Gavin Cooney

PRE-SEASON’S SIMMERING tensions were cranked up a couple of weeks ago by Dundalk striker Pat Hoban, who dismissed Shamrock Rovers’ title triumph in 2020′s Covid-shortened season. 

“It’s a proper league, isn’t it?” Hoban told Dundalk FC’s official website ahead of 2021′s reversion to a full fixture list. “You’re telling me that winning the league after 18 games is winning a league? It’s not. It’s like being top of the table in June and saying ‘we won the league’. Come on. Let’s be realistic here.”

Rovers manager Stephen Bradley dismissed Hoban’s comments this morning, speaking ahead of the two sides first clash of the season in tomorrow’s President’s Cup. 

“I think that shows where Pat is in his head more than anything”, said Bradley. “Probably a bit insecure to be fair. I think the players know, everybody knows, what we were, what we did, and I don’t think that is up for debate to be honest. If we win it by a point, it’s up for discussion but I don’t know what we were ahead in the end. It wasn’t a couple of points.” 

Rovers won the league without losing a game, finishing 11 points clear of second-placed Bohemians and 22 points ahead of Dundalk, who finished third. 

“We’re probably in their heads more than we know”, continued Bradley. “Look, that’s not our issue, that’s for them to deal with. We’ll concentrate on what we do, improving what we do and making sure that we’re better than we were last year.”

The week has been dominated by fall-out to Dundalk’s attempts to clarify their coaching set-up. Shane Keegan, the only Uefa Pro Licence holder on staff, has been listed as manager while Filippo Giovagnoli – heralded as Head Coach by the club four months ago – is now listed on the Dundalk site as merely a coach, with Director of Football Jim Magilton saying Giovagnoli doesn’t pick the team. 

Dundalk’s rejig isn’t exactly high on Bradley’s mind ahead of tomorrow night. 

“I don’t really care to be honest. I’ve no interest. It’s the last thing I’d be looking at. Honestly, I have more things to worry about here than to be worried about who is picking the team.

“I think the tea lady could pick the team up there and it would be a good team given the standard of the players in the squad. It’s a squad full of internationals. I think they were on record last year as saying they expect to have the best players because they pay the best money so I think anyone could pick a decent team out of it, from the squad of 20-odd that they have.” 

Bradley’s side start the new season shorn of Jack Byrne and Aaron McEneff, two of their star performers across the last two season, but Bradley is focusing on the collective. 

“It would be fair to say we lost two good players, there is no doubt and you can’t deny that. One is an international and one will be. But this group is built on the group, I think how we play, everyone sees that, understands how we play, have watched our games will see that it is built on what we do as a team.

“That doesn’t change,we’ve a really really good squad, a really strong squad. And it’s going to be nice have all those eyes on us, people wanting to beat us, people talking about us, that’s what you want. If you’re doing that, it means you’re doing something right.” 

Rory Gaffney is fit having missed most of last season with an achilles injury, and Bradley says the striker can be like a new signing to go along with the other fresh arrivals: Danny Mandroiu, Seans Gannon and Hoare and experienced midfielder Chris McCann. All have been signed to fit into Rovers system, says Bradley. 

“They don’t [change the team's dynamic.]

“It’s important when you recruit that you recruit for what you do. There is no point getting the players and then trying to change what you do. When we identified the players we were interested in, it was always to improve on what we’ve done.

“It’s about getting them in and getting them to understand our ways and habits and to be fair they have picked it up very quickly. Both Seans have played against it and have both liked it when they played against it and said how hard it is. They understood it to a certain degree and they just had to tweak it a little bit.

“Chris played this way under Tata Martino at Atlanta so he knows it very well and has actually brought some really good ideas with him. He knew it which was a real positive. And Danny is the type who can play in any system. He has really good attributes.” 

Rovers will be without Neil Farrugia, Sean Kavanagh and Lee Grace for tomorrow’s game: the latter pair are rested with slight knocks but are expected to be fit for the opening game of the league season next week.