» Robins boss Duff refects on play-off loss,
CHELTENHAM Town manager Michael Duff is turning his mind fully towards summer recruitment after the Robins’ play-off semifinal defeat to Northampton Town.
Duff says he has reflected positively to the semi-final setback and held oneto-one conversations with his squad about the game and the season in general.
“Usually you get them back for a meetng at the training ground but in the situation we are in I didn’t want to be dragging people an hour, two hours from their home so we had a phone call with all the players,” Duff told the club’s official website.
“It took about a week to get it all done and we just reflected on what they thought, what their feelings were.
“I have watched the game back and it adds to the frustration but we just crack on - I am pragmatic about the whole thing.
“If you step back and assess the season - take the emotion out of it and the facts are we haven’t finished above 16th for quite a few years.
“We finished fourth, we played some decent football and and gave a good account of ourselves in the play offs - it just went wrong in the last 90 minutes.”
“You reflect on what we did well, what we didn’t do well, aim to improve on the good things, cut out the bad things and use it a fuel for next season.”
Ironically, it was the biggest strength of Duff’s side this season - their solidity in defence - which was found wanting as Northampton turned their 2-0 firstleg deficit into a 3-2 aggregate win.
“You don’t have the goal difference and goals against column that we did without being hard to beat and organised,” said Duff.
“In that last game it didn’t happen, clearly, but over the season we did it very well.
“To have the best defensive record in the EFL speaks for itself - it’s not as if we were 4-5-1 or 5-4-1 and defensive - we were high up in the goals for column and played some decent football as well.”
But now Duff and director of football Mickey Moore have turned their attentions to recruitment for the new campaign - whenever that starts.
They will be especially hoping to repeat their success in the loan market, where players like Jake Doyle-hayes, Max Sheaf and Jacob Greaves had a big impact.
“Whenever you take young players on first time loans there is always a gamble,” he said.
“But with players like Max Sheaf, and
Jacob Greaves, credit goes to to them, as they were excellent and we have to do the same again - we have to recruit well.
“This club needs to do it well - we have to building relationships with bigger clubs so that they trust us to have their players and not use them just as cheap subs
“We want bigger clubs, especially the local ones, to realise that we will look after them, they will get coached, and we try to play the right way.
“They are important relationships which we need to build.
“We are getting the young ones for peanuts with regards to what we are contributing to their wage, but we are contributing to their development, which is what the big clubs want.
“They are not bothered about the money - it is the experience, the involvement, the playing in front of crowds, ironically .
“But the players take the credit because if they are not good enough they don’t play
“It is a risk with first time loans some sink and some swim, and it’s fair to say that all the lads we had this season flourished
“We can only have five so they are going to make up close to 20 or 25 per cent of our squad so if you have got them wrong you are down the bare bones - you can send them back but you can’t get anyone else.”
Duff said that the recruitment work “never stops” and even during lockdown he and Moore were still watching players and watching clips.
“It’s difficult because we still don’t know where we are financially in terms of crowds, budgets etc.
“We are speaking to people, and to other managers about players, talking to agents and to players themselves.
“Some clubs have been busy already but it’s difficult to be signing players and paying players when you don’t kmow when the season is going to start
“It will get quicker and quicker once we get a start date.”
Duff has 14 players under contract, with youngsters Tom Chamberlain and Grant Horton set to join the squad, while midfielder Chris Clements’ future is yet to be decided.
“You have lists all the time,” said Duff. “You have always got lists of goalkeepers, centre-halves, loans, whatever
“As soon as we lost the play-off semi final you think ‘right, we can knock them off as we are not in League One.’
“It is constantly evolving - it’s not a case of the season is over, who are we going to sign
“Take Alfie May for example - we tried to get him 12 months before we signed him, so 18 months ago.
“Sometimes you don’t always get them, sometimes a lot of work goes into deals that people will never know, you get close and it falls down or you get trumped by somebody else
“We are constantly evaluating things - where we are financially because the budget might go from the figure to this figure so three names come off that list
“We have realistic targets and if they come, they come - if they don’t they don’t.”
We finished fourth, we played some decent football and and gave a good account of ourselves in the play offs - it just went wrong in the last 90 minutes
Michael Duff