Darren Murphy and Rodney McAree have been appointed joint Head Coaches of the club. After the decision to jointly share the job was made we were lucky enough to hear from both of the players ahead of the new season starting on Saturday.
As joint head coaches of the club do you both hold specific roles or do you share the duties between yourselves?
Rod: We don’t have specific roles it’s more about sharing the work load between us. We both enjoy the coaching side and it’s the part we definitely don’t want to lose out on. It gives us a chance to deal with coaching and the media, two things which are both very important.
Murph has good contacts within the media so we can take advantage of this on occasions and hope to do so more in the future by building the profile of the club.
Do you ever fall out?
Rod: Yes, we would share a difference of opinions the odd time but we always seem to find common ground. We spend that long in each other’s company, as we work 6 days a week together in our Spin cycling business and at football, there is bound to be the odd disagreement every now and again!
Darren: I feel exactly how Rod has said above.
Do either of you aspire to be number one on your own?
Darren: No, we are very happy at the minute. The joint role of Head Coach at the Swifts benefits us both to share the work load as we both have our strengths and weaknesses which together make a good team. We already run a successful business together with no problems so hopefully we can do the same on the football pitch.
At least nine players have joined the first team squad since the end of last season; do you feel they are bonding well with the others?
Yes, atmosphere in the camp is good, with us making a few signings it now feels like our squad. All the signings we selected together and went to meet them all together also. We’ve managed to add flair and strength to the squad in specific areas.
What is the mood in the changing room ahead of the league kicking off on Saturday?
The mood is relatively optimistic, we feel as if we can do well and compete this season. We are very eager to get the season underway.
What about you two, are you nervous?
Rod: Anxious to get the season started, pre-season can be tough for players and staff both but it has to be done, all you want is for the season to commence.
Rod, having your dad as Chairman, does this have more positive or negative effects?
A little bit of both but more so positive. Having a football man as a chairman is great as he always wants what is best on the pitch.
Negative would have to be because we are both quite opinionated when having a conversation with each other.
How do you feel about the pressures of management considering you’re the 7th longest serving in the Irish League!?
Darren: I don’t feel under any pressure, it’s more about enjoyment than pressure. If I don’t put myself under pressure then I can enjoy myself more in my opinion. If you feel under pressure then you shouldn’t be doing it.
Rod: Even though it’s a part time job, it brings a lot of pressures with it and tends to turn into a full time job. However they must be good pressures because we wouldn’t be doing the job if it was too much for us.
Darren, as you are still playing do you find it difficult to switch between player/coach role?
No, it’s not difficult as there are two people doing the job. I can concentrate on the playing side of things safe in the knowledge that Rod is in charge on the side line. At the end of last season we put this into action as I played and Rod managed on the side line. It is part of the reason why we have decided to become joint managers.
Do either of you have any managerial role models?
Darren: I am quite fortunate to have played under some of the most successful managers in the Irish League. I have certainly taken a lot on board from them and it has developed me as a coach, hopefully someday I can be as successful as they are.
Rod: Not really. You will always take the best points of a lot of people who you have worked for and try to learn from those that you have learnt from. If you put all of those things together you should hopefully end up a good coach/manager.
What three things do you expect form your players?
Commitment, desire and honesty.
The club recently held an open/fun day for all the local community to get involved. What was your opinion on this?
Rod: It was a great success, really well done to those who made it happen. We have to try and offer the community something, we need to continue to organise things to draw the community to us. By getting schools, youth groups, disability groups, community groups etc. involved in half time entertainment or invited as specials guests it can only have a positive effect by hopefully boosting our support. We also need to start bringing the club to schools, send players, coaches in to coach the kids, players to visit the schools for sports days and so on.
How do you feel pre-season went for the team?
Darren: I am very happy with the commitment of the players, their attitudes have been top drawer, they have worked very hard throughout pre-season, the games have went well and the opponents have all been very good. The serious stuff now starts on Saturday.
Rod: It has been slightly different from last season as we have many new faces, I am more than happy with how it’s went and feel we are ready to start the new season.
What advice would you give to the new players to help them settle in at Stangmore Park?
Darren: Relax, enjoy yourselves. Dungannon is a family orientated club, you can enjoy yourself both on and off the pitch, you will be able to express yourself and be made very welcome at the club at all times.
Rod: Play with a smile on their face and enjoy their football.
There have been a few changes throughout the management side of the other teams, most recently bringing in ex Swifts Manager Harry Fay..
Darren: Trevor Douglas and Harry have been brought in to take over the reserve team and our U18 teams. We believed that we needed to start to attract better younger players to the club which can help us down the line when they develop into much stronger talented players, ready for first team action.
Rod: We felt as if we needed to do something in terms of restructuring the club and rebuilding it. The squad we have at the minute is capable of competing on our day with anyone in the league and we will relish the challenge!
