Tim Clancy on why he decided to leave Cork City: You need the right structures around you in a club this size

After his surprise departure as Cork City manager after Friday's defeat to Derry, Tim Clancy has spoken candidly about the reasons behind his departure and the challenges he faced. 

Clancy insists he leaves with no bitterness but felt staff departures and the demands of juggling professional and personal responsibilities ultimately led him to conclude that it was time to walk away.

“There’s no regrets. A club the size of Cork City needs a lot of work. 

"The size of the club, the expectations of the club, a lot of work goes into it, and you need the structures around you as well to be able to fulfill that role. 

If you don’t have those structures and you are short-staffed and are sort of up against it, it’s difficult to fulfill the role to the best of your capabilities. 

"I was at the stage where you are trying your best, you are doing the best you can but I’m living three hours away. I’ve got a wife and kids, and I’ve started a new business recently so it was a difficult decision but I think the club needs a new voice to to get the most out of the lads.

“My assistant Jamie left in March, and for the last couple of months, I haven’t had an assistant. I had Jamie Hamill who I trusted with my life, and when he left I couldn’t get anyone in. I wanted the right person, someone who I could trust. 

"In fairness, the club were happy for me to get a new assistant and I came very close to appointing one but the offer just wasn’t good enough. Which was a frustration but it is what it is. 

COSTLY

"I think the club are trying to do the right things. But I just think the demographics have changed in the league where I think it costs a lot more money now to compete at the top of the table than it maybe did a few years back.” 

Reflecting further on his time at Turner’s Cross, he pointed to the devastating impact injuries had, which forced a complete rethink of the tactical approach just weeks into the campaign. A dynamic and promising pre-season was quickly derailed by the absence of key attacking players like Seani Maguire, Ruairi Keating, Malik Dijksteel and Cathal O’Sullivan. 

Despite the challenges, he remained proud of the effort shown by his players and believes the group still has what it takes to survive in the Premier Division.

“You’ve seen us in pre-season, you see how dynamic we were in transitions and how dangerous we were going forward. We were scoring loads of goals. There was obviously Seani, Keats, Malik, Cathal. 

"Cathal still missed six games this season and then you had Seani missing 11 and then Keats has now missed probably about six and Malik would be about 10. So it was really difficult when you recruit in the off-season and you have a way that you want to play and then all of a sudden, you have to rip up the script after four or five games and the window is closed and you have to try and change it then, and that is the difficult part.

“I never thought it was a case that the players weren’t doing everything in games. The results although haven’t been good, I think the manner of the results weren’t bad. 

"The lads were never in games where they weren’t competitive apart from maybe the Shamrock Rovers game away but that can happen to any team when Rovers are on song, you see that with Drogheda the other night. I thought the lads have been brilliant. They have worked extremely hard. 

Yes, we have conceded silly goals which doesn’t help but they were always trying. I wasn’t sitting there thinking the players aren’t trying.

“I think the signings that we have made with Benny (Couto) who is probably out now for two or three months, TT (Tein Troost), Milan (Mbeng), Kitt (Nelson) so I think a lot of the signings have been quite good it was just trying to get everyone on the pitch at the same time.

“It is what it is. Sometimes the players need a different voice as well. I do believe that whoever comes in does have a good squad to work with once everyone is fit. And I do believe that the club can survive in the division and will be alright.”