Ian Baraclough: Northern Ireland boss on losing his mum, NI's new breed and 'feeling sorry for himself' during Euro 2020

Baraclough succeeded Michael O'Neill as Northern Ireland boss in June 2020

Ian Baraclough was forced to reckon with the fragility of human life much younger than most when, at eight years old, he tragically lost his mother to cancer.

His mother loved her football and her passing left an unimaginably dark hole in his life.

"I still think of it now and I get emotional about it," said Baraclough during a wide-ranging interview on BBC Radio Ulster's 'Sportsound Meets' programme.

"My mum would have been really proud of what I've achieved. She loved her football, she loved supporting me and my brothers and was taken too early.

But Baraclough is quick to highlight the role his father and brothers played in helping him cope with the heartache, providing the kind of support network that proves crucial at such a difficult time.

"My brothers, the two above me are twins, they're seven years older than me. My eldest brother is 14 years older than me, so he'd gone off to earn his crust in the navy.

"The next one is nine years older than me so a lot of responsibility was put on their shoulders to help me out and guide me.

"But my dad was working in the day as a patternmaker, joiner and in the evenings he'd go out and was helping his brother, my uncle, as a debt collector.

"When I think back, how would he have had time to get his tea, to sleep, get up the next day. The sacrifices he's made have been immense. I look up to him greatly."

Baraclough's playing career included a spell at Queens Park Rangers between 1998 and 2001

Baraclough says that period of his life was a "lesson" that he would not wish on anybody, but one that forms an important part of his story.

It provided him with a mental fortitude and toughness of spirit for which he has become renowned and that carried him through a playing career that started at hometown club Leicester City and saw him turn out over 600 times for the likes of Lincoln City, Notts County, Queens Park Rangers and Scunthorpe United.

A keen footballing student, Baraclough made the step up to management in 2010 when Scunthorpe boss Nigel Adkins left to join Southampton.

Having been dismissed after just six months, his coaching career was in danger of prematurely fizzling out until he received a surprise call regarding the vacant managerial position at Sligo Rovers.

At the time, Baraclough didn't know where Sligo was but the western county would soon become something of a second home during a two-year stint that yielded Rovers' first League of Ireland title in 35 years and success in the FAI Cup and Setanta Cup.

After leaving the Showgrounds in June 2014, he replaced Stuart McCall at Motherwell, and while his tenure at Fir Park lasted only nine months, he takes great pride in having guided the Steelmen to Scottish Premiership safety via a play-off win over Rangers in May 2015.

And after an impressive spell overseeing the Northern Ireland Under-21 team, he landed the biggest job of his career when he was appointed Michael O'Neill's successor with the senior side.

It hasn't been smooth sailing, of course, with November's Euro 2020 play-off defeat by Slovakia a brutal reminder of football's ups and downs after just five months in the Windsor Park hotseat, and one that impacted his enjoyment of watching the Euros from home.

"The first couple of days of the Euros I was feeling sorry for myself," he admits.

"I didn't really want to be watching the games, but as soon as I'd seen a couple, I just thought 'yeah, chance missed' but we've got players coming through to make it a stronger squad and make it right next time around.

"Whether the World Cup will come too early for us, we'll certainly be in contention for qualifying for the next Euros."

Baraclough guided Motherwell to Scottish Premiership safety in 2015 at the expense of Rangers

'Competition for places will be fierce'

Having missed out on the Euros, Baraclough's next major assignment will be to try to secure World Cup qualification, although pipping Switzerland to second place in Group C will be a big ask after picking up one point from the opening two games.

But the 50-year-old is excited about the new breed of young Northern Irish internationals coming through, especially in attacking areas with the likes of Shayne Lavery and Dion Charles having broken into the senior set-up in recent years.

And Baraclough admits that their presence in the squad will naturally put pressure on the Josh Magennis and Kyle Lafferty, who is now playing his club football in Cyprus with Anorthosis Famagusta.

"Kyle knows that he's got to be playing well and scoring goals because we've got players coming back from injuries and it's getting more and more competitive in those front areas," said Baraclough.

"We have Kyle, Liam Boyce, Conor Washington, Josh Magennis, Shayne Lavery, Dion Charles, Paul Smyth and Dale Taylor, a real exciting 17-year-old at Nottingham Forest.

"The competition for places will get more and more fierce and the likes of Kyle and Josh know that they've got competition."

And with Conor Hazard, Ali McCann, Ciaron Brown, Conor Bradley, Alfie McCalmont and Ethan Galbraith tipped to become Northern Ireland mainstays in the coming years, Baraclough is excited with the new breed of the Green and White Army's prospects.

"I'm someone who will give young players a chance if they're applying themselves right.

"But we have a clutch of senior players that have a role to play with the younger ones, to bring them through, but they're a real top-drawer set of senior lads and they set the tone.

"There is a real exciting crop of players coming through and hopefully I'm the man to take them through the next few years."

You can listen to the full interview with Ian Baraclough on BBC Radio Ulster's 'Sportsound Meets' at 14:00 BST on Saturday 7 August or listen live or listen again on BBC Sounds.