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Drogs chief welcomes Mathews stay
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Drogs chief welcomes Mathews stay
November 25, 2009
Drogheda United general manager Sean Connolly has welcomed the appointment of manager Alan Mathews for a further two years.
Mathews took charge at United Park before the start of the 2009 season and, against the odds, assembled a squad which secured Premier Division football for the Boynesiders with a relegation play-off win over Bray Wanderers two weeks ago.
Mathews’s name has been mentioned in connection with the vacant managerial position at County Louth rivals Dundalk but Drogheda have put an end to uncertainty surrounding the Dubliner’s future by reaching agreement on a new two-year contract today (Wednesday).
Welcoming the appointment, Drogs’ General Manager Sean Connolly told eleven-a-side.com: “First of all it’s great news for the club. Alan has done very well in extremely difficult circumstances. He kept us in the Premier Division this year and he now has a bit more time to plan for the future. He’s one of the top managers in the country and he’s renowned for his coaching ability, and with both Longford Town and ourselves he’s proved that he can work within a very tight budget.”
A realistic budget will again be in place in 2010 as the club continues to rebuild following the rigours of examinership last year, but Connolly feels that such a situation is no barrier to success.
“To be blunt about it, what went on for the last number of years was unsustainable,” he says, “and it brought both the clubs and the league itself into trouble. We’re looking very carefully at everything surrounding the budget and we’re determined to get that right.
“All player contracts have finished at the end of the season and Alan will be looking at keeping some of his squad, but there are sure to be a few new faces as well. There are no guarantees in football but the last thing we want to do is scrabble around trying to stay above the relegation zone. The ambition is to be a good quality club in the mid- to upper-regions of the Premier Division. I’m not saying we’re going to be challenging for the League next season but I’m confident that we can re-establish this club as one of the leading clubs in the country.”
Off the field, the movement towards fan ownership, as exemplified by the successful takeover of Shamrock Rovers by the 400 Club, is a work in progress through the supporter body The Claret & Blue Club.
Connolly is enthusiastic about the concept: "The Claret & Blue Club is growing its numbers and it’s beginning to gather its own momentum as some members’ mates or business colleagues become involved. The idea has gone down well in the town with the general public and the business community.
“A lot of business people might have lost faith with Drogheda United a bit during the examinership problems but we’re trying to rebuild those links. There is a major business meeting next Tuesday (December 1st) when Niall Quinn will address 150 or 200 people and give his own perspective on how Sunderland Football Club has fostered links with the business community in the city.”
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