MARTIN RUSSELL HAS been appointed as the manager of Limerick FC following the departure of Stuart Taylor. His deal runs until the end of the 2015 season and he will take charge of first-team matters with immediate effect.

Russell, 47, spent the beginning of the 2014 Premier Division campaign as Liam Buckley’s assistant at St Patrick’s Athletic – a role he accepted after spending five seasons with UCD.

In his first year at the Students, Russell won the First Division – going on to secure their top flight status in each of the following four years. Speaking in front of the media at the Limerick City Hotel this evening, Russell was realistic about the remainder of the 2014 Premier Division season.

“We’re looking up the table. We want to finish off this season as well as we can. You can hear by the passion in Pat’s voice there – he wants the club to progress and I hope I can play my part in doing that.”

Commonly associated with the attractive style of play that UCD showcased under him, Russell was quick to remind people that winning is more important than sticking by any particular brand of football. He said:

The thing about playing attractive football – it’s a core element, but I would rather call it winning football. I don’t think you have to compromise on the winning by playing good football. I’m not expecting it to happen overnight, but I’m working towards it.

“For me, it’s got to be competitive. UCD was one project – I tried to maximise the philosophy at the club – and Limerick for me is a different one. Yes, we’re going to develop our best players, but I’ve got more of an opportunity to be competitive in the league than I would have had at UCD. I’m looking forward to that challenge.”

Potential

With the appointment of Russell coming only days after Limerick ‘amicably parted ways’ with Stuart Taylor, the deal did seem quite rushed, but the new man in charge accepts this as a part of the industry.

“The nature of Stuart going and then getting the phone call – it seems quite quick. Once I had time to talk to Pat and the board, I realised the potential that is here and the willingness of the people that want the Club to do well. It was probably an easy decision in the end. I want to thank St Patrick’s Athletic for the time that I have been there.”

Typically, when a new manager arrives, one of the first things he’ll aim to do is assess what he has at his disposal. Recent results have been poor for the Blues, but Russell wants to focus on the positives.

“I tend to look to the positive side of things. I look to the next win and that’ll be the way it is until the end of the season. I think the players that are here realise, or should realise, with the way the club is trying to do things, that they should want to be part of it and I hope that is seen in the performances from here until the end of the season.”

Given the nature of the UCD job, this may well be Russell’s first time with a proper kitty to spend. This raises no concern for him though – he relishes the idea of having the opportunity to bring in players.

“The thing about UCD – it was very difficult to get senior players into the setup. There wasn’t really a budget there and it got less and less each year. We tried to do the best we could. I would like to think there’s a little bit more scope here.”

The Shannonsiders’ next fixture was scheduled to be next weekend against Derry City, but that fixture has since been postponed – meaning that Russell’s first game in charge will most likely be against Sligo Rovers in the Showgrounds.

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