It can be been a fairytale few months for Nathan Rooney. He has taken a one-time pub crew from Gibraltar into Europe then got married to a Liverpool right-again. Occur Thursday it could get even better.
Rooney is the former Blackburn Rovers and Crawley City coach who is now controlling FCB Magpies and, on Thursday evening, they encounter Northern Ireland’s Crusaders in the 1st leg of their Europa Conference League qualifier. The prize for the winners is a glamour tie with Swiss side FC Basel.
‘This was the aspiration when I came here,’ say the 32-yr-outdated who only took in excess of in January. ‘Fingers crossed it goes well, as to be participating in in a activity like this presents us a wonderful platform.’
FCB Magpies manager Nathan Rooney lately married Liverpool appropriate-back Rhiannon Roberts
Not that he is been shorter of the limelight lately, whilst that’s generally down to his new wife, Liverpool and Wales defender Rhiannon Roberts.
It was unavoidable at the reception of their recent nuptials, that a women v boys kickabout amongst attendees ensued and Rhiannon, still resplendent in her white wedding ceremony dress, played a a single-two with her Liverpool staff-mate Jasmine Matthews in advance of nutmegging the goalkeeper to score. Footage went viral with about 240,000 sights on social media, causing a stir even in neighbouring Spain.
‘I’m glad I place my father-in-regulation in goal,’ laughs Rooney, ‘but it was a great day. We would been setting up the marriage ceremony for over three a long time but saved getting to place it off due to the fact of Covid so you can see the elation of the day in that clip when every person is celebrating.’
Following a fast honeymoon in Rome though, Mr and Mrs Rooney are back to their respective football life. For Rhiannon it really is pre-time coaching and for Nathan the modest issue of putting Magpies on the European football map.
The club was only shaped in 2013 by a team of close friends who drank at Bruno’s Bar and Restaurant, that’s why ‘FC Bruno’s Magpies’. The challenge, was thrown down to him by club co-chairman Haig Oundjian, a previous Olympic determine skater and ex Watford chairman, who on finding out Rooney’s CV noticed similarities with former England supervisor Graham Taylor, the gentleman who took Watford from the fourth division to the to start with in five decades.
A movie of a wedding day working day kickabout went viral soon after Roberts scored in her wedding costume
‘Haig’s a excellent character, full of passion with some great stories,’ says Rooney. ‘Not just about soccer but lifestyle. He labored with Elton John at Watford and when he claims items like he did about Graham Taylor, it offers you great perception.’
Taylor was the same age as Rooney when he took about at Watford but Oundjian’s analogy was formed after noting his new manager has never ever been scared of performing at football’s coalface in purchase to attain the top.
Rooney had already coached at Blackburn Rovers, Fleetwood, Crawley City, Carlisle United and Port Vale prior to his Gibraltar adventure.
He conveniently admits that by 18 he no extended had the enthusiasm to be a participant at Blackburn but coaching was something he was ‘always established to do’. By 22 he had his UEFA A Licence and was acknowledged for staying forward of his time never fazed by challenging dressing rooms or dealing with players more mature than him. He drew on information from mentors this sort of as Blackburn mentor David Lowe, ex Wimbledon manager Stuart Murdoch and Uwe Rosler who outlined the artwork of duty by telling him bluntly: ‘You have to do your occupation or get out.’ At Crawley, he was assistant to Gabriele Cioffi who very last month was appointed coach of Hellas Verona in Serie A.
FCB Magpies get ready for the Europa Convention League clash with Crusaders
‘I’ve generally associated far better to the more mature guys in the dressing area,’ states Rooney. ‘I suppose testimony is that David and Stuart were at my wedding day! The critical is normally to think in the information you are offering. Dressing rooms are an unforgiving natural environment so you require to be self-assured and apparent with what you put across.
‘I’ve under no circumstances been worried of acquiring my arms soiled to find out far more. Whether you are on the perfect instruction pitches of Blackburn Rovers or the mud and muck of a community park, you make excellent of what you have.’
One downside of Rooney’s condominium in Gibraltar, depending how you watch it, is that he has been unable to enjoy an English Television channel for the past seven months. The upside is that his copy of Sir Alex Ferguson’s autobiography is very well thumbed when he has also absorbed ‘The Initially 100 Times: Classes in Leadership from the Soccer Bosses’, a go-to go through in all coaching circles. It has all assisted form this younger coach into a more rounded manager.
‘When I was questioned to just take over at Magpies, the strategy was to make the top rated 6, then perhaps Europe would be a bonus. We completed well in the league and misplaced out in the very last ten minutes of the cup final. In the long run, your angle to work and getting superior is what helps make you. The harder the setting occasionally, the increased the pleasure.’
That is certainly the mantra as Rooney prepares Magpies for their video game against Crusaders.
The normal in Gibraltar is akin to League A single and Two. His squad is a mixture of component-timers and experts. There are customs officers, firemen, law enforcement officers and shipping brokers such as Gibraltar worldwide ahead Kyle Casciaro, who is two many years older than Rooney at 34.
‘The mind-set of the guys has been terrific. We’ve obtained some fantastic characters,’ he claims. ‘When I came in, it was a peaceful lifestyle and it was about modifying the depth, putting concepts throughout and acquiring a much better structure. We try to make it as expert as attainable putting on two or three training periods in the working day and some at night time so the fellas who have other employment can coach much too. They’ve labored challenging for this moment and for quite a few, actively playing in the Europa Convention is a as soon as in a lifetime practical experience.’
So what is the goal?
‘Who knows? I could end up in Greece or Italy following calendar year but the aspiration is to go again to England and mentor in the major divisions. I have had provides but we want to make all people at Magpies happy of us and then see the place it potential customers. We want to choose this as considerably as we can.’