SEAN CONNOR: Title is Kenny’s reward for sticking to the Larne FC plan!

​ As he put it: “Our goals can only be reached through the vehicle of a plan, in which we must fervently believe and upon which we must vigorously act. There is no other route to success.’’

Only a couple of weeks back Graham Potter lost his role as Head Coach at Chelsea having done admirable jobs at his previous, some would say unfashionable, clubs. However he soon found out that at Chelsea, there is far less time to build and develop your project. Expectations are higher, winning games is to be expected and although he may have been sold the vision and plan, he was not told that it came with a close expiration date.

Patience is not a commodity valued at Stamford Bridge over recent years. Winning trophies cannot buy you time as previous managers have lost their jobs even after winning major trophies like the

Champions League. Potter got neither time nor patience from his owners during his seven-month tenure, winning 12 out of his 31 games in charge. More importantly he lost the faith of the paying public, the ‘blue is the colour’ Chelsea fans.

From the outside Chelsea’s management structure seems convoluted and inflated and maybe herein lies the problem for any new coach which I wouldn’t think will be Frank Lampard in the long term. Outside of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital’s Behdad Eghbali, Chelsea now have co-Sporting Directors in Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, along with Technical Director, Christopher Vivell, Joe Shields, Kyle Macaulay and Jim Fraser, who are responsible for talent management and recruitment. Both owners visit the training ground once a month to cast an eye over training, keeping a close eye on their investment.

At Brighton, Potter garnered admirers of his work, style of leadership and calmness albeit at a club that looks to have an already well-established philosophy and an even better recruitment policy. Potter was the darling of the media, a young progressive, emotionally intelligent coach (he has a Masters in Emotional Intelligence) and, most important of all, he was English.

When he was asked to replace Thomas Tuchel, it was a move Potter could not refuse. And who could blame him? You’re being offered the chance to manage one of the top clubs in Europe after all! For now Chelsea’s new owner’s plan has been blown badly off course.

Back at home and the Danske Bank Premiership title race reached an historic conclusion at the weekend when Larne were crowned champions for the first time! And what a well deserved triumph it was for a club that has an owner with a definite plan.

In Kenny Bruce Larne have an owner with one eye on the future and the club have fervently stuck to his plan over recent seasons, following it through with a focussed passion and execution. From the day Kenny walked into Inver Park, it was very clear he had a vision. More importantly, he believed in his vison.

In Tiernan Lynch and Gareth Clements, Kenny has two men he trusts implicitly and they’ve delivered on that vision. Since he arrived there has been plenty of talk about the money Kenny has invested in the first team and, at times, people have even questioned if Tiernan was the man who could deliver the ‘dream’ of Champions League music playing out over the tannoy system at Inver. The one constant however, over the past four seasons has been the owner’s backing for both his top lieutenants in Tiernan and Gareth. I have written before about the harmony at the club and I have experienced the atmosphere and the hospitality.

It is clear to see that Gareth Clements runs the business side of the club superbly. He makes sure the ‘Larne FC’ brand grows and is partnered with suitable commercial projects. The matchday experience at Inver Park is second to none while Tiernan has built the football side of the business year on year, if a bit slower than some people anticipated.

However, it is Kenny Bruce who, with his unwavering support has allowed both men to go about their roles with a confidence that they have time to build the project, the vision that Kenny has painted for them.

Larne’s title win is the perfect example of an owner with a vision; an owner who stuck to his plan while showing patience and bravery to back his key people, faith that got it’s ultimate reward at the weekend.

Kenny Bruce has engineered a remarkable turnaround with his club. In Tiernan Lynch he has a manager who has taken time to get his team to this juncture, but he looks to be building a very sustainable football club, with both first team and academy working within a full-time structures.

Gareth Clements has run the commercial side of the club to match and support the work on the pitch with progress year on year. The club is at the very heart of the town, it’s a beacon of light and with the plans they have for their training ground the future looks very exciting.

Kenny Bruce has led Larne with vision and patience, putting his people first and he got his reward for fervently sticking to his plan. Particularly when others might have questioned it over the past few seasons when the big prizes eluded them.

As Nelson Mandela wrote in his book, ‘Long Walk to Freedom’: “It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur.”