Sean O’Driscoll and Pepijn Lijnders: Liverpool’s new men in profile

Liverpool have named Sean O’Driscoll as their new assistant manager and elevated Pepijn Lijnders to the role of first-team development coach as part of a shake-up of Brendan Rodgers’ backroom staff. Here, Press Association Sport looks at the two new men.

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Sean O’Driscoll – Assistant Manager

O’Driscoll, 58, has spent 36 years in the professional game as a player and coach. He started his playing career at Fulham in 1979 and moved to Bournemouth five years later.

He went on to make a then record 423 league appearances for the Cherries before joining their coaching staff after his retirement in 1995.

O’Driscoll, who even started work as a physio at Bournemouth while still a player, was elevated to manager at Dean Court in 2000. He guided them to a promotion in 2003 before joining Doncaster in 2006.

He has since managed Crawley, Nottingham Forest, Bristol City and England Under-19s.

At Doncaster, O’Driscoll won the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy and promotion to the Championship. Committed to a fluid style, he maintained their position in that division before leaving in 2011.

His spell in charge of Forest lasted just five months before he was surprisingly sacked on Boxing Day 2012 with his side just a point outside the Championship play-off places and having beaten Leeds 4-2 earlier in the day.

He quickly moved on to Bristol City but his reputation took a knock as he failed to avoid relegation to League One and left less than four months into the following season.

He said after his departure from Forest: “I don’t think you fear something like that happening, because you go into every job in football knowing that you will ultimately get the sack.”

O’Driscoll, who won three caps for the Republic of Ireland, is nicknamed ‘Noisy’ for his quiet, studious manner.

In November 2008, O’Driscoll first crossed paths with Rodgers. His Bristol City side played out a 1-1 draw with Rodgers’ Watford.

Pepijn Lijnders, First-Team Development Coach

Dutchman Lijnders, 32, previously held roles at PSV Eindhoven, for five seasons, and FC Porto, for seven, before taking on a job at Liverpool’s Academy last year.

He has impressed the club in his season in charge of the under-16s side, showing a desire to play to attractive, attacking football.

At Porto he worked with all age-group sides from under-sixes through to first team. When moving to Merseyside he said Liverpool were one of the “few clubs in Europe with more history and tradition than FC Porto.”