Outgoing Gallagher felt the ‘pressure’
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SHORTLY after giving his habitual post-match reaction on Friday night, James Gallagher was informed that his managerial services, along with those of his assistant Anthony Gorman, were no longer required to lead Finn Harps.
Gallagher had just seen his side lose a third consecutive league game, and fourth in all, a run of form that would not be tolerated any longer by the Harps Board, who terminated both contracts roughly an hour after the 2-1 defeat at the hands of Longford Town.
A former goalkeeper with the club, Gallagher initially took over on a caretaker basis when Paul Hegarty stepped down in May, 2009 and, after seeing out that season in charge, he remained in the hot-seat for the 2010 campaign, leading the team to an eighth place finish in both terms.
He began this season with the main bulk of the squad he had assembled last year, managing to keep the likes of Packie Mailey and Kevin McHugh, while capturing the signatures of Sligo Rovers’ double cup-winning star Conor O’Grady, as well as Gareth Harkin and Paddy McLaughlin, both of whom arrived from Coleraine.
There was little debate whether or not the current squad was stronger than last year’s, but, for whatever reason, it didn’t to click and the team failed pick up a single win in either of the seven league games or the first round encounter against Mervue United in the EA Sports Cup.
Minutes before receiving the dreaded news, Gallagher spoke of feeling the pressure for not getting the results or performances he or the Board would have craved.
He said: “When you’re not winning games of course you’ll feel pressure, but the pressure doesn’t come from the board or the press or the fans, it comes from the standards I set myself. I want to do well; it’s no different to when I was playing.
“I said to the boys before the game that life’s too short and not to be feeling sorry for themselves. They’re young lads and they need to go out and play. You can only work as hard as you can.” Characteristically defiant, Gallagher still felt he could have turned things around and reemphasised what exactly the goal of the team was for 2011.
“We were never going to win the league,” he continued. “Our main aim was to get closer to the top five and with only seven games played there was no reason why we can’t still do that. But at the end of the day it’s about getting results and nobody knows that more than myself.”
Gallagher had just seen his side lose a third consecutive league game, and fourth in all, a run of form that would not be tolerated any longer by the Harps Board, who terminated both contracts roughly an hour after the 2-1 defeat at the hands of Longford Town.
A former goalkeeper with the club, Gallagher initially took over on a caretaker basis when Paul Hegarty stepped down in May, 2009 and, after seeing out that season in charge, he remained in the hot-seat for the 2010 campaign, leading the team to an eighth place finish in both terms.
He began this season with the main bulk of the squad he had assembled last year, managing to keep the likes of Packie Mailey and Kevin McHugh, while capturing the signatures of Sligo Rovers’ double cup-winning star Conor O’Grady, as well as Gareth Harkin and Paddy McLaughlin, both of whom arrived from Coleraine.
There was little debate whether or not the current squad was stronger than last year’s, but, for whatever reason, it didn’t to click and the team failed pick up a single win in either of the seven league games or the first round encounter against Mervue United in the EA Sports Cup.
Minutes before receiving the dreaded news, Gallagher spoke of feeling the pressure for not getting the results or performances he or the Board would have craved.
He said: “When you’re not winning games of course you’ll feel pressure, but the pressure doesn’t come from the board or the press or the fans, it comes from the standards I set myself. I want to do well; it’s no different to when I was playing.
“I said to the boys before the game that life’s too short and not to be feeling sorry for themselves. They’re young lads and they need to go out and play. You can only work as hard as you can.” Characteristically defiant, Gallagher still felt he could have turned things around and reemphasised what exactly the goal of the team was for 2011.
“We were never going to win the league,” he continued. “Our main aim was to get closer to the top five and with only seven games played there was no reason why we can’t still do that. But at the end of the day it’s about getting results and nobody knows that more than myself.”
