Gary Stevens appointed assistant manager at Sligo Rovers

Former England International Gary Stevens has been named as the new Assistant Manager at Sligo Rovers.

The 50-year-old takes over from Gerry Carr who departed the club shortly after the end of the 2012 season having been Paul Cook's Assistant as well as Ian Baraclough's in his first season at the helm.

Stevens had spells with Brighton and Hove Albion, Portsmouth and Tottenham Hotspur where he won the 1984 UEFA Cup, scoring one of the penalties in the shoot-out against Belgian side Anderlecht.

The defender also represented England at Senior level, most notably being called up by Bobby Robson for the 1986 World Cup where he made two appearances from the bench against Morocco and Paraguay.

Following his retirement in 1992, Stevens became a presenter on Sky Sports as well as radio station TalkSPORT. He also held a previous position at the Charlton Athletic Youth set-up before taking on his most recent job as Assistant Manager at Azerbaijan side Gabala FC who were being managed by Arsenal legend Tony Adams.

Stevens spoke to sligorovers.com about his new role.

“Each time Ian and I were working together on the Pro Licence we spent a lot of time talking and stayed in touch over the last 18 months or so.

“I was in contact with Ian (Baraclough) when he got the job at Sligo Rovers to congratulate him and when he started so well and kept in touch since.

“When he said there was an opportunity with the assistant manager role at Sligo Rovers, it interested me and I knew I would like to work with him. I was in Sligo last month, I met the chairman Dermot Kelly, the treasurer David Rowe and saw the facilities like the Clarion Hotel and IT Sligo where the team train.

“I looked at the new stand (Volkswagen Bank End) in The Showgrounds and the entire situation shows Sligo Rovers is a extremely progressive football club.

“It was clear there was a passion for Rovers in the community and it seemed for the vast majority of people in the city that the club is a big part of their lives. It was attractive and very appealing.

“My passion is football, this is a great opportunity for me. The team has won the league and it means Champions League qualifiers this year. It means we have a title to defend. It has only happened 17 or 18 times where a team has defended the League of Ireland title and that is something we have to try to go and do.

Ian Baraclough also spoke to official website about the appointment of Stevens, who he developed a good relationship with while working together on their pro-licence.

“You make contact with people over your career and Gary is a person that immediately I found easy to speak to and we share similar philosophies over a wide range of areas. I think he will be well-received.

“He was very impressed by the players and the people in the town on how the football club is such a big part of the region. I spoke to him on a few occasions about the club and the fantastic facilities and the set-up here. I don’t think he anticipated exactly what it would be.”