BOSS OF THE YEAR
Morton idol Andy says Duffy deserves manager’s gong ahead of brilliant Bren
MOST people expect Brendan Rodgers to win the Manager of the Year award by a mile – but not if Jim Duffy’s Morton secure the Championship by a whisker.
Celtic boss Rodgers is chasing the Treble and a season-long unbeaten domestic record that would see his side proclaimed Scottish football’s Invincibles.
But as exceptional as that achievement would be Morton legend Andy Ritchie reckons Rodgers could be trumped by an even greater story that’s brewing in Greenock.
If Ton avoid defeat against Dunfermline on Saturday they will rack up a whole year unbeaten at Cappielow.
Yet boss Duffy isn’t just operating with a fraction of Rodgers’s budget and his spending power doesn’t even come close to his Championship-leading rivals Hibs.
But still Morton sit in a share of second place with Falkirk, just seven points adrift having played one game less than a Hibees outfit in stuttering form.
Now with Neil Lennon’s side preparing to face a tough test against Falkirk on Saturday before taking on the Ton twice in as many weeks the next fortnight promises to be pivotal in the race for promotion.
Ton hero Ritchie said: “I like to have the odd bet and I would certainly have a pound on Jim Duffy for Manager of the Year.
“If they manage to get into the play-offs and win promotion he would be a serious candidate.
“But even more so if the wheels came off at Easter Road and Jim’s team continue to do as well as they are just now. He’d be a racing certainty to get it ahead of Rodgers.
“There’s a lot of talk about Celtic’s ‘Invincibles’ run but aside from them Morton are the only club in Scotland that hasn’t been beaten at home this season.
“That’s a fantastic record in itself for a club like Morton.
“In fact if Celtic go through this season unbeaten and Jim’s team gets through theirs without losing at home I would claim Morton’s to be a better record.
“I’ve always been of the impression that Jim, with all respect to Morton, could have held a job in the Premiership given his experience and ability.
“He’s a level-headed fella, he knows what he’s doing and doesn’t get carried away with the good and bad. He’s seen it and done it before.
“But there’s no doubt people, including those giving out the end-of-season awards, would sit up and take notice if he can take Morton back to the Premiership.”
Yet Ritchie recognises times as exciting as this are equally dangerous and Duffy will be all too aware of the need to keep his young side grounded.
The encouraging thing for Ritchie, though, is that they have shown an ability to handle big occasions. Having faced Aberdeen at Hampden in the Betfred Cup semi-final, losing 2-0, and then narrowly being beaten 2-1 at Ibrox in the Scottish Cup.
Ritchie added: “This is not the time to get carried away. They’ve got Dunfermline this Saturday and then Hibs twice within as many weeks so this could be a big run for Morton.
“Jim will know that as well so he’ll be using all his management skills to keep these young boys’ feet on the ground.
“He’s obviously in a position that he would have taken at the start of the season. I mean the season isn’t dwindling away, they’re not mid-table where they’ve nothing to play for.
“They’re certainly in a better position than the likes of Queen of the South and Dunfermline who you’d have thought they’d be fighting it out with.
“When you’ve got a team of young boys sometimes they choke when they get to this situation and don’t recover from it. Their candle goes out in the space of a couple of weeks but that’s not happened.
“These young boys look as if they play without any great responsibility on their shoulders. They’ve not gone into their shell and become inconsistent.
“They’ve pushed on since that Aberdeen game and got themselves in a great position.
“Hopefully they can continue to play this well and make a good fist of it.
“They’ll make the play-offs at the very least I think.
“The last time I spoke to Jim he admitted he is pleasantly surprised but savvy enough to take it all on a week-to-week basis because he’s not really got a big squad.
“He’s got three or four players he can use in different roles to help combat shortages.
“Losing Jai Quitongo was a problem for him but he managed to get by that. But I’d imagine he’d like to get him back into the team before the end of the season to freshen it up again as well.
“But the boys who have come in have done well, they’ve all put their shoulder to the wheel but I’m not surprised because Jim is good at organising people and getting them motivated.”
EUAN McLEAN