Coughlan ready for the challenge that lies in store

New Waterford FC Head Coach Graham Coughlan is looking forward to the challenge ahead as he tries to lead the Blues out of the serious relegation battle that they find themselves in, but the man who has replaced Jon Daly in the managerial hotseat doesn’t believe that it's not ‘Mission Impossible’.

Coughlan, who had a stellar career as a player, has been in this position before as a manager, where he rescued Boston United, Newport County, and Bristol Rovers, to name but three, from the dreaded drop in the UK, but he does think that to do it with Waterford will be a ‘small miracle’.

In his first interview since arriving in Waterford, Coughlan said: “It happened very quickly. I got a call, had a meeting, packed my bag, and was on a plane. It’s been a whirlwind 24 hours to be fair, but I’m looking forward to getting going. I just had my first session with the lads.

“They’re a good group of lads, and we all know that. They’ve lost their way a bit and are struggling with confidence. They need a bit of self-belief. There are a few bits and pieces that we can try instill in them over a short period.

“I think an awful lot of it needs to be down to them. They’ve got to start believing, growing, and learning much more quickly than they are. I think that they need to be a little more proactive than reactive.

“There is plenty that we’ve touched on, but getting the fundamentals, the basics of how we want to play, our DNA, and our principles out, is not going to be done in 24 or 48 hours. That’s a longer process. The first 24 hours and training session initial thoughts are very positive.” 

Coughlan added, “There have been patches from what I’ve seen, and you’re probably going to remind me that the game is over 90 minutes. I get that, and I understand that. Can we help them build those little patches into bigger moments? As I said to them this morning, football is about moments and taking them.

“We need to nullify the opposition's moments. What happens in both boxes? Put it in one end, and keep it out in the other. I know it's very simple and very basic, but you’ve got to understand that when lads cross the white line, sometimes the arena, the fans, or the occasion gets to one or two lads.

“It’s up to us now to try to help them grow and develop. I’d like them to shift their mindset and to be a bit stronger mentally and physically. It’s a massive, massive challenge. We’ve given ourselves a big mountain to climb. Will we climb it? Can we climb it? I believe we can.

WHY ME?

Coughlan has a record in relegation dogfights. “I was just talking to the players about it, and I don’t know how I end up in these situations. It just seems to be always presented to me and chucked at me. I’m a devil for punishment, and I can’t say no when these types of challenges arise.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to work with some great people, good players, and top clubs. Hopefully, this can be one of those adventures and journeys. We need to start restoring some self-pride and a little pride back to the badge.

“That’s probably the aim in the next week or two, and hopefully, we can grow from there. It’s little acorns, but as I said, this is a big mountain that we have to climb. I have a lot of belief in my own ability and in the changing room, but again, talk is cheap.

“I can sit here all day long and talk, but it’s about what happens in those ninety minutes. It’s about what happens in those game moments. It’s over to the lads now to see if we can get a little bit of a reaction out of them, a little bit of spirit, a little bit of character, and in fairness to them, they showed that in the Dundalk game.

“I think that the goal before half-time was big because it was a totally different team talk. If the truth be known, they were probably a little unfortunate that they didn’t win the game. That confidence that they’ve taken from that game and that performance is big. Coming back is not an easy trait in football.

“There is character, and there is resilience in there somewhere. It’s now up to the other coaching staff and me to tap into it and to try to get as much out of this group of players as we possibly can.” 

A GREAT MIRACLE 

Regarding the future and the relegation battle, Coughlan said: “Anything is possible. I’ve been in situations previously where I’ve been minus ten, minus eleven, with Boston and Newport County, so we’ve closed gaps in the past.

“It’s not Mission Impossible. It would be a miracle, but it would be a great miracle. As I say, the harder you work, the luckier you get. If the lads can roll their sleeves up and buy into me a bit, I think that can grow, but you just never know. We’ll give it a right good go and see where we are from there.

“You might find two leagues in the League of Ireland over the next couple of weeks. You might find that we’re in a mini league of our own. We just need to finish third from the bottom. I know it sounds simple, and I know that’s what we need to focus on and concentrate on rather than looking at the top of the league.”