Keith Long: 'That’s why I’ve been brought to the club, to try and deliver promotion.'
NEW ERA: Waterford FC Press Conference, SETU Arena, Waterford 31/3/2023
New Waterford manager Keith Long insists he has the time and resources to mount an automatic promotion bid from the First Division.
Long, sacked by Bohemians after eight years last August, has joined the Blues this week on a three-year deal but the immediate aim is eroding the 10-point lead of John Caulfield's Galway United, whose six-game winning start to the campaign has them flying high at the summit.
Only the title winners are guaranteed to reach next year’s Premier Division and Waterford know all about the precarious wrangle of the playoffs, having won three matches in the series last season only to miss out on a golden ticket by losing out to UCD.
Fleetwood Town owner Andy Pilley added Waterford to his global network of clubs last August with the intention of not just promotion but challenging for silverware and European qualification.
“The support system is much better here than what I went into at Bohemians at that time in their history,” said Long, who gets straight to work by hosting Finn Harps at the RSC tonight (7.45pm).
“With that support, facilities and the players we have – with the potential of strengthening the squad in the next window – hopefully we can achieve the outcome goal at the end of the season.
“We want to get promoted and want to be very clear on that. That’s why I’ve been brought to the club, to try and deliver promotion, but I want to try to put a competitive team on the park that understands what it takes to win in this division and what it means to play for the club.
“As in life you have to earn everything you get, work hard, and the players have to understand that.
“We have the bones of a decent side; it's my job to implement the principles I have, the way I want to play and put a team out on the park that can win football matches.
“Short-term, the focus is on immediate performances getting that buy-in from the players, an identity, style of play - getting those ideas across as quickly as possible, in order to impact performances. If we can do that, we can climb the table and hopefully bridge the gap.
“It's still very early in the season, only five games played. We have a back game too and it's exciting.”
Long has been seven months out of work but didn’t hesitate to accept the vacancy once approached this week by Jonathan Walters, the former Ireland international operating the dual function at English League One outfit Fleetwood Town and Waterford as Director of Football.
Reaction to his arrival on Suirside had been positive even before news emerged on Thursday of Alan Reynolds' return to the club as his assistant, once he completes duties at Derry City on Friday night.
“I took some time off to refresh - to go on holiday with the family,’ explained the 49-year-old about his hiatus. The former Stoke City trainee had started his managerial career at Bray Wanderers and Athlone Town before Bohs came calling in 2015.
“I worked at Bohs part-time, having worked in a day job, doing eight or nine hours before entering the building. It was all consuming, a 24-7 job which is what football is. You understand that as a football coach you never switch off.
“I’ve reflected on lots of things that we did really well at Bohemians. That’s in the past and hopefully I’ll be a better manager because of that experience, some of the pitfalls and learnings.
“There might be a bit of revisionism going on with certain Bohs supporters and people around the place but we did lots and lots of good things – finishing second and third with one of the youngest teams in the country on one of the smallest budgets in the country.
“We didn't quite challenge and came up short in an FAI Cup final but we had Bohemians' most successful run in Europe (2021).
“It was done sustainably; bringing young players into the club, many of whom transitioned to the SPL, one in the Premier League, some in the Championship and League One. We did that while losing our best players annually.”
Pilley, who flanked Long at the unveiling, admits the new broom lacked local expertise to deliver on their ambition.
“I've been involved in football for 19 years and it's fair to say we've very good relationships with the clubs above us, below us, sideways, and our network of scouts and agents is very good,” began the Englishman.
“Being really honest, I don't know Irish football particularly well at all. One of the main remits for the manager is someone who knows, understands and has the contacts in Irish football and I believe that's the gentleman sat to my right.
"This isn't a criticism of the previous manager but maybe more of an observation as to what we had at the club.
“We didn't have that individual who knew the league inside out, back to front. And I think you do need to have that, individuals with the contact, knowledge as to who the right players are, who the right agents and scouts are to assist us.
“And, also, we needed someone who wins football games.”
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