Danske Bank Premiership: Crsuaders v Glentoran (Saturday, 3pm)
EX-GLENTORAN manager Eddie Patterson says his successor Alan Kernaghan needs a minimum of “two or three years” to turn the east Belfast club into title contenders.
Patterson, who was sacked by the Glens last month, believes the club’s board need a dose of reality about what the team can achieve under serious financial constraints. The former Cliftonville manager led the club to two Irish Cups in three seasons, but was a surprise managerial casualty.
“You can’t dismantle a team, rebuild it and be championship contenders the following season, especially with budget we had at Glentoran,” said Patterson.
“For the new manager coming in, it’s like everything: there is a honeymoon period and there’s a time when reality hits… There is a great squad of players there and a bit of experience too and they have proven they can play football. But the new manager needs to be given two or three seasons, not just to gel the team, but to add bits of quality to it as well.”
Former Republic of Ireland international Kernaghan takes charge of his first game at champions Crusaders on Saturday afternoon, with the Glens sitting in sixth place and unbeaten in their last five league outings. Patterson has warned Kernaghan about the challenge he faces at the Oval.
“My experience at the Oval was good, it was tough and hard work, stressful and energy-sapping at times. I agree that a club like Glentoran needs to be challenging for leagues, but not with a mid-table budget,” he added.
Having a few weeks to reflect on his surprise sacking, Patterson’s over-riding emotion is one of “relief”. It is understood there were ongoing tensions between the management team and the board over a broken bonus agreement prior to last season’s Irish Cup final win.
While feeling “disillusioned” by the way his departure from the Oval was handled, Patterson would like to return to the sideline in the future: “But I don’t want to be going to games and for people to be thinking that I’m there to take someone else’s job,” he said.
Ahead of his first game in charge against the league champions, Kernaghan said it would be like “diving off the top board”.
