Soccer

Glentoran’s Declan Devine named Manager of the Month

East Belfast side went unbeaten throughout December

Glentoran manager Declan Devine collects his Manager of the Month trophy from NIFWA Chair Michael Clarke Glentoran boss Declan Devine is the NIFWA Manager of the Month for December. In the month, the Glens defeated Crusaders, Cliftonville and Portadown in the league. Devine's men also drew with rivals Linfield on Boxing Day and knocked them out of the BetMcLean Cup. Devine said: "This is obviously testimony to the players and the backroom staff. The manager collects this award, but it's a team effort. "We enjoyed a good month but it's hard work at times. We had to grind out some of those results. But overall, I feel we have come a long way since the summer. "It feels like the entire club is pulling in the same direction. When everyone at Glentoran is pulling in the same direction, we've half a chance."
Glentoran manager Declan Devine collects his Manager of the Month trophy from NIFWA Chair Michael Clarke Glentoran boss Declan Devine is the NIFWA Manager of the Month for December. In the month, the Glens defeated Crusaders, Cliftonville and Portadown in the league. Devine's men also drew with rivals Linfield on Boxing Day and knocked them out of the BetMcLean Cup. Devine said: "This is obviously testimony to the players and the backroom staff. The manager collects this award, but it's a team effort. "We enjoyed a good month but it's hard work at times. We had to grind out some of those results. But overall, I feel we have come a long way since the summer. "It feels like the entire club is pulling in the same direction. When everyone at Glentoran is pulling in the same direction, we've half a chance."

Some called it brave, some called it brutal but Declan Devine insists his cull of players at Glentoran last year came out of necessity.

The Glentoran manager is today unveiled as the Manager of the Month for the month of December after guiding the East Belfast team to second place in the Sports Direct Premiership.

An unbeaten month yielded five wins and a draw and with the Co Antrim Shield Final, the League Cup semi-finals and the Irish Cup all ahead there is plenty for Glentoran fans to cheer about.

The Glens were all at sea when Devine was parachuted in last season to succeed Warren Feeney and the former Glentoran goalkeeper was not happy with what he saw at the club.

He began the bloodletting as soon as the season ended and a total of 20 players were allowed to leave The Oval for one reason or another.

This left Devine short of players but he reveals he had been in the same position before and took the same action.

“My experience told me it needed a rebuild, something I did at previous clubs”, said the 51-year-old.

“I had to do the same when I went to Derry City second time around.

“I had four signed players and I had to rebuild a squad that was honest, was committed and was dedicated to trying to bring success to Derry.

“I went into Bohemians and needed the same rebuild again. I had to offload eight, nine, ten players.

Portadown v Glentoran - Sports Direct Premiership Glentoran manager Declan Devine congratulates defender Frankie Hvid after this evening's game at Shamrock Park, Portadown. Photo by David Maginnis/Pacemaker Press
Pacemaker Press 30-12-24 Portadown v Glentoran - Sports Direct Premiership Glentoran manager Declan Devine congratulates defender Frankie Hvid after this evening's game at Shamrock Park, Portadown. Photo by David Maginnis/Pacemaker Press (David Maginnis/David Maginnis/Pacemaker Press)

“The experience told me that at the end of last season it wasn’t right.

“It needed more professionalism, more work and more hours committed.

“I’m not having a go at any of the players. Certain players were out of contract, they were good people, good players who went on to do well in this season in certain leagues – this league as well.

“Some players were unfortunate in that their contracts expired and I felt some had been there too long.

“I just felt that, looking around the club, players weren’t working hard enough in terms of their daily hours, and it needed a restructure.

“I didn’t feel it was a proper working environment when I first went into it, that we needed to be more together and we needed a fresh influx of younger players who can improve.

“I felt we needed to build a side with more of the DNA of the club; hard work, knocking their pan in for the fans, committing to more working hours but also playing a better brand of football.

“That was my ultimate goal.”

Previous Glentoran manager Mick McDermott made use of the generous funds made available to him by club owner Ali Pour, throwing lucrative contracts around like confetti.

Glentoran's manager Declan Devine In Today’s game at Solitude Cliftonville v Glentoran in the Sports Direct premiership Desmond Loughery Pacemaker press
Glentoran's manager Declan Devine In Today’s game at Solitude Cliftonville v Glentoran in the Sports Direct premiership Desmond Loughery Pacemaker press (DESMOND LOUGHERY/Desmond loughery Pacemaker press)

Devine accepts there was a perception that Glentoran was a gravy train at that time but insists he stays divorced from negotiating contracts with players.

“I think it was certainly an issue, but I have come in as manager and I don’t deal with contracts.

“Everyone outside the club was looking in, calling the team ‘Glentoran Galacticos’, they pay this and they pay that.

“Still to this day I don’t know what everyone was getting last year, so what I did had nothing to do with the budget.

“We have a budget we have to work to and I felt last year we weren’t getting value for money, pound for pound.”