SLIGO ROVERS WILL not be compensated for the departure of manager Paul Cook, it has emerged.
The Bit O’Red held an open forum last night and among several topics discussed was the news that no financial package will be coming from Accrington Stanley to soften the blow.
While the details are unclear, Cook himself released a statement on Sligo’s website this morning in which he was thankful for the support he was given during his time in charge before adding that he hadn’t personally asked for the compensation to be dropped.
He went on to warn members of the club’s managerial committee that in-fighting will get them nowhere.
“I have watched since the end of last season in my opinion constant fighting at management committee level and this has taken the club where we are today,” Cook said.
“Sligo Rovers is part of heartbeat of the town of Sligo and of the county and indeed the North West. And indeed a strong Sligo Rovers Football Club is vital to the community.
Don’t do our fighting in public there is no winner in this. Don’t criticise and witch hunt people as people are only trying their best for the club.”
There were angry and frank exchanges between those present in the Clarion Hotel last night as the club were also criticised for their handling of Aaron Greene.
The Dubliner had signed a pre-contract for next season which still entitled him to leave if another club came looking and yesterday it was confirmed that he had joined rivals Shamrock Rovers.
Greene, who has two young children, pointed his family out as the main reason behind his move back to Tallaght in a statement of his own.
On the issue of finding a new manager, the interview process begins tomorrow as Sligo trawl through over 50 applicants in search of the right man for the job.
It had been originally hoped that the successful candidate would be in place by the end of this week but that date has been put back because of the sheer size of the task. He will be appointed before the first game of the season against Shelbourne on March 2, however.
Dozens of names have been mentioned as possible candidates in the last couple of weeks and while Kevin Kilbane and Julian Dicks have been ruled out because they don’t have the necessary coaching badges, Damien Richardson, Mike Newell, Johnny McDonnell and Willie McStay are all in the running.
Monaghan United’s Roddy Collins, meanwhile, is believed to have been overlooked.
