Nov 21,2024
Tiernan Lynch has one main goal as he takes over as manager of Derry City; to make the Candystripes the biggest club on the island of Ireland.
A fairly ambitious objective, no doubt, yet if Lynch can replicate the success he has enjoyed at Larne over the next few years, the Ryan McBride Brandywell faithful will be more that happy with the new arrival.
A case of the seven-year itch, perhaps, as Lynch left Larne – mid-season and still with three Europa Conference League games to play – to take up the Derry job following Ruaidhri Higgins' departure following the FAI Cup final defeat.
And while he is not promising silverware straightaway at his new club, he is bringing a blueprint for success, having guided Larne from relative obscurity to becoming back-to-back Irish League champions over the past two years, while remarkably guiding the Antrim club to the league phase of European competition.
"There will be no players that will go onto the pitch that aren't committed to Derry City Football Club and take pride in the badge."
Derry have been challenging for league honours in recent seasons, and won the FAI Cup under Higgins in 2022, however, they have been unable to show the required consistency to secure a first title since the 1996-97 season and missed out on European football with this year's fourth-placed finish.
But Lynch is more than willing to take up that challenge to take Derry to the next level, and did not have to think twice when he was offered the role, having recently rejected the chance to manager in the Scottish Premiership with St Johnstone.
"I had a great seven-and-a-half years at Larne FC but as soon as I met the representatives of Derry City it was a very quick decision and there wasn’t too much to think about," said Lynch, speaking at his maiden press conference on Wednesday.
"I was fortunate enough to get a job offer back in October in the Scottish Premiership which I turned down, but when I had the conversation with Derry it was a no-brainer.
"I think this challenge is definitely one that will be very rewarding. I understand there’s a lot of work to go on here, both on and off the pitch. We’ve been fortunate to do that at Larne and it’s definitely something we feel we can bring to Derry City."
Lynch is ready to get to work straight away and more than happy to take on the weight of expectation that comes with the Derry job, bringing his brother, Seamus as his assistant, while anxious to establish his playing squad for the coming season.
"I’m not going to sit here and tell lies that I might not be able to deliver on, but the one thing I will guarantee is that there will be hard work," he said, when asked about the expectation that comes with the role.
"There is no doubt this is a massive challenge, but I wouldn’t have taken the job if I didn’t think this club had the potential to be the biggest on the island of Ireland, and our job is to try to bring that out.
"We obviously work quite well together and fight quite a lot and tear strips off each other," he added, when asked about his brother’s involvement. "But you always know you have that honesty and loyalty and that in football is everything."
"I hope not," said Lynch, when asked about the potential of losing key members of the squad who are out of contract.
"Today’s the first day and we’ll start getting around to the players and lay out our vision of where we want to go. We have a very clear structure and playing style. We hope the players will buy into it. We hope that the players who are maybe thinking about moving on that we can change their mind.
"This is not going to be a straight line, there will be bumps along the way but as long as we stay together, I think the fans will see quickly we’ll be 100% committed in what we do.
"There will be no players that will go onto the pitch that aren’t committed to Derry City Football Club and take pride in the badge."
Once Lynch nails down his playing squad, he will start his quest for island domination, planning to knock the likes of Shamrock Rovers and Shelbourne off their perch over the coming seasons.
And he is primed for the task by creating a winning mentality, while ensuring that both players and supporters enjoy the journey.
"I don’t think because you have success with one club that you are guaranteed success with another," said Lynch. "I think, there is no doubt that winning is contagious and our job is to make sure that we can put a winning team on the pitch here.
"Winning football games cannot be a one off, not if you are striving to win league titles.
"There’s got to be a consistency there, there has got to be an enjoyment factor for the players, there has got to be an enjoyment factor for the fans, and there also has to be a culture."
Lynch got a snap-shot of what life might be like in the League of Ireland at a recent Europa Conference League game against Shamrock Rovers, when Larne were evidently second best with the Hoops strolling to a 4-1 victory.
And the new Derry boss admitted that the encounter with the outgoing league champions has certainly whetted the appetite for his first campaign in charge at the Brandywell.
"Yeah, actually, I haven’t slept since that, so I appreciate you bringing that up," laughed Lynch.
"There is no doubt, very much one of the reasons that we came here, that challenge, and making sure we can knock teams like Rovers off their perch, and Shelbourne off their perch, and bring that little bit of pride back here.
"It’s not something that is going to be easy, not something that is a flick of a switch or something that is going to happen overnight.
"This is a journey, and it is a journey that we are very much up for, and it's a journey that I think hopefully will bring Derry City in the direction that they deserve to be in.
"It's a great challenge, it’s going to be an exciting challenge, and we just can’t wait to get started to be honest."
