Dino Maamria speaks on being sacked by Barrow after 28 days; Sam Foley gives speech to players

Dino Maamria speaks on being sacked by Barrow after 28 days, and a video emerges of Sam Foley, who gives speech to players.

In his six games in charge, his side picked up one win, four points overall, with the club only outside the relegation zone on goal difference.

But Dino Maamria has said in a statement via the League Managers Association that he’s disappointed not to have been given the chance to lead the Bluebirds to safety in League Two.

In his first role since leaving Burton Albion in December 2023, he collected four points from six matches after replacing Paul Gallagher, who was sacked after a five-game stint, losing all of those.

Barrow have midfielder Sam Foley in charge as player-head coach until the end of the 2025/25 season, with first match in charge is at home to Accrington Stanley this weekend.

The former Barrow AFC head coach Dino Maamria has issued a statement via the League Managers Association following his departure from the Bluebirds this week after 28 days.#bbcfootball #barrowafc #bluebirds #bafc pic.twitter.com/OtPP4HWUJc

— BBC Sport Cumbria (@bbccumbriasport) March 13, 2026

Dino Maamria statement:

“It’s obviously disappointing that my time at Barrow AFC has come to such an abrupt end.

“When I arrived, the club was in a very difficult position. The team had lost six games on the spin and had won just one of the previous sixteen, so confidence and belief were understandably low. I knew the scale of the challenge, but I was clear about what needed to be done to start moving the team in the right direction.

“In six games, with very limited training time and a squad heavily affected by injuries, I was proud of the response from the players and the improvements we began to see in both performances and points per game. We collected four points in that period, but the reality is it could easily have been ten. We dropped valuable points in the final moments against Fleetwood, Gillingham and Cheltenham, despite putting ourselves in strong positions in those games, something we had already begun addressing with the group.

“What gave me the greatest belief was the reaction of the players. Their attitude, commitment and the emotional messages many of them have sent me over the last 48 hours meant a great deal to me. In a short space of time we built a strong connection and a shared belief in where the team was heading.

“I would like to thank the owners for giving me the opportunity to manage this fantastic football club. It was a privilege to lead Barrow, even for a short period.

“To the players, staff and especially the Bluebirds supporters, thank you for the warmth and support you showed me from day one. The connection with the fans and the town of Barrow was something I genuinely felt and appreciated. I’m sorry I didn’t get the time to deliver the results you deserve. I was confident and had every belief that we would complete the job of maintaining the club’s EFL status, which makes it even more disappointing not to have been given the chance to finish that work.

“Barrow AFC will remain a club close to my heart, and I genuinely believe that with stability the club can retain its EFL status and move forward again.

“I wish everyone at the club the very best for the future.”‍

Dino Maamria

📩 𝙄𝙣𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙖𝙜𝙚

Foles spoke to the squad for the first time this morning since taking over at the helm🤝#WeAreBarrow pic.twitter.com/BjsbHLjJ84

— Barrow AFC (@BarrowAFC) March 12, 2026

Sam Foley said in a speech to his players: “It’s in our hands. We just need to bring ourselves together, see it through. We’re going to make training enjoyable, we’re to make the atmosphere enjoyable. We’ve to take us back to why we played football in the first place. It’s because we loved it.

“I’ve said it before to you, you’ve seen millions off to get to where you are. Like you’re here now, you’ve got to be able to enjoy it. There shouldn’t be pressure on you. We have got the best job. It’s what we always wanted to do as kids, just play football.

“We need to really realise what we’ve got and take control of it. When you come in in the morning, you drive in. You need to consciously make an effort of, where’s my attitude today?

“Because you’re going to be the one that’s in control of how you turn up and what you do and how you apply yourself.

“Just make this more enjoyable, spill that onto there, performance as a result will come. I’m not going ask you to do loads.

“When you’re on the pitch, it’s you. You’re the one making decisions. There’ll be opportunities. But I’m not going to change. I’m going to be the same person that I was two days ago.

“The only difference is I’m picking a team. So when I’m playing Paul, you might have to let me win. We’re all here to help you. So anything you need, any questions on anything, we’re all together. Just come and see us.”

We spoke to the Barrow AFC captain Niall Canavan at training earlier on today for his reaction to the departure of Dino Maamria as the latest Bluebirds head coach yesterday.#bbcfootball #barrowafc #bluebirds #bafc pic.twitter.com/cooffPW64M

— BBC Sport Cumbria (@bbccumbriasport) March 12, 2026

Here’s what fans are saying as Dino Maamria speaks on being sacked by Barrow after 28 days and Sam Foley gives a speech to players…

@c_p_8: Solid statement, can’t legislate for players game management in final moments of key games. Three times.

@russhrew: A lesson for everyone there. Stay classy. Well done Mr Maamria.

@MRothermere: Class statement from a class act. He would 100% have kept Barrow up. Crazy decision to sack him. I recommended Dino for the Shrewsbury job last season and he nearly got Ito hope he’s back in football soon

@ThaBoyFromBankz: Brilliant work from our Dino. 🙌🏻

@MisterB183: Thank you Dino @Dino_Maamria shame that it hasn’t worked out as I believe that you would have ultimately kept us up. Good luck with your future endeavours.

@LeeMcK77: I thought he would be more bitter – this is good from him. The football was rubbish – but the winning positions we have been in would have seen us out of trouble. Lack of fitness? Poor attitude? Don’t care? Playing squad has a lot to answer for – as do the recruitment team

@RichMalNich: His manner and demeanour was outstanding from day 1, win or lose. His commitment was self-evident and he had won the fans over. Such a shame. I’m sure he’ll find his level and thrive.

@GuyHolmes3: He deserves better, the owner of Barrow doesn’t, feel for the fans

@akaollie1903: Pretty classy statement

@InTheShires: Given what happened that is an incredibly statement from Dino