trequartista20
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Ballyclare Comrades Football Club
Founded: 1919
Stadium: Dixon Park, Ballyclare
Capacity: 5,333 (Safe: 1,800)
Rivals: Larne, Carrick Rangers
Beginnings
In the grand scheme of all things football in Northern Ireland, the story barely caused a ripple amongst the Carling Premiership-centred stories penned by the sport hacks of the Belfast Telegraph or Newsletter.
Ballyclare Comrades, a club established by World War I veterans in the North Antrim market town of Ballyclare in 1919, had removed Gordon Chambers from his position as manager following the club’s relegation to Championship 2 – the lowest intermediate league in NI football.
With the Comrades struggling to meet ends meet, their shortlist of potential candidates for the role was sparsely populated. Current player and club legend Eddie Hill had thrown his hat into the ring and, according to the Ballyclare Gazette, was a firm favourite among the board and fans to get the job.
However, with less than two months before the start of the 2011/2012 season, Comrades’ chairman Trevor McCann dropped a bombshell. Eddie Hill would not be the new manager of Ballyclare Comrades, but instead assistant to relative unknown – 26 year old Raymond Terrific.
The Comrades faithful – all 300 of them – voiced their disappointment in the local paper the Ballyclare Gazette, at the appointment and bemoaned the fact that yet another relegation was on the cards; this time to the non-league pyramid where they would have the ignominy of facing their former feeder team, Ballynure Old Boys.
Fast-forward almost four months. Following an overkill of area and division-based cup competitions, league action has been limited. Despite this, Terrific’s ragtag bunch are yet to taste defeat in all competitions.
More notably, however, his side has dumped two Carling Premiership sides out of two of the more notable cup competitions – claiming the scalps of Carling Premiership sides Cliftonville in the County Antrim Shield (on penalties after a 2-2 draw) and Linfield (50-times league champions) in the Irn-Bru League Cup after a 4-3 away win.
Back to Dixon Park and Terrific, a local man with no notable history in the game, smiles broadly as he quoted Rafa Benitez’ famous quote to the Ballyclare Gazette Sports reporter. “I’m no more than a geek with a laptop really.” He carries on. “Obviously it’s important to see who can play, who has the right mentality to win, who can fit in with the culture of the club and those who make it up that culture – but the statistical side of the game is more important than it has ever been”.
Terrific’s approach, a mix of football knowledge and employment of the “Moneyball” system – made famous by MLB side Oakland Athletic’s GM Billy Beane – using the likes of Pro Zone is certainly an interesting one, and was considered dangerous in the competitive IFA Championship 2. As well as watching transfer targets with his assistant Hill, he also draws up vast spreadsheets and charts that gave a statistical and factual side to a player’s game rather than pure opinion.
“It works both ways to be honest”, Terrific says, locking his hands behind his head and looking out the window of the manager’s office at Dixon Park. “Eddie and I have looked at some guys and thought “never a player”. Then we draw up the stats and he seems that bit more appealing. On the other hand, some guys with brilliant stats have been incredibly disappointing when we’ve gone to see them – we’re prepared to give them all a chance though.”
Using the system, Terrific launched an outrageous overhaul of the Comrades playing staff – bringing in an incredible 32 players on amateur and part-time contracts.
One of these players was Jamil Adam – an English born Republic of Ireland under-21 international of Nigerian descent. Bombed out by Barnsley after four years of trying to break into the first team, “Jammy” has been the focal point of Terrific’s excellent start as Comrades manager – mostly due to the braces he helped himself to in the aforementioned cup games.
Twelve goals in ten games has endeared Adam to the Comrades faithful and he is enjoying his new lease of life at Dixon Park. Many of Comrades’ new recruits share Adam’s story – deemed to be not good enough for professional clubs in England or Scotland but prepared to drop down to the (very) bottom in order to try and work their way back up.
This is a situation that can be applied to three of Terrific’s back four. Ashley Hodgkinson (ex Stoke, Plymouth and Yeovil) and Dale Moon (Walsall) have forged a fantastic understanding at centre back while Gez Mulholland (West Brom) provides Premiership class at left-back. Right-back Aaron Holland is one of only six players who remain at the club from before Terrific took over.
On top of scouring British club’s released list, Terrific has also proved he isn’t afraid to drop into Northern Ireland’s amateur leagues to pick up some local unpolished gems. Simon Moffat is a tidy midfielder who has held his own in league football since his move from amateur side Islandmagee while Ryan Dunlop has been revelation on the right wing since his move from non-league Newington YC. Aaron Robinson, signed from Shankhill, has proven to be a ready-made replacement for Moon or Hodgkinson at centre-back.
As the Gazette reporter presses Terrific further on the “Moneyball” system that has seen his side shoot up the Championship 2 and maintain a 100% record in both league and cup until late September, he admits that it is probably an easier system to apply to baseball than football.
“The nature of baseball means this system is a lot more straightforward to implement in that game - football is different, you need some knowledge of the game and how these stats can come together to create a winning team.” There is no doubt that Terrific has certainly created that in his fledgling career in football management; thus far his side has scored 29goals and look a certainty for the league title.
His crisp passing-orientated 4-2-3-1 formation has allowed wingers Jordan Leyden and Dunlop to create (and certainly in Leyden’s case, to score) and to utilise Adam’s pace by focussing passes down the channels. Goals from set pieces have also been vital with Moon and Hodgkinson scoring a combined a number of goals between them.
After an encouraging start it will be interesting to see if Terrific’s side can maintain their excellent start.