{"id":557368,"date":"2020-07-09T09:56:19","date_gmt":"2020-07-09T13:56:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonfootball.com\/?p=557368"},"modified":"2020-07-09T09:56:19","modified_gmt":"2020-07-09T13:56:19","slug":"john-sheridan-named-waterford-fc-manager","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/football\/2020\/07\/09\/john-sheridan-named-waterford-fc-manager\/","title":{"rendered":"John Sheridan Named Waterford FC Manager"},"content":{"rendered":"

John Sheridan has returned to football management. He has been named as the new manager of the League of Ireland Premier Division side, Waterford FC.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sheridan returns to management after a six-month break. His last club was <\/span>Chesterfield of the National League. However, he was sacked<\/a> i<\/span>n January 2020, after 12 months in charge.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Irish League is <\/span>suspended <\/span>at present. The league operates a summer season. Hence, just four games of the 2020 season had taken place prior to the suspension. Waterford are currently sixth in SSE Airtricity Premier Division.<\/span><\/p>\n

John Sheridan Named Waterford FC Manager<\/h2>\n

Sheridan Cannot Wait to Start<\/span><\/h3>\n

Understandably, Sheridan is eager to take charge of his first game. Upon his appointment, he <\/span>enthusiastically<\/span> spoke to the Official Waterford FC website<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

“We\u2019ll be looking to hit the ground running as soon as possible and getting sharp again ahead of the resumption of the league.” said Sheridan.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI have spoken with the chairman a couple of times in the last little while, and we both are on the same page. We have set out some goals, and I will be pushing the players to make sure we achieve what we have set ourselves.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Waterford FC’s <\/span>Surprise<\/span> Chairman
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Maybe this is football’s best-kept open secret: the identity of Waterford FC’s chairman.<\/span><\/p>\n

Swindon Town supporters should already know the answer. For the name of Waterford FC’s <\/span>chairman<\/span> is Lee Power. He is also the owner of Swindon Town.<\/span><\/p>\n

Power also spoke to the Official Waterford FC website. He said: <\/span>\u201cI\u2019ve known John for over 20 years and am delighted that he has agreed to help me and the club out.<\/p>\n

“To have someone with John\u2019s calibre managing the club is fantastic for the supporters and the city and will also put to bed a number of silly rumours that have surrounded my families(sic)<\/em> commitments and ownership of the club.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

UEFA Row<\/span><\/h3>\n

Power’s reference to “silly rumours” relates to a disagreement with UEFA. In 2017, Waterford United were taken over by Power. He formed a new legal entity and rebranded the club as Waterford FC.<\/span><\/p>\n

Under UEFA laws, a club must be in existence for three years before they are eligible for European <\/span>competition<\/span>. A complaint was made against the new Waterford FC by a rival club. UEFA took the view that Waterford FC were a new club. This caused the club to forfeit their entry to the 2019\/20 Europa League.<\/span><\/p>\n

Power disagreed with the decision<\/a>. Therefore, he was obviously extremely disappointed by his club’s European <\/span>disqualification<\/span>. Since then, rumours have swirled about Power’s commitment to the club.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sheridan is a Familiar Name<\/span><\/h3>\n

Sheridan has <\/span>managed<\/span> several clubs in the English Football Pyramid. He started his management career as a caretaker-manager at Oldham Athletic in 2001. It was at Oldham where Sheridan retired as a player. He made over 700 professional appearances for eight clubs, including Manchester City<\/a> and Sheffield Wednesday.<\/span><\/p>\n

He has also managed seven English clubs. This includes five separate spells as either manager or caretaker-manager at Oldham. He has gained a reputation for saving clubs from impending relegation. In 2018, he was appointed as manager of Fleetwood Town on <\/span>a short<\/span>-term contract. He received many plaudits for his work at Fleetwood, including from their chairman Andy Pilley.<\/span><\/p>\n

At the time, Pilley <\/span>spoke to<\/span> the Official Fleetwood Town website<\/a>. <\/span>He said: \u201cWe knew when we appointed John that he would have an instant impact and that has certainly been the case.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was the right character to lift the football club and he\u2019s seen us climb up the table and hopefully this weekend our safety in League One can be confirmed.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sheridan left the Lancashire club at the end of 2017\/18 season by mutual consent. However, without the foundations that he laid, it is very doubtful that Fleetwood would currently be enjoying one of the best periods in their history.<\/span><\/p>\n

His appointment at Fleetwood followed his fifth spell at Oldham. He had re-joined Oldham after leaving Notts County in 2017. He was also the manager of Newport County <\/a>during the 2015\/16 season.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sheridan has also saved Plymouth Argyle (2013) and Chesterfield (2019) from <\/span>relegation<\/span>. So, to start work at a club in the top six of a division, should make a pleasant change for him.<\/span><\/p>\n

Waterford were seeking a new manager following the resignation of Alan Reynolds in mid-June.<\/span><\/p>\n

Main Photo<\/p>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>