Hutton aiming to restore 'the Derry way'

WHEN Peter Hutton arrived to take charge of Derry City's training session on Monday morning, his first intention was to return the 'Derry way' to the group.
 

The previous evening, Roddy Collins' P45 was stamped following a meeting with the Derry chairman, Philip O'Doherty. The axe fell upon the Dubliner ultimately because of results. A failure to embrace 'the Derry way' wasn't exactly the best of starting points for Collins, whose side won only two out of twelve League games.

In many of those, the Candystripes were shackled and the Brandywell felt unhappy of late.
 

The boos that rang around the Lone Moor Road after Friday's one-nil defeat by Shamrock Rovers were the death knell for the controversial Collins and it's Hutton who has picked up the baton.
 

Restoring 'the Derry way' shouldn't be a problem for Hutton. Bogside-born and Creggan-cradled, the 41-year-old made over 600 appearances in the Candystripes, was the club's captain when they last won the Premier Division in 1997 and was the man briefly elevated to take caretaker charge following the exits of Gavin Dykes in 2004 and Pat Fenlon in 2007.
 

Hutton, speaking on BBC Radio Foyle's Breakfast Show, described himself as 'delighted and very honoured to be given the chance to turn the fortunes of my hometown club around'. He'll be assisted by Marty McCann, who was first team coach in Collins' brief reign, another Derry native well versed in what is expected by the Foyle.
 

Derry's teams this year have lacked the verve often associated with them. When Collins sent Rory Patterson, last year's top scorer, and Shane McEleney to Drumkeen United with the club's reserves on the same night as the senior team drew with UCD, it was one of the more extreme nights of a marriage that seemed destined from the early days to end in a swift divorce.

"It's a massive task, but I wouldn't have taken it on if I didn't think that I could turn it around," said Hutton, whose first game is an away fixture at Cork City on Friday night.

"We'll give it a good go. All we can do is give it 100 per cent and see what comes."
 

Hutton was chosen as the assistant manager to Collins, not by the manager, but by the club's Board of Directors. The relationship between the pair deteriorated to the point of no return last week when Hutton was dispatched to Inchicore to take in the St Patrick's Athletic-Cork City game, at the same time as Derry were taking on Shamrock Rovers.
 

Hutton didn't delve too far into the nature of their disagreements, but there was little ambiguity when he said:  "There were a lot of things I didn't like."
 

Collins was also reported to have had a bust-up with Gerard Doherty, who missed the away game in Drogheda amid claims that he and the former manager had crossed swords, while Patrick McEleney, another fans' favourite, found himself benched earlier in the season.
 

The arrival of ten new players was Collins' message that he meant business. Of those, only Cliff Byrne has truly earned his crust and there are now rumblings that some of them have been told that they're free to leave. JP McGovern, Mark Stewart and Roddy Collins junior are said to have been informed that their services may be better offered elsewhere.
 

"There will be changes at the club," Hutton said.
 

"The budget has gone. If players are to come in then others will have to leave. That's a matter for me to address."
 

Hutton was in charge of Finn Harps between May 2012 and October 2013 and, while that was hardly a ringing endorsement of his candidacy, Hutton feels all the better for the time he served in Ballybofey.
 

He said: "It's like night and day the difference in managing these two clubs. Finn Harps was a good learning curve for me. I learned a lot about myself and learned a lot about football off the field. It was a great experience and I thoroughly enjoyed it."
 

Hutton has been given the job until the end of the season, but O'Doherty and his ten-man Board have given an indication that it's up for grabs for a lengthier period.

O'Doherty said: "I'm hoping that he does a good job and can continue in the role. It's not a stop-gap solution. He has two-thirds of a season to make an impression."
 

Last month after a 3-2 win over Athlone, Collins said: "We want to play 'the Derry way. The Derry was is the Roddy Collins way'. The groans of discontent from the Southend Stand, the boos and the 'Collins Out' placard from one punter offered signs that Collins just didn't 'get it' in the Maiden City.
 

For Hutton, the immediate task is getting the turnstiles clicking again. The Board were alarmed at how rapidly attendances plummeted and with a Europa League campaign looming this summer Hutton will aim to rekindle the magic of old.
 

"It's imporant that we get back to the football the Derry fans want: Fluid, open, attractive football," he said.

"We have players who are capable of doing that. What has gone before, they didn't have the freedom to express themselves. We had more of a defensive mindset in some of the bigger games and that just isn't the Derry way.
 

"Certainly I've been in dressing rooms that have been happier and it's very evident on the pitch that there are players who aren't playing to their full capacity. It's important that we get back to the players enjoying themselves and playing with a smile on their faces again, having the freedom to go and express themselves."