Cambridge United interim manager Barry Corr has ruled himself out of becoming the U’s next permanent boss, as reported by the Cambridge Independent.
Corr will be at the helm for the first time in Cambridge’s FA Cup home fixture against fellow League One side Fleetwood Town and will be looking to galvanise the players after a string of poor performances.
Those recent performances led to former manager Mark Bonner’s sacking on Wednesday following their 3-0 loss to Lincoln City. With the club currently 18th in League One, it was deemed that Bonner was no longer the best option to lead the club, despite a heroic final day relegation escape last season.
It is expected that Cambridge will explore future managerial options in the coming days and weeks, and there are plenty of proven League One managers currently available.
That being said, the current focus is Saturday’s second round FA Cup tie, a game which will see Barry Corr as well as Kevin Betsy take charge of the U’s.
Corr had been a part of Bonner’s coaching staff since 2021 and is now in the limelight following his sacking earlier in the week. However the 38-year-old has already ruled himself out of the running to become the next manager on a permanent basis.
The ex-Cambridge player is yet to take charge of a side in the professional game, and he himself admits that he is not ready as of yet to permanently lead the team. Speaking to the Cambridge Independent, the Irishman said:
“The time will come when that is my ultimate ambition. I want to be a manager, but at the moment I’m in the process of educating myself towards that.
“You know that in football you might only get one opportunity at it and I want to make sure I’m fully ready. I’m doing lots of external education at the moment.
“Ultimately I would like to, but I don’t want to take this job and there’s definitely going to be an external candidate.”
Although Corr’s words may see himself out of the race to become the next permanent manager, it hardly narrows down the options with so many well-known managers currently out of a job.
It is also unknown what Mark Bonner’s next challenge will be, Corr also paid tribute to his former manager in this interview:
“His contribution can’t be understated at all. The staff room was upset, the players were upset. I said this to the players, whether you’re in the team or not, he treated everybody with real respect and treated them properly.
“That’s not always common in football. The players will have been upset with what’s happened.
“Everybody knows – I don’t need to say the achievements he’s had at the football club.”
Corr will be tested straight away with the visit of Fleetwood on Saturday who themselves are also struggling in League One currently. Just four points separate the two sides in the league and they will no doubt both put out strong sides as they look for a chance to play a Premier League side in the third round.
Writer’s View
I don’t think it comes as too much of a surprise that Corr will not be the next permanent manager however it is admirable that he himself has said that due to wanting to be ready. Cambridge themselves will want a proven EFL manager especially as they may find themselves in the relegation scrap again this season.
We may see Corr in a managerial capacity in years to come and he could be someone to look out for as he obviously cares about his learning and progress. A win on Saturday could begin to turn the tides at the club.
