Assistant search is stepped up by Moore

Jun 5 2009 by Nick Hilton, Liverpool Daily Post

TRANMERE manager Ronnie Moore is looking for a man with a wealth of experience and contacts in the game to be his new number two at Prenton Park.

Moore began the search for an assistant this week after Peter Shirtliff ended a two-year spell with Rovers by taking up a coaching role with League One rivals Swindon Town.

No sooner had news broken of Shirtliff’s departure to link up with former Sheffield Wednesday associate Danny Wilson at the County Ground, than Moore’s phone was buzzing with enquiries from potential candidates for the post.

Moore said: “We have to search for a new assistant manager, which is disappointing. It will be hard to find a replacement.

“I have good friends who have been coaches and managers in the game and to be honest I must have had 20 phone calls from people who want the job and think they can do it.

“It is such a hard decision to make. I think it’s got to be someone I know because if I don’t know them I can’t be sure they don’t want my job!”

Moore added: “I don’t want to be hanging about over this appointment.

“ I want to make the decision as quickly as I can because we need to get moving with recruiting players for next season.

“We want someone who has good connections in the game, someone who can get on to managers in the Premier League and Championship and pressure them into allowing us to have first options on taking their young players on loan.

“The loan market is a road we will have to go down next season.”

Shirtliff, 48, boasted a wealth of experience and contracts built up from his playing career with Sheffield Wednesday, Charlton Athletic, Wolves and Barnsley, as well as coaching spells with Barnsley and Leicester and a 15-month stint in management at Mansfield Town.

He joined Tranmere as assistant manager in 2007, replacing Moore’s long-time number two John Breckin, who returned to his home town club Rotherham for family reasons following the death of his wife.

Moore said: “Losing Shirts was a shock to me.

“I was away on holiday when I got a phone call from Danny Wilson, asking for permission to speak to Peter.

“The request was refused but there was a clause in Peter’s contract that enabled him to speak to Swindon – which he did.

“He did a great job here. He’s an excellent coach who is an ex-manager so he knows what it is like in the hot seat and he knows what is like to be the man coaching the players.

“I feel like clipping Peter over the ear because he’s gone – but I can only praise him for the job he did here. If someone offers him more money to go elsewhere, then there’s not a great deal we can do.

“Maybe deep down he thinks Swindon are going to do better than us next season – so that’s a challenge for us.”