Big boost for Galway United in swooping successfully for big-name manager

NEW Galway United manager, John Caulfield, says getting the side promoted to the Premier Division within 18 months is non-negotiable as far as he is concerned – but has admitted that this season is all but a write-off in that regard.

United announced the surprise appointment of Caulfield last Friday, hours before the home league game against Bray Wanderers, and while the former Cork City star – both as a player and manager – attended that game against the Seagulls, he did so only in a watching capacity. What he saw left him under no illusions as to the scale of the task facing him.

“Do I think there is massive surgery needed with the team? Absolutely,” he told Tribune Sport in an interview after his unveiling as the new United manager at the Shearwater Hotel in Ballinasloe on Monday morning.

“If this was November and the season was just over and I was appointed and was building a team for next year, there would be a lot of changes.

“Still, at the same time, in fairness to the players, if the confidence is down, or things are perceived not to be done as they should be, that can have an effect. I know a few of the players, I need to put my stamp on it – subtly I will make changes very quickly.

“Obviously, the bigger picture is for next season, I think there are a lot of young players who are very good, but it is about getting the balance right and I think at the moment the whole squad is a bit unbalanced,” he said.

He will take charge of his first game this Friday when United host last season’s First Division champions, Shelbourne, in the FAI Cup (7.45pm), a game he regards as something of a “free shot” for his side, with the following week’s league game away to Athlone Town being one he wants to see his side win.

“The most immediate thing is trying to win a match. The plus from last Friday is we got a draw and a clean sheet, only the second clean sheet all year, but you can see we are not scoring goals so there are a huge number of areas to work on.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.

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