk, Cork and of course that home victory against Shamrock Rovers.

Finishing fifth last year was something to be commended. Sadly, though, this is a business too and that has to be taken into account when it comes to decision making. On the back of last year’s fifth place finish, Europe was a target for this year. That’s not unrealistic given how close Rovers came last year.

It wasn’t going as planned this year. Following a poor start Rovers were struggling and it didn’t appear as though it was going to pick up. Gates were falling, morale among fans was low, and people were panicking.

People will tell you it’s media driven but to have picked up one victory in seven games, in a season where you want to finish fourth, it’s no wonder people were concerned.

It’s not a made up media phenomenon that three teams get relegated this season. Realistically there are six or seven teams concerned about relegation. All it takes is a run of three or four bad results and you’re getting worried looking at the relegation zone. It’s unfortunate it’s had to come to this. Rovers say it ended amicably, I’m sure Dave himself knew it was coming, but it’s still not nice.

To his credit, Robertson was great to deal with professionally. He was obliging when it came to his media duties, and always mannerly. I know people complained about the content of his interviews but there was never any hassle when it came to obtaining those post- match pieces, regardless of the result.

It’s part of the job and I’m sure he didn’t enjoy seeing my face after a tough result but still he didn’t shy away from that side of it no matter how tough it was.

Our winter transfer window just wasn’t good enough and there is a severe lack of depth in the squad. It wasn’t for a lack of trying on Robertson’s behalf, but his exhaustive efforts to build on last year’s squad just didn’t work out.

But that’s football and we have to move on now. The search for a manager begins once again. There is no proven formula for finding a good manager - it’s always a risk. As always there will be some really well known names applying for the job and we’ll have to wait and see what happens.

I understand it could be a couple of weeks before any manager is in place so McIntyre will continue to take charge until then.

That result against Bohs was a really important one as Rovers look to get themselves further away from the danger zone.

Bohs weren’t up to much but the performance from Rovers did inspire some confidence and belief that things can come good.

Kyle Callan McFadden and Jonah Ayunga were both impressive on the night. Ayunga has bundles of talent but just seemed to be low on confidence. He took his goal really well and hopefully that will spur him on to greater things.

We’ve a tasty fixture against Shamrock Rovers on Friday in Tallaght and that’s always an entertaining game.

They are going through a torrid spell and I suspect Stephen Bradley too could be in trouble very soon if results don’t pick up.

That’s a game that Rovers could very well win, and that would do wonders for the mood around the place. It’s amazing what one win can do, and it really can lift the crowd. The buzz around The Showgrounds on Sunday for Boyle Celtic’s game against Evergreen was incredible, and with an attendance of over 2,000.

The atmosphere was incredible and despite the result, it was a really enjoyable day out.

If we can get a buzz like that in The Showgrounds once again for a match night, then things will pick up very soon and you just never know what might happen.

A couple of wins would bring us well up the table at this stage and that’s what we will all be aiming for. We can’t accept mediocrity as a million euro business.