‘I Don’t Like Shelbourne at the Minute’—Damien Duff Reveals Three Major Concerns
Damien Duff has admitted that he “does not like [Shelbourne] at the minute,” after a run of four games without a win.
The League of Ireland champions kick-started the campaign on a high. They managed maximum points from the first two matches. However, they have only picked up a further three points out of the next four. This includes a 1-0 defeat at home to Drogheda United, and Friday’s clash against Cork City, in which they could only salvage a draw.
Damien Duff Has Three Major Concerns for Shelbourne
Speaking after the draw against the Rebels, the Shelbourne boss admitted his team is lacking ‘hard work, honesty, and togetherness’—qualities he believes are more important than tactics on the pitch. The 46-year-old admitted he “is not sure where [his team] is at with that.”
“Football rewards hard work, honesty and togetherness; forget about tactics and where to stand, just those three things. I am not sure where we are at with that.”
– Damien Duff
The Shels manager conceded that the first-half performance against Cork City was “one of the worst halves of football” since his arrival at Tolka Park four seasons ago. However, he did not throw his players under the bus, believing the staff, including himself, are part of the reason for their recent struggles.
“You can have all the coaching licenses you want, but sometimes you just have a sixth sense, and I don’t like us, and that includes us staff as well,” Duff continued on to say.
Still Time to Turn Things Around
Despite the recent results, Duff is remaining calm about his side’s title defense. However, the Reds supporters may start to worry about their team’s title prospects this season.
Although, to put it into perspective, the current champions are only two points off the top, and there are plenty of games to go until the next League of Ireland winner is crowned.
The Shels manager echoed this sentiment by saying, “There is a long way to go; it is a similar year to last. Teams are going to beat each other, and it will be a tight league once again.”
“I am not alarmed by points or anything like that.”
– Damien Duff
But if performances similar to the last four continue to be commonplace, the Tolka side could find themselves even further off first place.
In an attempt to turn around the recent poor form, the former Chelsea footballer is giving his players and staff an extra day off during the upcoming break. He admits that everyone involved, even himself, “needs to go off and take a look at themselves,” and that they “aren’t giving enough.”
With the international break taking place, Shelbourne’s next fixture won’t take place until Friday, 28th March, as they travel to Sligo Rovers. This gives the champions time to reset, and potentially rediscover themselves on the pitch. All eyes will be on Damien Duff’s Shelbourne—will this prove to be just a blip, or the start of a deeper crisis?
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