Bray Wanderers had picked up just one point from nine league matches before the arrival of Martin Russell.
My former boss at UCD is set to appointed manager of the League of Ireland’s bottom club next week, but has effectively been in charge since their narrow 2-0 loss to Dundalk two weeks ago.
Currently working alongside caretaker manager Graham Kelly in an advisory role, Russell is set to take over fully on 1 May but he will be in the dugout for tomorrow night’s massive match against fellow strugglers Limerick.
I’m not for one for calling for managers to be sacked but in the case of former boss Dave Mackey, it was a departure that simply needed to happen.
The club won none of his games in charge (competitive or friendly) and looked destined to be relegated if a change had not come.
It seemed some of the players were not buying into Mackey’s tactics or setup. Since Kelly and Russell have taken over, there seems to have been a positive shift in both the players’ performances and efforts.
Case in point, their excellent and hard-fought 1-0 win over Shamrock Rovers Monday before last, their first of the season.
Clearly, Bray still have work to do, starting with a relegation 'six-pointer' against Martin’s old club Limerick tomorrow.
They followed up their win over Shamrock Rovers with a 3-0 defeat in Waterford last Friday and remain six points behind ninth-placed Limerick and seven from Sligo Rovers, who currently sit in eighth spot and safety.
Top Coach
I spent three years working with Martin at UCD, in the First Division for 12 games as we won promotion and then for two-and-a-half seasons in the Premier Division.
He was very influential in my career and one of the main reasons I got to play at as high a standard as I did in the UK.
Top players like Ronan Finn, Greg Bolger, Evan & Dave McMillian, Andy Boyle, Robbie Benson, Ciaran Kilduff, Chris Mulhall and current Bray man Paul O’Conor all passed through Martin’s hands in Belfield, and we all got to witness the incredible passion and ability he has for coaching.
There is always a defined style about how his teams play. That is not an accident. It comes from hours of work on the training pitch. Everybody is very aware of their roles on the pitch, with and without the ball, something that has been missing from Bray’s opening round of fixtures.
Most importantly for Bray is that the players will enjoy his style of football. I have never come across a player who enjoys slogging it through 90 minutes of a football match with their backs against the wall.
Martin will bring a buzz and an energy to their training sessions, to the dressing room and most importantly to their performances on a Friday evening.
Key Men
From a Bray perspective the appointment makes total sense. When you look at their usual starting 11 and the key personnel that make up their squad, it makes sense for Bray to play a more expansive game than they have shown in previous weeks
Gary McCabe, Paul O’Conor, Conor Kenna, Darragh Noone, Aaron Greene and co are all technical players, who have had successful careers to date playing an attractive style.
McCabe and Greene (currently injured) have only one goal between them this season. I’d expect a far greater impact from both with Martin at the helm and a lot more from a group of players who have so far this season failed to deliver competitive performances on a consistent basis.
The expansive game that Martin plays centres around precise passing and intelligent movement but he’ll also be spending a lot of time working on defending.
They’ve conceded 32 goals in 12 matches, which is seven more than a Limerick side who have been on the end of 8-0 and 5-0 hammerings already this season.
Six-pointer
Many people say the term ‘relegation six-pointer’ is a cliché, and maybe they are right. But the importance of tomorrow night’s game between Bray and Limerick at the Carlisle Grounds must not be understated.
Between them, they have won three of their 25 league matches this season. Three of Limerick’s 10 points came in the form of a 1-0 win over Bray earlier in the season.
Wanderers are six points behind Limerick but do have a game in hand.
A win for Bray tomorrow night, against an inconsistent Limerick team, would make another statement that they, and their manager in waiting, mean business.
