Irish Premiership: Glentoran sack manager Declan Devine after winless run

Glentoran owner Ali Pour warned on Saturday that the pressure was on Devine to deliver this season.

Pour explained that Devine had at his disposal a squad that he had “hand-picked” after being provided with “the biggest budget of any manager”.

But, as has been the case for much of Pour’s time at the club, big spending off the pitch has not returned success on it.

Pour was in attendance for Saturday’s drab draw with Bangor when supporters certainly made their feelings clear.

Despite an inconsistent campaign last season, the Glens were in control of their own destiny in the title race with two games to go.

Knowing two wins would secure a first title since 2009, they drew 0-0 at home to eventual champions Larne before they were then thumped 6-2 by Coleraine on the final day, with the Bannsiders pipping them to second spot.

Disappointment from the previous season has perhaps seeped into the current campaign as they were knocked out of Europe at the first hurdle by RFS and then lost to rivals Linfield and suffered back-to-back defeats against Crusaders and Larne.

The loss of midfielder Cammy Palmer in the summer has been keenly felt, while injuries have hampered Devine in the early part of the new season too.

They have struggled for a focal point in the absence of last season’s top scorer Pat Hoban, while new signing Conor McMenamin will need time to ensure his second stint at the Oval lives up to the expectation established by his brilliant first spell.

The Glens still have a talented squad for whomever comes in next, but they will have to change the mentality of the players, who Devine’s assistant Tim McCann said on Saturday needed to start taking “accountability” for their “unacceptable displays”.

With ground to make up already in the title race, Glentoran supporters will hope that the new boss can quickly spark a new manager bounce to inject some life into what has been a listless campaign.