Dino Maamria has opened up on his time at Barrow AFC after his tenure at Holker Street was curtailed after just six games.
The Tunisian arrived at the Bluebirds in January of this year but was unable to lift his side out of a fierce relegation scrap, leading to his dismissal after their loss to fellow strugglers Bristol Rovers.
It leaves Barrow looking for their fourth permanent manager of the season, an unwanted record only matched by Nottingham Forest this campaign, with Sam Foley in current interim charge with no picture as to when a new appointment will be made.
Maamria Discusses Untimely Exit
Publishing a statement through the League Managers’ Association website, the former Burton Albion boss said of his time at Barrow:
“It’s obviously disappointing that my time at Barrow AFC has come to such an abrupt end.
“When I arrived, the club was in a very difficult position. The team had lost six games on the spin and had won just one of the previous sixteen, so confidence and belief were understandably low. I knew the scale of the challenge, but I was clear about what needed to be done to start moving the team in the right direction.
“In six games, with very limited training time and a squad heavily affected by injuries, I was proud of the response from the players and the improvements we began to see in both performances and points per game. We collected four points in that period, but the reality is it could easily have been ten.
“We dropped valuable points in the final moments against Fleetwood, Gillingham and Cheltenham, despite putting ourselves in strong positions in those games, something we had already begun addressing with the group.
“The connection with the fans and the town of Barrow was something I genuinely felt and appreciated. I’m sorry I didn’t get the time to deliver the results you deserve. I was confident and had every belief that we would complete the job of maintaining the club’s EFL status, which makes it even more disappointing not to have been given the chance to finish that work.”
Is Foley The Man To Save Barrow?
Barrow as of their draw against Accrington Stanley, are on their fifth manager of the season and second interim in the form of midfielder Sam Foley, highlighting how badly the ball has been dropped in terms of appointments this season.
Considering what has come since, it was perhaps short-sighted to sack Andy Whing midway through the season, but the way they struggled against their fellow relegation candidates probably forced the leadership at Holker Street’s hands.
Now, they rely on player-manager Sam Foley to lead them for the immediate future, and he might be the best to lead the squad in battling against the drop, with the 39-year-old best placed to understand the squad’s needs and demands.
With a somewhat positive start to his tenure against Accrington, all eyes will be on the Irishman to see if he can inspire a comeback, starting against a Salford City side that can struggle against the lower-placed sides in League Two.