From Wembley Hero to Head Coach: McNulty Returns Home
John Bilsbury reflects on the appointment of Jim McNulty as Head Coach:
Once the club announced the departure of Dave Challinor, the speculation about who would replace him began. Suggestions on social media ranged from the terrifying (Neil Warnock, Sam Allerdyce) through the plausible (Clint Hill, Andy Preece) to the preposterous (Pep Guardiola, Arne Slot).
One name cropped up more than all the others though and now it’s been confirmed; Stockport County’s new Head Coach, appointed on a three-year deal, is Jim McNulty. He comes to us on the back of a promotion season at Rochdale in which the team won 33 matches and amassed 106 points. Despite this huge total they finished second to York in the National League but were able to overcome Scunthorpe and Boreham Wood in the playoffs to get back to League 2 after three seasons in the fifth tier.
Jim’s playing career as a central defender covered spells at Wrexham, Macclesfield, Brighton, Barnsley and Rochdale but most notably at County, where he was part of the team to win promotion to League 1 at Wembley in 2008. He was no stranger to injury in his playing days, breaking a leg while at Macclesfield and rupturing his right kidney, which later had to be removed, during his time at Brighton. To come back from serious setbacks like those suggests a strength of character that bodes well for a career in football at any level.
His first taste of management came at Rochdale where he had two spells as caretaker manager in 2022 and 2023. He was given the job full time in May 2023 and presided over steady progress in all departments, culminating in the recent promotion. At only forty-one, he’s regarded as one of the most promising young managers around, with a reputation for developing young players, playing stylish, winning football and delivering improvement season after season.
There are bound to be challenges; the new financial restraints will undoubtedly play a part and we have players under contract who have yet to fulfil their promise, so balancing the books and motivating the existing squad will be major parts of the job.
The Supporters’ Co-op are delighted to see one of our own returning to the club and look forward to the coming season with enthusiasm and renewed optimism.