‘ Dave convinced me to stay to see through his project’
SLIGO Rovers interim boss Declan McIntyre has revealed that he was convinced by former boss Dave Robertson to stay on at the Showgrounds following the Londoner’s ‘ amicable’ departure last week. Robertson was dismissed by the Bit O’Red following Rovers’ poor start to the season and caretaker McIntyre was ready to follow only to be persuaded to stay on in a provisional capacity until a new first team manager is appointed.
Speaking to the Sligo Champion following Rovers’ 2- 0 win over Bohemians, McIntyre confessed his belief that he would leave alongside Robertson before his decision was swayed. He also declared that such is his respect for the club, he would be willing to stay on in an assistant’s capacity should the new manager require him to.
He said: “I was leaving with Dave and he convinced me to stay to see through his project until the new man comes in so I said I would.
“God knows who he will be but I’ll certainly talk to anybody. I’m very fond of this club. They gave me my break a long time ago and maybe now I can repay them a little bit for that. I’m happy at this point in time to assist anyone who comes in at this point in time.”
Pressed on whether he would be interested in taking the job on full- time, the Donegal native categorically denied any intention to do so. “This is an absolute fact”, he quipped. “They say goalkeepers are crazy but they’re not at all! Managers are crazy and if they’re not crazy going into it then they soon will be.”
McIntyre ( pictured) also declared his belief that Robertson’s departure was premature, noting that it was a tough week for those involved. He also affirmed his belief that given time, Robertson would have turned the situation around.
“It was devastating. It was a crazy situation really. He never lost the dressing room and the players and staff loved him. I think we maybe pressed the panic button a little too early. If you look at the situation Pat’s, Galway and Shamrock Rovers are in, it’s way too early to be talking about relegation.
“There’s no question he would have hit his targets. We were looking at what we could bring in in the transfer window and we knew we needed to and would strengthen, no question.”
On the game itself, McIntyre praised the players’ character and resolve and in particular the perfor- mances of both John Russell and Jonah Ayunga who netted his first goal for the club on the night.
“It was an absolutely fantastic display”, he beamed. “It was a testament to both what Dave Robertson has done and what the staff here have done. Defending is a skill as well and we defended absolutely superbly tonight.
“I’m delighted for Jonah. He’s a really good lad. I’ll be having a word with Chris Hughton and I’ll be letting him know how well he’s done. While John, He’s put in some great shifts this season so far. I’d just like to see referees protect him maybe just a little bit more because he’s been in the wars a bit tonight.”
Rovers struggled to keep a hold of the ball during a frantic second half in which Bohs dominated for large spells. But McIntyre insisted his charges were happy to let the Dubliners sit on it and break when the opportunity arose.
“I’ll be honest. It may not be the style of play Rovers or our supporters are used to but it’s a style we felt we needed. We had a lead and we needed to defend it. They didn’t look like they would breach us and as the game wore on we knew we’d get a few breaks. We were happy enough to give up ground and try and catch them.”
Reports suggest McIntyre is likely to be in charge again for Friday’s trip to Shamrock Rovers. The former Finn Harps assistant attended the Hoops’ 2- 1 defeat to Drogheda on Friday night last and says his team will look take the game to Shams. He concluded: “We’ll assess things during the week and see who we have available. But we’ll certainly go there with no fear.”