Manager Ruaidhri Higgins left the club this week after three and a half seasons in charge, the club announced on Friday morning. Putting aside the underwhelming 2024 campaign, the Limavady man led us to some fantastic moments during his tenure and added two trophies to his CV as manager to the seven he won with us as a player during his two spells here. His departure comes in the aftermath of a bitterly disappointing end to the season which saw us go from being favourites to win the coveted double to winning only 2 of our final 12 league games, as well as losing the FAI Cup final to relegation threatened Drogheda United. Even though he still had one year left on his contract, it was a collapse that saw the tide of public opinion turn from fans, and the general consensus was that fresh ideas were needed in the dugout going forward. Ever the honest professional, Ruaidhri acknowledged the end of season collapse in his farewell statement this week, but that shouldn't overlook the job he had done since he took over from Declan Devine in April 2021. He had been a protégé of Stephen Kenny, firstly as a coach at Dundalk then as a scout in the Republic of Ireland set-up before he was offered the Derry City job. He had played for the candystripes as a midfielder for the majority of his playing career, winning multiple FAI and League Cup trophies as well as playing in Europe, so knew the club inside out. We were bottom of the Premier Division when he took over, and his arrival immediately galvanised the club. We climbed the table to finish 4th and qualify for Europe by virtue of 2nd placed St Patricks also winning the FAI Cup, and in 2022, with substantial backing from the chairman, he put his own stamp on the club by bringing in top quality players like Will Patching, Mark Connolly, Cameron Dummigan, Patrick McEleney and Michael Duffy from Dundalk. We challenged Shamrock Rovers for the title until the final month of the season before they pulled away but won the FAI Cup with a record 4-0 demolition of Shelbourne in the final. It was a magical day out at the Aviva as 25,000 Derry heads took over Dublin. Jamie McGonigle's 95th minute winner against Rovers at a delirious Brandywell was the best home match in a long, long time and a 7-1 thrashing of UCD was another highlight in a brilliant first full season. Expectations for 2023 were high, and a Presidents Cup win over the champions from Tallaght in the season opener only added to the excitement at The Brandywell. We battled them at the top of the league as the season progressed and the summer signings of Scottish players Danny Mullen and Paul McMullan helped the club through three rounds of exciting European drama. The fixture pile up ultimately worked against us in the title race but the squad was stronger than ever and expectation skyrocketed with the signing of elite striker Pat Hoban from Dundalk. Ruaidhri's three year plan would hopefully peak and win us a first title since 1997. As we all know, 2024 didn't work out as we hoped, and in football the buck stops with the manager. Being in a two horse race for 95% of the season only to finish 4th was massively frustrating. That being said, a lot of players didn't hit the heights of the previous season, the tension and pressure grew at the stadium, and it all added up to the disappointment that we've experienced this past year. The club definitely went backward after two really good seasons. I personally questioned Ruaidhri's tactics, formations and team selections a lot on the podcast this season, as I'm sure supporters did most weeks in pubs all over the city and at the ground on matchdays. I wont be a hypocrite - it was my view also that a change in the dugout would take Derry forward again. I've been going to games since 1995. I've seen 30 years of good players and bad players, good managers and bad managers. We all think we're Pep Guardiola. We all think we have the answers and wish we could really pick the team instead of playing Fantasy Football as we drink our Guinness. As I said all season on the podcast, even when questioning tactics or selections, I didn't want anyone to be sacked - if the manager and players are doing well, then Derry City are doing well and everyone is happy. We're guilty of taking this game too seriously at times. There's no known cure for it. I was like a wain at Christmas when we won a few games on the spin and looked like we'd go on to win the league. Kneejerk reactions are normal in football. It really does consume your life. Instead of recharging the batteries after a long season, here I am adding a new website to my podcast. At least my fiancé will get peace to watch more episodes of Friends on Netflix! As a famous viral tweet from a woman once said: 'men pick their favourite team as a child and let it ruin every weekend for the rest of their lives'. True that. So while I did question Ruaidhri Higgins management out of sheer desperation from wanting to see my beloved team do well, that never stopped my respect for Ruaidhri Higgins the man. I had a chat with him in a café in the town about a week after the 2022 cup win and he was an absolute gentleman. I shook his hand and thanked him for winning us another trophy and he laughed and told me he couldn't wait for a holiday. That was when it was going well, so imagine what this year was like for him. I've bumped into him a few times since then and he's always nodded hello as I'm sure he does to everyone decked out in their Derry City jackets and hats. To be fair, maybe he doesn't, as that's half the town these days. More people want to go to matches now than have done in years. More people proudly wear the colours of Derry City about now. Its not all Ronaldo and Messi shirts dominating the city centre or the football pitches these days. Ruaidhri is part of that legacy of club growth these past four years. When he looks back on his career, hopefully he knows the part he played. Football's a stressful enough job without dealing with personal loss. Anyone who has lost immediate family will know the grief that those losses carry, and the way he carried himself and continued to try and win football matches for us when dealing with his own personal grief was an example of perseverance and character that won't be forgotten, so thank you. While it didn't go our way this year, thank you for all your efforts in trying circumstances. I wish you the best, I really do. If I've been critical, its only coming from a football perspective. I'm the best manager in the world in my own head. Phillip could do worse than me! Jokes aside, there's football opinions and then there's shouting obscenities at a manager from behind the dugout, or worse, giving somebody abuse in the street. Thankfully that's only a tiny majority of people who take it too far. Nobody is perfect, and we can all reflect on this period in different ways, but for now - thanks, boss. -- Baz
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