Rathdowney native Shane Keegan has been appointed as the first team manager of League of Ireland side Dundalk ahead of the commencement of the new season.
Keegan, who formerly managed Wexford Youth and Galway – and is set to manage Rathdowney Errill later this year – originally joined the club in 2020 as an opposition analyst but his role moved closer to the first team later in the year when Filippo Giovagnoli and Giuseppe Rossi took over from Vinny Perth.
Dundalk went onto reach the group stage of the Europa League but as Filippo Giovagnoli does not have the necessary UEFA Pro Licence to coach in Europe – Keegan was named as the manager for those games.
But Dundalk were later fined €50,000 for ‘shadow coaching’.
The SSE Airtricity League also requires managers to have a Pro Licence and Giovagnoli is currently seeking a place on a course, though the next FAI one does not start until 2022.
So, Keegan has been appointed first team manager with Giovagnoli now club’s permanent first team coach.
Speaking to RTE, sporting director Jim Magilton explained the change.
He said: “Looking at the collective and our coaching staff, we felt this was the way forward. Shane is team manager and then we have collective coaches.
“Filippo is very much at the heart of it. If you look at the fantastic job he and Giuseppe did last year, we have worked through pre-season trying to get the guys over the line in terms of written permission with their parent association which they’ve done.
“Credit to the Italian FA for allowing this to happen, they now have written permission to go apply for coaching courses. Giuesppe has applied to go on the ‘A’ licence on the FAI course.
“Unfortunately Filippo has to wait as there is an ongoing Pro Licence course and it doesn’t expire to 2022. Hopefully with my contacts within UEFA, we can get them up to the necessary standard. The Pro Licence is the ultimate in terms of coaching.
“Filippo and Giuesppe are desperate to continue their coaching. We’re going to help them do it.”
While speaking to the Irish Sun, Shane Keegan insisted it would still be very much a collective approach.
He said: “People are maybe – not obsessed is the right word – but people are used to certain structures within a club and the structure within the club is going to be a little bit different in terms of what people are used to in terms of decision making.
“I don’t think there will be an Alex Ferguson type figure who has complete and utter dominance in all decisions and makes all decisions by himself.
“It will very much be collective decisions. We’re up to a first team coaching staff of about six or seven all in.
“I’ll be taking an awful lot of opinions on board when we’re trying to make decisions but I suppose, at the end of the day, the buck will stop with me.”
The Lilywhites are next in action on Friday night when they travel to Tallaght Stadium to face Shamrock Rovers in the President’s Cup final.
SEE ALSO – Laois Abroad: The Abbeyleix girl who headed Down Under and changed her life
The post Laois man appointed manager of Dundalk ahead of new League of Ireland season appeared first on Laois Today.
source https://www.laoistoday.ie/2021/03/09/laois-man-appointed-manager-of-dundalk-ahead-of-new-league-of-ireland-season/
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