‘We don’t get four points if we beat Bohs’
Bradley understands fan anger but insists progress is being made
IT will be a case of 32 years of hurt, at least, for Shamrock Rovers when it comes to the FAI Cup after the club’s hunt for a first success in the competition since 1987 ended before it even began with last week’s firstround loss to Drogheda United.
Ending a barren run of a different kind is the short-term aim for Rovers as they square up to Bohemians at Tallaght Stadium on Friday night, eager to end a run of four league clashes without a win over their bitter rivals, with two wins for Bohs and a draw in their meetings this term.
Manager Stephen Bradley has played down the importance of Friday’s meeting with Bohs and, wisely, he has opted not to repeat his claim before recent derbies that the game was “their cup final” as far as Bohs were concerned – especially as the Gypsies are still in the Cup and are on form, scoring 18 goals in the last four games.
“It’s a Dublin derby and we know there is a lot made of it. But we also know that, if we win the game, we don’t get four points – we get three,” he said.
The Rovers coach (pictured) says he understands the frustration of supporters who vented their anger after the 1-0 loss to second-tier side Drogheda.
Out of the FAI Cup at the first-round stage and 21 points off second place, the aim for the rest of 2018 a top-three finish and Europa League qualification.
But Bradley (below) insists that the Hoops are closing the gap on the two teams who have dominated for the last five seasons, champions Cork City and Dundalk, and brushes off any concern about his own job security.
“We’ve lost the first round up in Drogheda. They’re angry, they’re frustrated and they’ve every right to be,” he said of the Hoops support.
“We should go and win the game. We should be at least putting in a better performance than we did. They’ve every right to be angry.
“The players were angry, we all were. It’s a competition we felt we could have gone far in but we didn’t. We didn’t perform and we got beaten. We have to accept it and move on.” Pre-season, the ambition for Rovers was to push the top two. They finished 22 points behind champions Cork City last season and right now they’re 23 points adrift of Cork (with a game in hand), but Bradley insists progress is being made that’s not always evident in the league table.
“I know what we’re doing, I know where we were and where we are and where we need to go. So there’s no issue whatsoever,” he claimed.
“If you just look at it like that, that’s the way you’ll come out, but if you really look at it in depth and see what we’re doing in terms of the team and seeing what we have, I know where we are. We’re not a million miles away. “Other people will have their opinion and their say – I’ve no problem with that. That comes with the territory. “But I’m quite
comfortable in terms of understanding where we need to get to. We know what we need to get there, we know how far we’ve come since we’ve come in. We’ve changed the whole dynamic of the team.
“A lot of teams, a lot of managers and clubs, usually need three or four windows to get things right.
“If we had sat down a couple of years ago and said where we’d we be in terms of building what we’re building, I don’t think we’re a million miles away.”
Rovers have already banked €350,000 this season from the sale of Graham Burke to Preston but the Hoops maintain that talk of a January move, to Manchester City for a similar fee, for 16-year-old ’keeper Gavin Bazunu is premature.
SUCCESSFUL
Bradley maintains that the teenager, who enjoyed a successful run of clean sheets in the first team this summer, plans to be at Rovers, and in school, next year.
“There’s nothing changed. He’s still a Shamrock Rovers player. There is a lot of interest obviously but nothing has changed,” said Bradley, adding that Bazunu plans to sit the Leaving Cert next summer in the Rovers-affiliated Ashfield College.
“That’s always been Gavin’s plan. That’s the reason we put him into Ashfield, because he wanted to finish his education and I don’t see that changing.
“It’s about the player and his parents, it’s what they want. The education side was really important. I don’t see that changing. I expect Gavin to complete his Leaving Cert with us and be a Shamrock Rovers player.”