On his footballing Background

I played most of my football with Ballina Town in the Mayo League. I had a spell with Galway United in the League of Ireland and a short spell with Sligo Rovers in Dermot Keely's time. I also played for the Irish Junior International team. When I was coming to the end of my career through, a knee injury, I took up coaching. I did all coaching badges through the F.A.I. at present I have my goalkeeping B licence and I'm up to my level two coaching badge with the F.A.I.

I have been coaching six to eight years now, I have been lucky enough in that every season as a coach and manager I have been able to win league titles and cups which gives me great encouragement to keep going as I must be doing something right within the structure of it.

I enjoy the coaching immensely and I feel it's great to be able to give something back as I played the game for over twenty years. I feel it's great to be able to help the young lads and give them the opportunities that wasn't there when I was younger, but now there's opportunities for young lads to come forward and I think it's great.

On joining Sligo Rovers

I joined Sligo Rovers when Don asked me would I be interested in joining Rovers. I had brought down an U18 team from Ballina some weeks previous. A team that wasn't mine but they had no one to look after them and they knocked on my door on the evening of the game and they asked me to come with them, and I did. Sligo Rovers U18's was very strong last season and they beat us easily on the night. Johnny Morris-Burke got an R.D.O. job with the F.A.I. and Don had a vacancy and he asked me would I be interested in coming down on a temporary basis to see how it would work for both parties. I'm here since and enjoying every bit of it.

On his duties at the club

My duties consist of setting up the youth structure within the club, both U16 and U18 and managing the U21 side. I'm also assistant to Don with the first team. All of the duties I'm enjoying very much. Last season I managed the U18 team and we reached the Connacht Final, we were beaten on the day but we played some very good football.
This season I'm really enjoying my work with the U21's. We are unbeaten so far in the league, but it's more of a development with the U21's, we've had players as young as 15 playing. We've have had every age group from 15 up to 21 and a few of the senior lads has played as well. Basically we are trying to keep the U21 team for the U21 lads to develop them but with the structure of the league using three overage players it gives us the opportunity to give lads who have been injured a chance to get back into the first team. So we use it for that as well. In that regard it's hard to have a settled side every week, but we try to develop the younger lads and try and bring them along in the system that we want them to play, coach them how we want them to play technically and give them a greater understanding of the game. Help them to develop an understanding of how the game is played, different systems of play and what's expected of them when they eventually come through to the first team.

On the League Structure

The structure of the U21 league this season definitely has improved, it's very well organised with the games going off on time. The Refereeing is reasonably good standard as well. The pitches too are good, so there has been a great improvement. It's great to see the Mayo League involved this season in the U21 league. I think it's only going to be good for football in Mayo and indeed Connacht in general.

On the possibility of winning a Trophy

As regards winning a trophy with the U21's, well, we hope to do well, we're doing very well at the minute. The top two teams from each group will progress to the quarter - finals of the U21 league for all Ireland. There's some very good teams out there, Bohs, Shels, these are very strong sides. U.C.D. and Waterford are very strong, but we too feel we have a decent squad of players and we'll definitely be giving it a go. We're looking forward to the challenge.

Developing the Youth

The developing of the youth level to the senior team is definitely something I'll be very interested in. Most of my work would have been with youth players and I really feel that I have something to offer in this side of it. I feel that there is, at the moment, within the club a good crop of players. Of our U16 and U18, over 50% of these players can go all the way through to play for the first team. You know you are talking five or six players from U16 and U18 and if all of these can come through and I feel that they have the talent to make it. But the players themselves need to have the desire and hunger to go on to play for Sligo Rovers, which is the Ultimate honour around here.

I feel that they can do it, but the young lads need to listen, to take on board the advice that they are being given, to work hard at their game and I feel that they can go all the way through to Sligo Rovers. And it can only be good for the club, it will help us when we are in the Premier Division. I feel these young lads have a great future, it's a great opportunity for them because all League of Ireland clubs need a good youth structure.

The days of bringing in players for big money from outside of the area is long gone. The Dublin clubs showed that the way forward is with a good youth structure and I feel that we are well up there matching most of the League of Ireland clubs in regards to our youth structure. Certainly on the playing side of it. There's a few things we need to do off the playing side of it but we're definitely well up there on the playing side of it.

The Long Term Plan fo youth development

The long-term plan would obviously have to be to have a constant stream of young lads coming through, particularly from the U16 - U18 and possibly even U14's to Sligo Rovers first team, which will only stand the team in good stead. There are very good young lads out there in Sligo, Mayo, Roscommon, Leitrim, all around this area.
An awful lot of good coaching work has gone on in Connacht in the last 4 - 5 years and I feel that we are now starting to get the rewards of that hard work. A lot of which I was involved with myself with the Connacht teams from U12, U14 and U16 for the last 3 - 4 years, so I have a good knowledge of all the young players coming through and I hope it will be of help to Sligo Rovers in the future.

The Sligo Rovers System

Alan Mc Guire in action for the under-21's

A lot of Waterford United's success this season is down to the fact that they had a very good U21 side last season. They feel that the U21 league has helped them and we hope to go that way as well. Our U21's are playing good exciting football, the type of football that I like to see. I like to give the young lads a chance to express themselves, to enjoy their game and that's what I'm trying to encourage with the U21's. We have a system within the club that we want our teams to play and they are playing within that system. We also want the players to go out and express themselves and enjoy the game and that's what it's all about at the end of the day. If the players are enjoying it then the results will flow automatically.

Bohs have a very good U21 team. Shels, they have very good players coming through and I feel that we are going to be in there with them and it's a great opportunity for young lads, young Owen and Cizzy Kelly, Sean Purcell, Fergus Horan, these lads who are coming through now and they have great opportunities. Young Brian McMorrow another fine talent and we are hoping that we can encourage them to play football in the proper way and in due course this will bring success.