Floriana FC yesterday officially presented their new coach.

As reported yesterday in this newspaper, he is Iain Brunskill who has signed a contract till the end of the season with an option to extend it further.

Addressing the press yesterday, club president Steve Vaughan Jr. admitted that the club had gone through a period of instability with some administration problems which, unfortunately, also came to the fore on the field. “We are to blame for some of the problems. And we are now trying to stop the rot. The team did badly as the administrative problems also had an effect on the players.

“The club is not in a position where we like to be. But now we must look forward and our priority is to finish the Relegation Pool on top. After that we will see,” he said.

Vaughan said that with Brunskill at the helm, he is sure that the club will have a professional outfit and they were looking ahead towards brighter times at Floriana FC.

New coach Iain Brunskill, formerly assistant coach of England’s Blackburn Rovers, last year in the Premiership and this year in the Championship, said he was glad to be here in Malta. “I consider this as a big challenge for me. I have never been at the helm of a team before in my career. Now I think it is time to go it alone and I believe my previous experiences will help me through at Floriana FC,” he added.

Brunskill said this is not the first time he has been in Malta. “In 2004, he had been here to spend some time with the Liverpool Supporters Clubs of Malta and Gozo.

“Moreover I still recall the great days I had together with Floriana goalie Tony Warner at Liverpool. We go on well together and I am aware that he is enjoying himself here. I cannot see a reason why we cannot be successful at this club,” he added.

Brunskill said that his contract, even till the end of the season for now, will enable him to extend the relation between the seniors of the club and the nursery. “We have to take care of the youngsters. We must get as possibly high as we can though I admit it might take a bit longer than one may expect,” he said.

And he added: “With regards to the senior team, we will be working with the current crop of players in the squad. I have already met some of them, but I will certainly not be leading the team for the match against Hibernians. Assistant Gary Howard will be in charge today. I hope to be able to take my place for the next match. I sincerely hope I will be able to improve the performances of the team,” he added.

Brunskill has worked in England under five different managers, that is, Paul Ince, Sam Allardyce, Steve Kean, Eric Black and Henning Berg. He left the Rovers last month.

Commenting about Blackburn, he said he just hoped they make a quick return to the Premier League.