Mullan departure not mutual
Thursday, 4 September 2008
Liam Beckett with Paul Gaston during his brief spell at Limavady United.
FORMER Limavady United manager Ollie Mullan has revealed that the decision for him to part company with the Roesiders was anything but mutual, and that he was informed he was on his way out in the clubs car park last Monday morning.
It had been reported that Mullan, who had to rebuild a Limavady squad from scratch in his first weeks in charge of the club last year, had agreed to an amicable parting of the ways with the club, reports, which are false according to the man himself.
“I didn't want to step down, Ollie said, "The rumours have been flying left and right that I agreed to step down as manager, but that is simply not the case, it was a decision taken by the board and carried out in a matter that has been gut wrenching to me personally. I worked very hard in pre-season building the squad to a better standard than it has been in the past couple of years, and I feel that after only four games to be dismissed in the manner that I was is a bit harsh.
“Granted, the results were not good, but when a team changes leagues, either through promotion or relegation, it takes time for players to adjust to a different style of play. When things settled down, a pattern will develop and we would have started to get the results, I still firmly believe that Limavady will be pushing for promotion this season."
When Mullan took over at the Showgrounds last summer, one of the key elements he wanted to instil into his players was professionalism, but according to the 32 year old, that attitude hasn't filtered through to the board room.
“Perhaps the most annoying thing was the manner in which this has come about," Ollie Continued, "It was a badly kept secret that after two games this season the club was interviewing people to fill my position.
“This put a real strain on the Club over the past couple of weeks, and I think some of the players tried almost too hard for me in the last two games."
But what hurt Mullan the most was the way the club pulled the trigger on his first job in management, a matter of fact conversation in the clubs car park, an act that Mullan described as 'gut-wrenching' and 'disrespectful'.
“I was very annoyed about how I was informed that I was no longer in charge", he said, "I can't think of an instance that any manager of any football club would be told that his services are no longer required in the club car park.
“To not even take time to organise a meeting and simply say in passing with no prior warning was very disrespectful and unprofessional in my opinion. I'm still finding it hard to believe that that's how it all ended."
While Ollie's days as the clubs manager have come to an end, he says that he will remain a keen follower of the club and he has made it clear that he believes that the club has plenty to look forward to in the future.
“Managers come and go, that's football I suppose," Mullan concluded, "and despite of everything I'll be there in the stands when I can to support the boys, I know they can turn this around."
