Graham Coughlan is eyeing up a return to management - and that’s good news for Irish hopefuls.
The Dubliner, who once worked with John Egan at Southend, says the Irish market is his “first port of call” when it comes to recruitment.
Ex-Bray Wanderers and Sheffield Wednesday defender Coughlan has already been linked with the vacant Rochdale post, having previously managed at Bristol Rovers and Mansfield.
He recalled his early days in coaching, while he was still playing for Shrewsbury and then Southend - and how he worked with Egan eight years ago.
Egan arrived on-loan from Sunderland, and Coughlan told the Irish Daily Star: “That’s probably my first port of call, because I know the Irish lads.
“I know how we are as people and as a country. We are honest and hard-working.
“I know when I ask an Irish kid to come in that they will be honest, they’ll be hard working and I know they’ll give their all. I know their attitude will be spot-on.”
He admits he had a short-lived doubt about Egan before Southend swooped.
“If I’m being honest, I did look at John on numerous occasions when he was playing at Sunderland and I just thought he was an inch or two too small for League Two,” said Coughlan, who hung up his boots to concentrate fully on his first-team coaching role shortly before Egan arrived.
“But the way he climbed, the way he went about his business, the way he headed the ball and his leadership qualities, I just thought he was a good one. I bought into his attitude.
“I think it was against Arsenal at the Emirates where I saw him play one night.
“One of the Arsenal kids was making a name for himself and he had a taste of first-team experience, but John just had him in his pocket all night. I thought, that will do for me.
“John always had that talent and leadership. I did like his qualities and attitude.
“I bumped into him the other week and he’s a brilliant lad. He is the bedrock of the current Sheffield United team.
“If they are to get out of the Championship, John will play a massive part in that.”
Coughlan moved from Bray Wanderers to Blackburn in 1995, but played most of his football at Plymouth, Sheffield Wednesday, Rotherham, Shrewsbury and Southend.
At Shrewsbury he was asked by David Hughes - recently appointed as academy coach at Manchester United - to help out with the youth team.
He also coached the reserves alongside Mike Jackson, who saw out last season as Burnley caretaker manager.
“We produced some really good kids, Conor Goldson (Rangers) being one of them. Tom Bradshaw (Millwall) was another,” said Coughlan.
Paul Sturrock then brought him to Southend, where he took on first-team coaching sessions.
His career as first-team manager began at Bristol Rovers, when he took charge of their December 2018 defeat away to Sunderland.
He dragged them from the relegation zone with a run that included nine wins and only five defeats in their remaining 24 League One matches.
The following season, with the club in fourth place, he quit for family reasons - and soon after was appointed at League Two side Mansfield.
“I was away from home for 12 years. It got to a stage where it was getting on top of us and I stopped enjoying it,” he said.
“So I came back home. My missus had lost her dad and I was away. My kids were finishing up school too.
“I had to be a husband and be a father for the first time in 12 years. So I moved home to Sheffield and went to Mansfield.”
The club, however, was in a mess - and Covid didn’t help.
Coughlan had to off-load some of the higher earners, including recently capped Ireland international CJ Hamilton, to balance the books.
“It was a bombsite when I went in. We had a lot of work to do. Then, all of a sudden, Covid hit us,” he explained.
“As a result, we had financial fair play, whereby we had to reduce everything and every club in the division could only operate on a £1.5m budget.
“The first thing I had to do was take £1m off the budget. That was tough.
“You’ve got to let one or two of your better players go and you have got to put a brave face on it and say, this is the best thing for the club.
“I lost CJ Hamilton (to Blackpool). We then had to put a salary cap down, where any signings had to meet this criteria.
“It was difficult, it affected our recruitment. Every other manager that Mansfield had seemed to be spending, whereas I had to cut.
“It was difficult, but at the end of the day I didn’t get it right, we didn’t win enough games and it was on my shoulders.”
After a spell as Under-23 coach at Sheffield United, Coughlan is ready to step into another top job.
“Whatever the circumstances are, it would have to be the right project. I definitely want to give myself a chance,” he said.
“And it has to be with good people who have realistic aims. An honest, hard-working club would be right up my street.
“Football comes down to good people, and if you have got good people you have a good chance of success.
“But I am definitely itching to get back in. I finished my Pro Licence a few months ago. I think that has given me the hunger and desire to get back moving again.”
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