Decision needed on management soon
THE hierarchy at the Showgrounds are understood to be still undecided as to whether Ger Lyttle will be in the hot seat come 2019.
But after wins over Limerick and Cork City which seemed to offer hope of some joy as the season slowly ebbs its way towards completion, the last two weeks won’t have done the Rovers boss many favours.
An uncompetitive showing against Pat’s was followed up by another less than inspiring performance in Waterford last Friday evening.
There was some endeavour but no real bite once again from a largely toothless Bit O’Red who allowed Blues goalkeeper Niall Corbet the night off.
Alan Reynolds’ stars didn’t need to be anywhere near their best to control Rovers.
There were, as has become the norm in such games, the odd flash of potential from the visitors. But again nothing materialised.
Even if Rovers had managed to summon something, there was always scope for the home side to kick it up a gear and grind out a win.
But Waterford only needed the one and as is tradition these days, that winner came from a former player.
Sander Puri having made his way to the front post, didn’t have to do much work to slot, first time, Noel Hunt’s cross past Ed McGinty.
The Estonian international’s job made easy by Kyle Callan-McFadden who switched off to allow Puri the time to pick his spot.
McFadden has been a shadow of the player he was, particularly in the second half of last season.
Having lost the club captaincy to his former vice-skipper Rhys McCabe months ago, the Ramelton man has endured a season riddled with mistakes compared to a 2017 that won him player of the year.
His unwillingness to roam forward and support the winger in front of him on Friday nods to a player who’s extremely low on confidence. His signature for the current campaign was seen as a coup for the club last season when he extended his deal the day after the season ended. But one year on, his future looks uncertain.
Where McFadden will be in a few months time isn’t the only unpredictability as the year slowly drips to its conclusion.
The club are understood to be ready to make a decision on whether Lyttle will be around next season after the upcoming game at home to Bray. Right now, it seems like that choice could go either way.
Without wanting to be overly-strident, it’s not what the majority of supporters want, but if a deal is to be signed then it needs to be done so and made public as soon as possible for the sake of the club.
Through the few years between John Coleman and Ger Lyttle where we went through seven fulltime and interim managers, Sligo Rovers has been screaming out for some sort of stability.
The comings and goings of so many managers and the heavy rotation of players, be they good enough or not, has done us no favours and has played its part in the last two seasons.
The last situation the club wants to find itself in is one where the season has ended, we’ve informed our manager he is no longer required and we face into the vital first few weeks of pre-season with nobody in charge to sign a squad good enough to bring the club to the next level.
On the flip side, what happens if a deal with Lyttle is reached and all goes awry early on and you’re left with a situation similar to the start of last season?
You’re left with the thankless task of seeking out a new man to take on a bunch of players, none of which are his signings.
You’re left with the financial implications of paying people off and trying to steady the ship before going cap in hand to the same supporters who ‘told you so’, in order to raise funds to bring in more players. It all starts again!
Of course, there is the possibility that the gamble could pay off and things could work out with maybe more than a few tweaks to the squad. Either way, we need a decision very soon.