Paddy McLaughlin declares 'more to come' from Glenavon amid 'run over the top of you' warning
Glenavon manager Paddy McLaughlin insists his new-look side can’t “hide behind excuses” after an opening day Premiership defeat to Ballymena United – and warned the Lurgan Blues they have to get up to speed quickly otherwise teams will “run over the top of you”.
McLaughlin handed five summer recruits their club debuts at Mourneview Park on Saturday – Harry Murphy marked a sixth signing after turning his loan spell into a permanent switch – while another three appeared off the bench.
Glenavon have been the busiest Premiership club throughout the current transfer window so far, adding 11 players to their squad while 13 have departed.
McLaughlin’s men made a slow start to the new Irish League campaign with Donal Rocks’ brace helping set Ballymena up for their first opening day win in five years – Jim Ervin introduced six new players, including ex-Glenavon full-back David Toure.
While former Cliftonville chief McLaughlin understands it’ll take time for his squad to gel, he wants to see quick improvements as they look to make their mark in a competitive top-flight.
"Yeah it will (take time), but that’s our job to do it,” he said. “We’re not hiding behind excuses.
"It’s a new group, a young group, but we have to learn quickly and develop because nobody is going to wait for us – it’s an uncompromising league and nobody is going to give us a hand up, they’ll run over the top of you.
"It’s important we learn quickly and develop quicker than we are. There’s a lot of debuts there but when they find their feet it’ll be exciting because there’s a lot of quality there.
"We haven’t got a four or five-week bedding in period. It should have been from today, but hopefully from next week we’ll be up and running.
"As much as the result and performance was (disappointing), the fact our heads went down after the second goal – there was still a long time to go and anything can happen in the blink of an eye in football.
"That was disappointing to see the heads going down so soon. We have to learn from it and we will. It’s a good test of character and mental strength because you know the way football works – criticism will be coming our way this week but next week we can put that right.”
Windy conditions dictated periods of proceedings in Lurgan with Ballymena making the most of them in the first half while Glenavon looked bright after the break before Rocks’ stunning second.
McLaughlin has called for his players to adapt quicker to situations with it not always possible to play “beautiful football”.
"Sometimes you have to bypass and get after it, it’s the Irish League we’re playing,” he added. “I said that to the players – you won’t always get your own way or get to do what you want to, you have to think of ways around it and think of Plan B quicker.
"If we can add that to our game we will be a lot better for it. I just thought we lacked that bit of intensity, hard work and the right decision at the right time.
"It has been a complete overhaul of the squad, but fans don’t want to hear that – they want results and performances, which is two things we have to improve on.”