Carrick Rangers legend pinpoints managerial 'motivator' that could help turn club's Irish League fortunes around
Carrick Rangers legend Glenn Taggart feels former Crusaders boss Stephen Baxter could be the man to help the club turn their Premiership fortunes around following Stuart King’s departure earlier this week.
King spent over three years in the Loughview Leisure Arena dugout and guided them to a best-ever league finish last season, ending the campaign in seventh before losing out to the Crues in their European play-off semi-final.
Having signed experienced trio Luke McCullough, Seanan Clucas and Paul Heatley this summer, the current term began with a 2-0 triumph over Glenavon but they’ve since lost their last eight consecutive league matches and Tuesday’s BetMcLean Cup defeat to third-tier Queen’s University ultimately proved King’s final act.
The usual speculation has began over King’s successor with candidates like Paddy McLaughlin and Gary Hamilton in the conversation, but Taggart, who played over 500 times across 19 years for Carrick, feels Baxter could be the best option to make an immediate impact.
Baxter managed nearly 1,000 games during his successful Seaview tenure, which included winning four Irish Cup crowns and three Premiership titles, before handing the reins over to Declan Caddell.
"It’s hard being on the outside now but I still talk to Carrick fans and the obvious one is Stephen Baxter – he’s within a close distance and just left Crusaders after 20-odd years of success,” he said. “That would be the obvious one.
"Thinking of the profile of the squad they have and the good professionals they have, Baxter has always worked with those sort of players.
"Paddy McLaughlin gets a lot of credit for the football he played at Cliftonville. You’d think if they are looking a complete change of style or approach over the next three to five years they might look to a younger manager or a manager with the profile like Rodney McAree who has a football-based philosophy.
"Immediately you’re looking to stop the rot after losing eight or nine games on the trot with a man motivator like Stephen Baxter or David Jeffrey to come in, give the players a good shake and get them in order.
"They need to go out there as a group, get a win and then move on. The most obvious one from a Carrick fan point of view is Stephen Baxter who is a motivator and can get that group of players really wound up with everyone fighting together with the right structure, then you have your (Paul) Heatley’s and (Danny) Gibson’s that can go and win you games.
"If they’re thinking long-term they might go with a younger manager where football philosophy is more important to them, but the first priority is to change results and who better than someone like Stephen Baxter who is proven to do that.”
Having been in charge of hometown club Carrick previously on a caretaker basis before taking over at PSNI, current Wellington Rec chief Taggart is well aware of the risks and pressures that come with management.
While King’s tenure might have ended following a poor run, Taggart feels it’s important to also remember the huge progress Carrick made under his leadership in recent years.
"Niall (Currie) had done a great job beforehand in getting them back up and stabilising the club and has been well documented they’ve really improved in recent seasons and were challenging for the top-six last season,” he said. “You’re only talking fine margins and you could have been talking about playing in Europe.
"There has been plenty of positives with deep cup runs, finishing seventh for the first time in the club’s history with the highest points total – there are so many positives. That’s how fickle football can be.
"You’re on top of the world one season and nine or 10 games later you’re losing your job or stepping away from it. Football management is different to other jobs – you might go through a lull for three or four months in a normal job and you don’t lose it, but in football you do and there’s no coming back.
"I remember when Kieran Harding was in charge at the start of the 2016/17 season and we lost a lot of games. I think we played PSNI in the cup and they beat us and then we lost to Dungannon Swifts the following Saturday and similar to Tuesday’s loss to Queen’s University, I just don’t think there’s any way of coming back when you lose to a team below you in that run.
"You know if you’re not getting results or people perceive the performances not to be there you’re up against it and it’s only going to end one way.”