Ronny Deila wasn’t the only Celtic fans favourite to bag a neat new gig on Monday. Paddy McCourt also has a new job after being named as the new Technical Director at Derry City. And while there are obvious differences between Derry and New York, McCourt is likely to be just as happy as the Norwegian.
The former Northern Ireland international may have received his new official title this week, but the truth is that he’s been in the job from the minute Declan Devine was appointed Derry manager.
McCourt has a good history at the club, having played there between 2005 and 2008 prior to his move to Glasgow.
“It’s probably not a new role as it’s a role I’ve been doing for a while, there’s just been a new title put on it. It’s a role I sort of inherited after Declan came in,” he explained to the Derry Journal.
“When Decky came in, as everyone knows, we didn’t have a lot of players and we all needed to lend a hand and we seemed to get a lot of players on board in a short space of time. I handled a lot of that for Decky because he was getting pre-season going so I was doing all the phone calls.
“But I really enjoyed it and, in the end, combined it with my Academy role, which I’ll continue to do. I’m enjoying the role.”
McCourt experience will be vital to Derry City
You always got the impression that McCourt would go into some kind of coaching. He is too talented a footballer to be wasted doing pundit work on television. His skills were always going to be best used, showing other players how to play the game.
It’s refreshing to see retired players like McCourt finding their next step in football. He will have learned so much from his playing days at the likes of Celtic, Barnsley and Brighton and will be able to pass on sound advice as a result.
And if he can help to spot some of the finest talent at Derry City, maybe he’ll help them on the same road he and Niall McGinn travelled not too long ago.
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