Rogers: Monaghan call too god to turn down

NEW Monaghan goalkeeping coach Gary Rogers has said that the pulling power of Seamus McEnaney was simply too strong to resist.

The Navan man, who was twice included in Republic of Ireland soccer squads under Martin O’Neill, announced his retirement from Dundalk last month and within a day he had ‘Banty’ testing the waters.

“I think I wasn’t retired 24 hours and ‘Banty’ had put in a phone call,” said the popular Rogers.

“He wanted to see if I had any interest in doing any coaching but at that time I was non-committal. He rang me a few times over Christmas and I had a think about it and took him up on it.

“It’s a great opportunity to go work with Monaghan and Rory (Beggan) and the other goalkeepers there.

“The role of the goalkeeper has changed and a lot of that has been down to Stephen Cluxton, he has been phenomenal. He has revolutionised the position.

“The goalkeeper is now a key position and the restarts are perhaps the most important part of the game, that ability to retain possession and start attacks.

“Rory is one of the best around at that so I will be looking just at adjustments and if I can help improve him in any way that will be great.”

Rogers has worked previously with McEnaney when the Corduff man was in charge of Meath, and he also said that his retirement from soccer means that he can be more hands-on than he was with previous counties.

“I would have worked with ‘Banty’ in Meath in 2009, I was four years with Cavan working with Ray Galligan, Alan O’Meara, Conor Gilsenan.

I have been working with Meath this last two years and I had a year with Colin Kelly in Westmeath.

“I would have done a lot of work with Cavan when I was with Sligo Rovers, but I would have been more concentrating on my own game at that time. You wouldn’t have seen me at games too often.

“I’ll be doing more sessions with Monaghan when we get back up and running because in the past I couldn’t be out coaching two or three nights a week as I was still playing.”

The move puts the hats on a fine backroom assembled by McEnaney following the departures of Peter Donnelly to Tyrone and Conor Laverty to the Down u-20s.

Donie Buckley’s addition as coach is a real coup while new strength and conditioning coach Jonny Davis is highly-rated.