Derry City appoint Paddy McCourt as new Technical Director

Premier Division Derry City have appointed legendary playmaker Paddy McCourt as the club’s new Technical Director.

McCourt has been a member of the backroom team at the Ryan McBride Brandywell Stadium since his retirement from senior League of Ireland football.

McCourt was appointed as the Candystripes new Technical Director on Monday’s press conference – where chairman Philip O’Doherty also announced there would be a budget increase of 30% available to manager Declan Devine for the 2020 season.

“It’s probably not a new role as it’s a role I’ve been doing for a while, there’s just been a new title put on it. It’s a role I sort of inherited after Declan (Devine) came in,” McCourt told the Derry Journal.

“When I came in under Kenny Shiels, I wasn’t ‘in’ as such. I was looking at things and having the odd meeting, but I was very much focused on only the Academy.

“When Decky came in, as everyone knows, we didn’t have a lot of players and we all needed to lend a hand and we seemed to get a lot of players on board in a short space of time.”

The Derry Pele added; “But I really enjoyed it and, in the end, combined it with my Academy role, which I’ll continue to do. I’m enjoying the role.

“In the summer I met Sean (Barrett) and Philip (O’Doherty) and they asked me to take the role on in a more official basis. They said they were going to title it and wanted it out there in terms of my new role and I was more than happy to do it.”

“I suppose my new job is to try and take a bit of work away from Declan in terms of contracts, recruiting players and scouting players, which leaves him free to focus on the Friday night match,” he added.

“My four main roles will be to oversee the recruitment, the academy, contract negotiations and re-negotiations, along with Dodie McGuinness and Sean.”