Dundalk “only a couple of wins from shooting up the table” says Burns
Liam Burns believes the Lilywhites have what it takes to move up the league
There should be a “queue” of applicants for the vacant manager’s position at Oriel Park, according to Liam Burns, but the Dundalk FC caretaker has ruled himself out of the process despite guiding The Lilywhites to a magnificent 1-0 win over Shamrock Rovers.
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Burns stepped in for Noel King, whose 25-day reign in charge of the club ended last Wednesday, to guide Dundalk to their second victory in this season’s SSE Airtricity League Premier Division as they closed the gap at the bottom of the table to three points.
Confirmed as a shock replacement for Stephen O’Donnell on April 20th, King took charge for only four matches, starting with a 2-0 win over Bohemians at Oriel, but culminating with a heavy 4-1 defeat at Waterford five days before his departure.
In a statement, Dundalk cited “medical reasons” for King’s resignation, with Burns issuing a heartfelt message to the 67-year-old after Dundalk’s home win over Rovers.
“I just want to send thoughts from the players and the club to Noel and his family,” he said. “Obviously we want him to get better. His health takes over football. The four weeks he was here, you could tell he had a lot of knowledge in what he was trying to do. Unfortunately this came about. Just from everyone at the club, I want to wish him all the best and his health gets better.”
The announcement came less than 48 hours after Brian Gartland, appointed Head of Football Operations in 2023, saw his 11-year association with the club come to an end.
“At the end of the day, we can’t control what happens outside,” added Burns. “As professionals, we’re paid to do a job and it’s up to us to control what we can control, which is on the pitch and in the changing room. We just got to do our talking on the pitch.”
With the search for a third permanent manager of a season that hasn’t yet reached its halfway point set to commence, it is expected Dundalk will again prioritise candidates that possess League of Ireland experience, with a view to staying in the Premier Division.
Former Derry City assistant Paddy McLaughlin was sounded out following O’Donnell’s dismissal in April, while approaches for Waterford manager Keith Long as well as Stephen Kenny, who has since taken over at St Patrick’s Athletic, proved unsuccessful.
Ex-Northern Ireland boss Ian Baraclough, who also had spells in charge of Scunthorpe United and Motherwell, is understood to be heading owner Brian Ainscough’s wish list.
The 53-year-old Englishman applied for the Dundalk job back in 2011 before taking over at Sligo Rovers, guiding The Bit O’Red to a first league championship in 35 years in 2012.
Baraclough’s short-term contract as Cheltenham Town assistant expired at the end of the English season, possibly paving the way for him to now make a League of Ireland return.
“At the end of the day, there should be a queue around the block to take Dundalk. It’s a massive club,” said Burns. “People look at the league table, but I know what’s in the dressing room, you’re only a couple of wins from shooting up the table.
“When you see the crowd tonight and the atmosphere, as I said before, there should be a queue around the block trying to get this job. This is a wonderful job, a massive soccer town. Again, people should be putting their CVs in, jumping at the chance to get this job, because I know when this town is rocking, it’s the best club.”
Quizzed on whether there was interest from himself, he replied: “No, no, that wouldn’t be for me. I haven’t got the desire to be a manager. I think you’ve got to have a desire to be a manager.
“Where we are, we need to have a manager who is going to put a structure in place. We need a manager who is not just going to manage the team, but is going to manage the club. That’s where we are at the minute.”
With no timeframe given for the appointment of a new manager, Burns, alongside Dave Mackey, could again find themselves in the dugout for this Friday night’s Premier Division fixture against Galway United at Eamonn Deacy Park (kick-off, 7.45pm).
“I just wanted to get over tonight,” said Burns. “I just found out about Noel on Wednesday, so my main focus was to try and prepare the team as best I could, because I knew it was an almighty challenge against Rovers.
“I’ll probably speak to the owner and Peter Halpin over the weekend and see where we are, but at the end of the day, we need to get someone in as quickly as possible. We want what’s best for the club.”