Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
MAXIE SWAIN
GARRY Breen reckons he’s found his spiritual home at Cliftonville – now all that’s left is the trifling matter of reversing the Reds’ fall from grace.
Ultimately,
Breen admits a return to the glory days of the Tommy
Breslin era has to be the ambition, a glittering two-year period of title triumphs, European nights and irresistible attacking football.
But in the immediate wake of a damaging few weeks on the league front, talk of Irish League domination seems just a little fanciful.
For now, the Irishman is determined to mend things in the shortterm, which means getting his team back on track with a crunch Irish Cup quarter-final against Linfield looming this weekend.
Residing just a stone’s throw away from Cliftonville’s Solitude base in North Belfast, the proud Kilkenny native is an adopted Ulsterman now after some seven seasons plying his trade in the top flight north of the border.
Six of those seasons were spent at Portadown, of course, whose welldocumented travails at the end of last season hastened the break-up of their team – and whose troubles appear to have since deepened with the sacking of Niall Currie on Saturday.
Naturally, Breen retains a fondness for the Shamrock Park club and is monitoring their penance in Championship football with the unease of a concerned relative.
But it’s the huge task he has taken on at Cliftonville which is the only thing on his mind now.
And the size of that challenge was brought into even sharper focus on Saturday when their topsy-turvy season suffered another setback at embattled Glentoran.
Coming hard on the heels of the previous week’s reverse at home to arch-rivals Linfield, it was a result which leaves them languishing outside the European places, a priority target at the beginning of the season.
In the incredibly fickle and impatient world of football, the only result that matters to fans is the last, and their surrender at the Oval was hard to take for a Reds faithful already fuming at a team which can ship six goals at Ballinamallard one week then demolish league leaders Crusaders the next.
In a pained tweet in the aftermath on Saturday’s league loss, Breen said as much, posting: “The last lot of weeks haven’t been acceptable performances for any Cliftonville side and both club and fans deserve a lot better and hopefully [that] can change next week.”
Indeed, inconsistency has been the only constant in Cliftonville’s season, but Breen says the time has long since passed for using a relatively new manager and the usual teething problems which come with it as an excuse.
And with the Blues lying in wait, the 28-year-old defender knows he and his team-mates have the perfect opportunity to banish the storm clouds around the club.
“It has been very up and down this season,” said Breen.
“There have been a few team meetings over the season so far and that has been the main talking point, about getting that consistency. We seem to be flying one week, then down the next week and then back up, so it is very frustrating.
“But next week is the big one for us. “Maybe some people can use the fact it’s a new manager as a small bit of an excuse but a couple of months ago would have been the time to push on.
“But hopefully we can still finish the season strongly, finish as high as we can and obviously push on in the Irish Cup.
“Of course people talk about the team that won back-to-back titles but even just because of the name itself, Cliftonville, we as a club need to be up there challenging.
“And, personally, I don’t think we are far off, if we can just get that consistency, which is the hardest part. Up front, I think it’s the best in the league. Once we get it right on the day it’s absolutely frightening.
“And up until that Ballinamallard game we did have one of the best defensive records as well, so I think it’s just a matter of time before it all clicks and hopefully we can get back to winning ways.
“But I have to say I’m absolutely loving it here, since day one.
“I knew a few of the lads anyway, but every one of the lads in the changing room are top boys and they’ve made me feel welcome from day one on and off the field so I’m loving playing for the club.”
Breen joined Cliftonville last June on a three-year deal, having signed a pre-contract in January.
In his five-and-a-half seasons at Portadown, who he joined in 2011 from Dundalk, he never managed to get his hands on any honours, missing out in the finals of both the League Cup and Irish Cup.
He admits the prospect of challenging for silverware was one of his motivating factors in switching to the Reds where, despite their recent dip in form, he remains confident he can set the record straight.
“When I was at Portadown I knew a few of the Cliftonville lads and you’d get the banter, how many league medals do you have?” said Breen.
“And you’d laugh it off but inside it kind of hurt because at the end of the day that’s what you are judged on as a footballer.
“Earning a few pound doing what you love is great but you want to look back and say I won this and I won this.
“So, ultimately, that is my ambition, to get the club back to winning ways.
“I’m only coming up to a year at
Cliftonville and I want to stay here as long as the club want me and, while I am here, to help as much as I can to bring back those trophies.”
Born in Kilkenny, Breen played his youth football in neighbouring Dublin with Belvedere before being scouted by Man City.
He spent three-and-a-half years at Platt Lane, coming through the ranks alongside the likes of Daniel Sturridge and Micah Richards, who he partnered in their losing FA Youth Cup