Only a matter of weeks ago Roddy Collins said that he would not be getting back into League of Ireland football and that his days of management were over. Yesterday he was appointed Waterford United manager. The Waterford United team that are rooted to the bottom of the First Division with just one win in ten games.
The fact that the appointment didn’t come as a surprise to most is a sign of the unpredictability and entertainment value that Collins brings to the league – this will be the eighth League of Ireland team he has managed in 17 years.
“I went for this job about five years ago. When I was out of work I asked could I take the job but they said no. Then when I got sacked at Derry I thought I was finished but then I thought ‘no, there’s only one job I want and that’s Waterford.’ So I rang them then but they said no again.”
With that the Dubliner was sure that he would not be returning to management. But then a phone call came from the south east.
“When I met the board I knew that the potential was there to make something big so I had to take it. It’s only an hour and a half from Dublin and the facilities are absolutely unreal. The league is in bits, in absolute bits, but I can make a difference down here.”
Controversy has followed the 53-year-old around every job he’s undertaken in Irish football but one thing is constant – he is adamant that every club was better off after he left.
“The Athlone job came up but you can’t make that better, I’ve done that. The Derry one is gone, the Cork one is gone, the Bohs one is gone, the Rovers one is gone; I’ve done all them. I’ve got a record of being successful but if your face doesn’t fit, like at Derry, what’s the point? Up there it wasn’t a football decision because the manager that’s there now (Peter Hutton) has done worse than I did and he’s still in the job.”
As a brother of former WBO Super-Middleweight Steve Collins, the Dubliner is not short of fighting spirit or, for that matter, self-promotion.
“I went into Bohs and played really attractive football, filled the ground and did European success. Every club I’ve been at where I’ve been given the backing, I’ve achieved. So there could be another golden era in Irish football if I get this going down here.”
The financial troubles of League of Ireland clubs are well documented and Collins has never been shy of dipping his toes into the waters of the great debate.
“You don’t need money,” he says.
“That’s just lazy management. You can achieve it all without bankrupting clubs and that’s what management is about. It’s not about winning trophies and leaving a shipwreck behind, which is what happens in Irish football.”
It’s now just over a year since Collins was sacked from his position at Derry. His passion for the game is unquestionable but did he miss it while he was away?
"No not at all. I moved over to England and I was going to watch Rod [RODDY JUNIOR]play for Crystal Palace and that was enough for me. I turned down jobs during that time so no; I didn't miss it at all."
Despite that the league’s great entertainer is ready to take his seat in the Waterford United dugout on Friday as they take on Cabinteely. There’s no predicting how the latest chapter in the story of Roddy Collins will play out but one thing is for sure: it certainly won’t be dull.
