Eamon Dunphy column: 'I owe the League of Ireland an apology, Stephen Bradley and Damien Duff have proved me wrong'

Shamrock Rovers' exploits in the Europa Conference League and Shelbourne's title success under Damien Duff have forced me to change my mind about the League of Ireland. It used to grate; now I think it is great.

By: irishmirror.ie

Dec 19 2024
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Eamon Dunphy column: 'I owe th

For a long time, I have been no friend of the League of Ireland.

Soured by my own experience of it, when I worked with John Giles at Shamrock Rovers in the late 1970s, I quickly became disillusioned by the people who ran clubs into the ground and their general failure to meet basic standards.

And as years turned to decades, I saw little change.

Yes, there were triers, some high achievers, yet they tended to be self-made men rather than products of a functional system.

There is an argument out there that the League was under-appreciated, a talent factory, seeing how Roy Keane, Ronnie Whelan and Paul McGrath emerged from it.

But look a little closer at the facts. Keane was spotted by the Nottingham Forest scout playing in a FAI Youth Cups match not in a League of Ireland fixture.

Whelan was barely at Home Farm a wet week while the bigger question around McGrath is how did so many League of Ireland clubs fail for years to notice this world class talent on their doorstep, when he was playing amateur football for Dalkey?

That sort of thing wouldn’t happen now because there has been a massive change inside the League.

New people have come into it and they have made me change my mind about the quality of the fare, the purpose of its existence and its standing in the football world.

These people must be acknowledged.

Let’s start with Stephen Bradley. He has got Shamrock Rovers a guaranteed spot in European knockout football after Christmas. They have made €5.5m so far this season in Europe. He also won four League titles in a row prior to this. The sophistication of his team’s tactical set-up is as impressive as any team in Europe. The difference, of course, is that many other European teams have greater finances and by extension greater players.

Shamrock Rovers manager Stephen Bradley at Stamford Bridge (Image: INPHO/Laszlo Geczo)

It’s no surprise then that Bradley’s achievements have garnered interest abroad. Millwall are keen on him but Bradley will probably stay in Ireland because of the sad circumstances surrounding his young son, who is recovering from a serious illness.

That shows the man’s integrity and character while the Rovers results show his footballing intelligence.

Look at the teams who were below Shamrock Rovers in the Europa Conference League table yesterday morning.

You had Rapid Vienna, who Rovers held to a 1-1 draw in the Austrian capital.

Now there are some of us of a certain age who remember Rapid Vienna playing in the 1985 Cup Winners Cup final against the greatest Everton team of the twentieth century. An Irishman, Kevin Sheedy, scored in that final. The Rapid Vienna name is written into European football history.

As is Panathinaikos’. Again, I am showing my age, but I can remember Panathinaikos appearing in a European Cup final at Wembley. I was at the game.

Now they are below Shamrock Rovers, as are Rapid Vienna, as are Real Betis, the former La Liga winners. These are massive clubs. Yet they trail Rovers.

And why?

Because in Stephen Bradley they have a hell of a manager.

And he is not the only one in the League who has impressed me.

The young manager of Sligo, John Russell, is an innovator. Stuck with a tiny budget, he loses good players year on year.

And yet he manages to rebuild the team while maintaining his principles. Others are more hard-nosed and experienced, like Alan Reynolds at Bohemians and John Caulfield at Galway. Yet they’re clever.

So is Stephen Kenny. I know the Ireland job didn’t work out for him but he was unlucky in the post. And he is rehabilitating both himself and St Pat’s since he swapped the Aviva Stadium for Inchicore.

I also like Kevin Doherty. To take a career break from the postal service to throw yourself full-time into the volatile world of football management takes courage. He was repaid with his capture of this year's FAI Cup.

Drogheda’s Kevin Doherty meets with Bray’s Pat Devlin before kick off (Image: Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Ken Sutton)

The point is that it is not just Stephen Bradley who is a top level coach within the League of Ireland. All 10 of the Premier League managers have really good credentials which means that Bradley and also Damien Duff are being mentally challenged on a weekly basis.

The Duffer story really is an extraordinary one.

He was one of the top Irish players of all time; deservedly placed in the same bracket as Liam Brady, John Giles and the two Keanes. Now he has also proven to be a top coach. He has turned Shelbourne into a real team.

I know Damien. I worked with him.

He is his own man, quiet, determined, a one-off.

When he took over Shelbourne, they were newly promoted. Relegation was expected. That was just three years ago. Now look at them. They are champions of Ireland, and got there through the inspiring leadership of their passionate manager.

At the recent Soccer Writers Annual Banquet, where Damien was named Personality of the Year, myself, John Giles and Liam Brady told Damien’s parents how proud they must be of their son. His work at Shelbourne is a great story, as is Bradley’s at Rovers.

Both men are important because they are living proof that people working here are good enough.

Once upon a time, I wouldn’t have said that.

I wasn’t wrong to criticise that League of Ireland but now I am happy to praise the current League.

And it comes down to men like Duffer.

He came home. He rolled his sleeves up. He had a tough task.

He achieved something really important.

I find it inspiring and admirable that he has had the guts to take a job and turn a club into League of Ireland champions. I find it equally inspiring that yesterday morning, when I checked the Europa Conference League table, there were three clubs, just three, who were unbeaten in the group stages. And Rovers were one of those.

So, that is why I am making an apology.

I was the worst critic of the League.

But I am happy now to put my hands up and say I should think again.

We need to change soccer in Ireland. We need to change the FAI. We now have a manager in charge of the international team who has no real CV and would not compare with the two people I have spoken at length about here, Duff and Bradley.

That is why we have to acknowledge and celebrate their achievements.

If we don’t, we are wrong because this could be a turning point not just for League of Ireland football but also for our international team.

Change is happening before our eyes. I’ll admit it took me years to open mine. But I’m so glad I did. Our League of Ireland is special. It took me a long time to realise that.

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