CONOR Hourihane says he has been ‘given the green light on pretty much all of it’ from the Barnsley board as he looks to make changes at the club starting with a reshuffle of his coaching staff.
The 34-year-old was appointed head coach permanently last Friday after a month as interim boss.
Hourihane told the Chronicle: “It’s a huge honour and I am delighted.
“I think I am coming into it at a good time when everyone realises that the club needs a bit of a fresh start.
“There will be changes on and off the pitch.
“Whatever that may be, I am getting the green light on pretty much all of it.
“The club have been brilliant and I am looking forward to the last couple of weeks then the summer with a lot more organising to do.”
He added: “The biggest thing is the connection with the fans. I want to bring that back with abundance. I want the place to be bouncing next season and a hard place for opposition players to come. I want to give them a team they can enjoy coming to see at Oakwell.
“I want to bring the connection and buzz back because that ‘all together as one’ mentality can be really really powerful.”
Assistant coach Martin Devaney left the club this week, having spent six years with the Reds as a player then a decade as a coach including two spells as caretaker.
Hourihane said: “We needed a bit of a change in the club, it’s as simple as that. He’s been here for a long time and we wish him all the best in his future endeavours.”
Hourihane said he would ‘wait and see’ whether Jon Stead and Tom Harban, who he has been working with in recent weeks, would stay in his first team coaching staff.
He is understood to be looking to bring in a new coach.
He told the Chronicle: “People might put two and two together and think I might want and need a really experienced coach. But not necessarily.
“It literally just needs to fit what I want in an assistant coach, whether that’s tactically decent ideas or someone experienced who has been around the block. I know it’s an important one for me so I need to get it right.”
The Reds’ retained list is due to be announced at the end of the season and Hourihane suggested he had already made up his mind on who would be released.
“It is pretty straight-forward how I see things. The club know. The wheels are in motion. The big thing is for everyone to get clarity as soon as possible so we can move forward.”
Hourihane said he was ‘comfortable’ with the budget he would be working under next season. He added: “It’s not Birmingham money but we need to get back to the environment, energy, culture, high energy, high press and make this place a tough place to come. That’s more powerful than any budget.”
He also said he was already talking to players he had previously played with about potential moves to Barnsley.
