Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Marc Smyth treat Bohs lightly
Black. There are a lot of good people at the club who do a bit of a thankless task who were always very good with me.
“Airdrie are a bit of a yo- yo club, certainly when I was there, but I remember when I scored that penalty and we won the cup, I was just delighted for Kenny Black. He brought so much professionalism to the club and was working 24/7. He overcame obstacles that were put in front of him. His work ethic was second to none.
The centre-back went on: “Kenny was doing things like video analysis before that was even a thing. He was really into strength and conditioning. That is why he is so highly thought of in coaching in Scotland.
“He used to have two A4 books of notes after every game, and these were in the days before online videos where you can skip through. He would go through minute by minute.
“It was great to give him something for his hard work.”
Although keen to see the Diamonds in the hunt for silverware again, he hoped to see them take a conservative view of where the club should be in the pyramid.
“We all have to be realistic about where the club are,” he added. “If you look at the fan base, and the money coming in, you don’t want to push too far.
“At the end of the day, in their current form, Airdrie aren’t going to be a Premier League team. It’s just not realistic. It’s hard enough to compete at the level they are at just now and fund the club.
“They should keep going the way they are going, trying to get out of this league. If they can punch above their weight, then great. They don’t want to overspend. Just look at Bury and Bolton in England just now, that’s a warning to every club at every level.”
Bohemians profile
Manager: Keith Long Stadium: Dalymount Park, Dublin Capacity: 3640 League of Ireland titles: 11 FAI Cup wins: 7 League Shield wins: 6 League Cup wins: 3 Final league position last season: 6th Current league position: 3rd Star man: Danny Mandroiu, the 20-year-old, is the club’s top scorer with eight goals from midfield so far this term. good thing. Players get to play teams who they wouldn’t normally face week in, week out. It also means they get a trip to a country they have probably never played in before, for both the Scottish sides and the other teams.
“It’s also that bit more competitive for the players from Ireland, because a lot of them will be part-time and it gives them a chance to put themselves in the shop window in Scotland.”
He added:“I would say this all really depends on the crowds though and how well they respond to the changes.
“If clubs aren’t bringing good crowds in then it will change again I’m sure.”