Clancy looking to open new chapter with win over the Harps

When Timmy Clancy was offered the chance to become manager of Drogheda Utd towards the end of last year he felt it was a role he simply couldn't turn down and tomorrow evening at United Park, 7.45, he kicks off his first season as a League of Ireland manager when his team take on Finn Harps in a Div 1 clash. 

Clancy, who had a lenghty career as a professional footballer, has long held an ambition to be the man directing operations from the dugout - and it seemed the logical step to take the reins at United Park. Some might have seen it as challenge to shy away from.  
Drogheda, after all, were relegated from the Premier Division at the end of last season. Now back in Div 1, they have a considerably restricted budget. Whatever other skills Clancy will have to employ in his new role, making the most of the limited resources available to him will have to be right up there at the top of the agenda. There will be no big-name signings. 
Yet talking to the Trim man he is clearly fired up by the challenge. “It's a huge opportunity for me, I look on it more that way,” he says clearly intent not to be bowed down by the problems he faces.
“Management is definitely the direction I want to go, possibly it has come about a few years sooner than I had thought it would, but when I had the opportunity to take the role on I couldn't turn it down.”
Perhaps that tendency to look at the glass half-full rather than the other way around was one of the reasons why Clancy carved out a very decent career for himself in the rough and tumble, often ruthless world of professional football. 
After playing for Trim Celtic and Belvedere he signed for Millwall. Thus began a long journey that brought him to various outposst of professional and semi-professional football particularly in Scotland and Ireland. After a spell with Millwall and non-league football in England, Clancy moved to Kilmarnock in 2007 where he spent a relatively protracted spell of four years. There followed spells at Motherwell, Hibernian and St Johnstone before the defender returned to Ireland to sign up for Shamrock Rovers, Sligo Rovers and latterly Bray Wanderers where he finished up at the end of last season.
He wasn't sure what the 2018 season might bring until Drogheda Utd came calling. Eager to focus just on the management side Clancy has opted not to register himself as a player thus bringing to a conclusion one chapter just as another opens. 
As a manager Clancy, who represented his country at u-19 level, will be drawing on the experience he gained under a slew of managers including Jim Jefferies, Stuart McCall, Pat Fenlon, Terry Butcher, Jimmy Calderwood and Kenny Shiels to name just a few. They all had their qualities, their strengths and weaknesses, but the ability to man-manage was something that, in Clancy's view, helped them stand out. 
“Jim Jefferies was a lovely man who gave me the opportunity to go to Scotland, but Jim would let you know if you made a mistake, he certainly wouldn't mix his words. Stuart McCall was a brilliant man-manager and I worked with Pat Fenlon at Hibs and Shamrock Rovers and he had great man-management skills. It's about managing people. I don't think you can stand there bollocking people any more, shouting at them, because players react differently.”
What does Clancy regard as the most important quality a manager can have? “I think honesty and keeping the players you have, the whole squad, happy. That's connected to how you relate to people and how you manage situations. Some managers, if you are playing, they will be very friendly, they'll make you feel great, you'll feel a million dollars, then if you're not playing they'll ignore you. 
“In that situation you could lose interest, get disheartened. It could affect you, but things can change in football. There could be one or two injuries and suddenly you're back in the team and you have to perform. 
“I think you have to try and keep a balance as much as possible, keep everyone interested and involved.”
During his years in Scotland Clancy was unfortunate to miss out on a number of chances to appear in cup finals. “With Hibs I missed a final through injury, I joined Motherwell in June just after they had lost a final. 
When I joined Kilmarnock they had just played a final and when I left Kilmarnock they won a final a month later.”
At St Johnstone he was injured in training two days before the 2014 Scottish Cup final. Overall, though, he feels good fortune has smiled on him with appearances against Celtic among the highlights. He also enjoyed the experience of scoring against the Celts when he was with Hibs in a 2-2 draw in 2012.   
Among the players from the Meath region, Clancy has available to him at Drogheda this season are Lee Duffy who had a previous spell at United Park, Keelan Dillon, who is from Clonmellon but played for Athboy Utd, Victor Ekanem from the Navan area and young goalkeeper Malachy Doyle from Kiltale.
Clancy, who is the father of four, is part time with the Co Louth club and he will be assisted by former Sligo Rovers boss Dave Robertson who is also Director of Football. They have a big job on their hands to revive Drogheda Utd's fortunes, but Clancy is clearly fired up for the task that awaits. 
A new chapter opens for the Trim man. He's hoping it will open with a win against Finn Harps tomorrow night.