It is all change at The Oval as Rodney McAree has replaced Mick McDermott as manager of Glentoran.
Pressure had been mounting on McDermott following a poor run of results over the last two months. Saturday's defeat at home to Larne was their fifth loss in a row in the league, the first time this had happened since 1935.
That led to protests by fans with the board of directors releasing a statement in the aftermath saying performances on the pitch had fallen "below what is acceptable" and the matter would be addressed urgently.
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The club confirmed on Tuesday afternoon that McAree would be taking over as manager after being part of the coaching set-up at The Oval for the last 18 months.
And although McDermott would no longer be involved with the first team the club said he would remain as a Glentoran director.
Majority shareholder Ali Pour said the potential for McAree to become manager of Glentoran at some stage was one of the reasons why he was brought to the club.
“When we considered Rodney joining our club at the beginning of last season we knew that he had the potential and drive to be our manager in the future – that was the reason we recruited him," Pour said.
"Rodney has now been at the club for one and a half years and knows the players, staff, workings of the club and we are sure that he will hit the ground running.
"He will have the full support of myself and the Glentoran Board moving forward.”
McAree has always been highly regarded as a coach in the Irish League and has had spells managing Dungannon Swifts and Coleraine.
The 48-year-old pointed to getting the club back to winning ways again as one of his first objectives.
"I am delighted and excited to be given the opportunity to manage this great football club," he said.
"This possibility had been discussed when I joined the club; I did not expect it to happen so soon but I feel ready and hungry to get started to strive towards the success that everyone associated with Glentoran Football Club deserves.
"We have a hugely talented squad and now we all need to work together to get back to winning ways to achieve success in the future.
"I’d like to thank Ali Pour and the GFC Board for placing their trust in me and thanks to Michael McDermott and Paul Millar for bringing me to Glentoran and developing this opportunity to take the Club forward.”
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