Former Republic of Ireland midfielder to take post
Carlisle United Football Club have today appointed former Republic of Ireland and Middlesbrough midfielder Alan Moore as Head of Youth Development and Academy Manager on a two and a half year contract.
Moore, 39, takes over as the club begins the transition to the Elite Player Performance Plan (EPPP) having left his position as youth team manager with Bury at the beginning of December.
Once described as ‘the Ryan Giggs of the north east’ Moore started his career at Rivermount FC in Dublin before making the move to join Middlesbrough as a teenager in 1991.
He made over 100 appearances at Ayresome Park and also enjoyed spells with Barnsley, Burnley, Shelbourne, Derry City and Sligo Rovers as a player.
“I played with Alan at Middlesbrough and we had a good six years together,” manager Graham Kavanagh said. “I went to Stoke after that but we’ve always kept in touch.
“He loves the game and he’s done his coaching badges, and a lot of physiotherapy type qualifications, so he comes to us with a wealth of knowledge and experience. He went to Bury as their youth manager and I think it’s fair to say he turned their academy round.
“They now have a big group of players who are coming through and they have also managed to sell a few on to bigger clubs. They’ve been through the EPPP audit recently and they have done particularly well by receiving some glowing references.”
“I know exactly what I’m getting with him,” he continued. “I know he’s very trustworthy and loyal and he is thorough and diligent with his work. He constantly looks at how to improve things and the biggest thing he has impressed upon me is how he wants to treat the young players he’ll be working with.
“What you have with these lads is that they all walk through the door thinking they are going to be a professional footballer. Unfortunately that isn’t always going to be the case. He has told us all that his role within that is to make sure they are better human beings when they move out of the youth set up, be that into their first contract or on to other things.
“To do that he will instil a good work ethic and a positive mindset and hopefully that will stand all of them in good stead for the rest of their lives. I thought that was an important message to hear from him and I’m looking forward to working with him.”
“In terms of football he has a similar outlook to what we have in place at the club now,” he told us. “He likes his players to pass the ball and he has a huge amount of patience. I’m going to let him manage it and get on with it now and I know it’s something he’s really looking forward to.”
“If I’m being totally honest, the youth area is one I haven’t paid as much attention to as I would have liked over the last few months,” he admitted. “It’s been unbelievably busy with the new role and job I’ve had to do and I’ve been hugely aware that I needed someone to come in and get it going again.
“Getting Alan in on a permanent basis gives him the chance to identify the areas that need to be worked on and it will give everyone around the youth team a big lift. It’s a fantastic appointment for us and, like I say, we’re all looking forward to him joining and working with us going forward.”