ROVERS REVEAL NEW MANAGER
NEWLY appointed Sligo Rovers manager Gerard Lyttle has signalled his intention to bring some much needed stability to proceedings at the Showgrounds following his appointment on Friday evening last. Rovers were quick to announce the Belfast man as the club’s 52nd full- time manager following the broadcast of his departure from his previous post as Cliftonville boss just hours previous.
Lyttle is a former player with Glasgow Celtic, Peterborough United and Northampton Town as well as a host of Irish League clubs including Cliftonville whom he made over 60 appearances for before being appointed a first team coach at Solitude in July 2011.
The 39- year- old took the reigns as Cliftonville manager on a full- time basis in October 2015 having led the club to five wins in six games as caretaker boss. He went on to claim his first medal as a manager last season with a win over Ards in the League Cup final.
Looking forward to the challenge of lifting the Bit O’Red from its current position at the lower end of the SSE Airtricity League Premier Division, Lyttle says his short term ambition is to help the squad unlock their potential and climb the standings. “It’s an absolute honour to be here managing Sligo Rovers”, he beamed. “I’m very excited about the times ahead. It’s a club that fits my ambition well. There are some great people here and it’s very community orientated club which is very important to me.
“The short term goal has to be getting the club up the table. It’s important for me that now we focus on sitting mid- table and then on to challenging towards the top. The big focus for me at the moment is to work with the players and create confidence. I’ve no doubt there’s ability in this squad and now we must rally together and push up that table.”
Despite plying his trade north of the border for most his career, Lyttle says he is no stranger to the League of Ireland. He said the full- time setup and the opportunity to be involved in a more tactically expansive league was a huge attraction for him as he continues to develop his skills as both a coach and a manager. He explained: “I’ve taken a good notice in terms of the games in the league. Any opportunity I’ve had I’ve gone to matches and if not, I’ve watched them on televi- sion. The league has always interested me because it’s full- time environment and everything seems to be done in as a professional manner as possible.
“We played against a few League of Ireland teams in the past in the Setanta Cup and the way teams set themselves out down here is completely different to that in the north. Up there, a lot of teams play 4- 4- 2 but down here you see more 4- 3- 3s and 4- 3- 2- 1s. For me it’s a dream because I’m a football man and I relish the challenge.”
Lyttle divulged that fact that he spoke with a number of people who knew both the club and the league including former Rovers player Jason McGuinness who is currently on the books of Cliftonville and current Ballinamallard manager Gavin Dykes who spent many years in Sligo both as player and coach. “I had words with Jason and Gavin in great detail and all the messages coming back to me are the same. There is a talented bunch of players here. But maybe they need a little kick up the backside and hopefully I’m the man to do that.”
It is believed that the new Rovers boss will formally approach McGuinness to return to the Showgrounds in a coaching capacity this summer when his contract runs out, while Declan McIntyre will remain on as Lyttle’s assistant for the foreseeable future. Lyttle was respectful to his former employers when pressed on any potential move but did say he would be keen to see the Dubliner back here.
“First and foremost Jason is contracted to Cliftonville at this present time”, he affirmed. “He and I have worked together as player and manager and we’ve formed a really good relationship and understanding. He has a great knowledge of the club as he’s had his best days here. Long term, possibly we’ll sit down and talk and hopefully he’ll be at Sligo Rovers at some stage.”
He was also quick to acknowledge the assistance of McIntyre who looked after the first team in the aftermath of the sacking of Dave Robertson. “It’s all happened so quickly so I haven’t really had time to sit down with many but Declan is one of the people who I have spoken with. It would be mad for me to come in here, get everyone out and do my own thing straight away. Declan knows the team and has the club at heart. We’ll work together for now, plan and identify what’s going on and we’ll look at it again and see where we are. Declan might want to do his own thing, he might not but hopefully he doesn’t and we get on well. He’s very committed. I was on the phone to him late Friday night speaking to him about the Drogheda game. He was taking notes, giving me advice and that’s the type of the person I want around me.”
With a lack of experience and strength in the current Rovers squad an unfortunate leftover from the previous manager, Lyttle says he is already identifying targets to bolster a young team. “We’ve been working on potential targets and where we need to strengthen. But obviously it has to fit into the budget. I have guys out at the moment looking at players. So if the player fits the profile of what we’re trying to achieve here then we’ll try our best to bring him in.
“The squad is young. I think the average age is 23 and a half so it’s similar to what I took over at Cliftonville. I do understand that when you have a young team there are mistakes in them. But it’s how they respond to those mistakes that are important. They’re young so they can be exciting but they can also drive you insane.
“Again, the age profile is something we’ve iden- tified from a very early stage and I’ll be looking to bring in some experience come July and that can only help the young players become better players.” Talking about the style of play Rovers supporters can expect from their new man, Lyttle outlined: “In the north I’m renowned for having an entertaining team that plays attractive football. I like to play from the back and attack teams.
“But at the same time I would like to have a defensive mindset set out throughout the team. I like to press teams high and play with energy so fitness is very important to any team I take over. I like to play three in the middle and dominate the midfield and starve the opposition of the ball. It’s something you can expect from this team.”
The former Northern Ireland U21 international also called for patience from supporters. “It’s going to take time for me to put my stamp on it. I’m not going in to wave a magic wand. It’s the right blend of players I first need to let me play the way I want.”
Lyttle was in charge of the Cliftonville side that were beaten 1- 0 by Rovers in a friendly in February. Mathew Stevens netted the game’s only goal as Rovers continued their preparations for the new season. He says he found it tough to judge the team from that game given that it was a Sligo team still bedding in. “It’s always hard to judge a team who are at the start of their season and maybe trying one or two things tactically. But there was certainly a team there that could play football.”
There was also words of encouragement from Rovers chairperson Martin Heraghty who said Lyttle’s ‘ enthusiasm, commitment and experience’ led him to be the choice ahead of other leading candidates reported to be former Northern Ireland striker Warren Feeney and current Norwich coach Gary Holt.
“We had a very significant level of interest in the job”, he said. “After an intensive selection process over the past couple of weeks, Gerard came through as the unanimous choice from our selection committee. We believe that Gerard has the right blend to give the club a renewed impetuous in this very challenging season. He shares the ambition that we have for the club.”
Lyttle will take charge of his first game against Drogheda United this Friday evening at United Park.