Thomas Stewart was a one-man band in Sweden but believes his managerial career can hit the high notes as he closes in on his next move.
Former Irish League striker Thomas Stewart is looking to make his mark in management. After taking on the role of manager for Ytterhogdals IK, a team in the Swedish fourth division, he believes it has been a transformative experience.
"There are definitely opportunities over here," Stewart shared with Mirror Sport. "There's a good track record of managers and coaches moving up, having been here. "The biggest problem was I didn't have any staff, I was the only one doing it because of the budget," he explained. "I had a helper, a 70 year old man from Sweden, but he didn't take any pitch sessions or anything. He helped pick up cones and put mannequins away.
He added: "Where I was very small and wouldn't be somewhere I'd want to live going forward, but it allowed me to focus on football. "I got offered a new contract but I felt it was right to move on and experience something else. I felt I took the club as far as I could in terms of how success was viewed at a club with no budget, no coaches, no physio. I've done the best I could without any of that and that's a success. Beating some of the top teams and finishing in the top six was a good achievement. For me, it was about trying to show everyone how good I was within my surroundings.
However, he admires McKenna's swift ascent in coaching and sees potential for similar progress in his own career. Since leaving Ytterhogdals, he has signed with a prominent Swedish agency and has started receiving offers from both local and international clubs, including those from America.
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