'You're trying to run things the way you want it to run' - Irish League ‘blending’ process between entertainment and economy all part of Carrick progress plan
Carrick Rangers’ perfect points return has arrived off a rollercoaster run all part of the “blending” process for boss Stephen Baxter.
Having kicked off the season in a thrilling 4-3 success over Crusaders from 3-0 down, Carrick followed on the sound and the fury of that opening win with a far more mundane single-goal Saturday success over Glenavon in which economy of performance won out over entertainment.
Now Rangers visit Dungannon Swifts with Baxter “very happy” off full points from the first two fixtures but excited over future promise.
"Ultimately, when you come in and let 12 players go and bring nine new faces in you're trying to cultivate a new environment,” said Baxter. "We're trying to build this slowly...it's not going to happen overnight.
"Two wins (but) you (could) then lose your next six!
"We won't get carried away with two wins.
"We're blending a new group, brand-new players.
"I think they've all performed exceptionally well...but it's going to take time."
On the theme of short-term rebuilding towards long-term returns, Baxter highlighted the need for patience within the push for progress.
"You're trying to run things the way you want it to run,” he said. “You're trying to set the disciplines around how we train and we'll play and the things that we'll do.
"How they turn up and how they'll conduct themselves.
"And that takes time.
"When you start seeing the fruits of that...how they enjoy themselves together and how they play together, I think that brings me a better feeling about things.
"That you feel you have people who can really get out and get a job done.
"We'll probably lose more than we win but that's how you build...from the bottom up."
Danny Gibson’s solo strike proved decisive against Glenavon last weekend.
"We had that wee bit of spark about us, with a couple of other chances in the first half we nearly broke the line,” he said. "They (Glenavon) had that opportunity where they broke the line, pulled it back and we cleared it off the line.
"That was the tale of the tape but Glenavon are a team also in change…a brand-new squad of players, people bedding in.
"Very talented players.”