In our first ever interview with Warren Feeney, our new gaffer laid down the key principles for what can help turn our season around.
Here’s what he had to say…
Coming here is a great opportunity for me.
I have to thank the board and everyone associated with the club for helping this happen; Weymouth is where I want to be. I’ve known about Weymouth since my playing days at Bournemouth, and this club is a sleeping giant as far as I’m concerned.
The size of the club attracted me here.
Ex-teammates of mine have spoken very highly of the club to me. The fans were also a huge part in my decision. You only need to look back last week after we beat Yeovil, and the support that was on display. Now, it’s up to us to put smiles back on their faces.
The most important thing now is for us to stay in the National League South.
This team has great potential, but that is the main target above all else. Though I love a challenge. I was presented with a similar problem at Welling a few seasons back and I managed to keep them up. It was great to achieve that.
My philosophy?
To win games. That’s what it will always be. You may hear coaches talk about playing football a certain way, but that’s now who I am. There is no right or wrong for me.
I’m not here to be liked, but what I am here for is to restore energy in a team to get themselves out of a situation that they do not want to be in. A good coach makes their players play for them and for the team.
My biggest non-negotiable is…
Running. If you don’t want to run you will not get in my team. Football is about running. I’ve been a player myself, I’ve played terribly in games before, but one thing you can always do is run for your friends.
I need the players to trust me.
There will be ups and downs, but we need to be level-headed. We must also sort out our home form, score more and concede less. I’m not here to crtiticise what’s happened in the past, it’s not my business and Mark is a great bloke, but the players will need to get their fingers out and work hard. It may not be pretty, but it will get us results.
I grew up in Belfast during The Troubles,
so you can expect what I’ve seen. It made me who I am. I wear my heart on my sleeve. It may be no surprise that my three favourite managers are: Jose Mourinho, Diego Simeone and Antonio Conte. They’re not entertainers, but they’re proven winners and they breed winners, which is what I need to do with this team. There’s 26 games in the league to go, which in my eyes are all cup finals.
Tomorrow is going to be a difficult game.
Robbie Simpson is a great manager. Chelmsford were battling relegation alongside Welling when I was there, but look at them now. They’re one of the seasoned teams, fully settled in this league.
However, we can’t worry too much about the opposition.
Our main focus has to be on ourselves. We know where we are in the table and we know what we need to do.
My message to the fans:
Merry Christmas. Enjoy the holidays, and hopefully we’ll put a smile on all your faces tomorrow.
