Russell to Remain in Red

The Irish Independent’s Daniel McDonnell is reporting today that “Sligo Rovers boss John Russell has declined the opportunity to pursue talks with Waterford and is expected to commit his long-term future to the Bit O' Red in the coming weeks.” McDonnell continues, “Waterford had identified Russell as a candidate as they look for a new permanent boss following the departure of interim coach Matt Lawlor who steered them to safety after the exit of John Coleman. But Russell (40) – who is under contract until the end of the 2026 campaign – is understood to be staying put in Sligo after winning plaudits for steering the club away from relegation trouble this term.”

Having spent six seasons with Sligo as a player, the Galway native returned as assistant manager to Liam Buckley for three-and-a-half years before stepping up to the top job following Buckley’s departure in May 2022. He has led Rovers to 5th, 8th, 6th and 7th in the Premier Division in his four seasons in charge at The Showgrounds. The Connacht club struggled in the early part of 2024 and were rooted to the bottom of the table, but some astute signings saw them rise to a final seventh-position as one of the form teams in the latter stages with four wins, three draws and just two defeats in the last round of games. 

All indications point to Waterford seeking a young, hungry manager who ‘knows the league’ after the disappointing failure of John Coleman’s tenure. Ciaran Kilduff was strongly linked, with the same newspaper reporting on the 30th of October that Waterford were set to appoint him as manager “within the next 24 hours”. Kilduff resigned as manager of Dundalk that day, but has since signed a new two-year deal with the First Division champions.

Sources from within and without the club have said that John Russell was a target and that there were positive signs from his side towards a switch to Waterford. On Friday night, Sligo’s Bit O’ Red Supporters Trust posted that Russell was leaving to become the new manager of Waterford, although this post was later deleted. It seems that hopes were high for Russell to fill the vacant role here, but that this is now almost certainly off the cards.