TOUGH FOR DUFF BUT HE CAN DO IT
MICHAEL Duff is a very different manager to Gary Johnson, the man he has replaced at the helm of Cheltenham Town.
Gary is a successful veteran with a track record of success and decades of experience. He got the Robins out of the National League with a particular style of football. He managed people in a certain way.
Duff, on the other hand, is someone who’s just left the professional game – much like Joey Barton at Fleetwood.
From that, I think you can deduce that Cheltenham want to focus on young players. Duff, 40, was still playing for Burnley two years ago.
He’s been in modern dressing rooms. He understands what make young players tick. He’s also spent the last two years working with Burnley’s Under-18s and Under-23s.
It will be a tough job. Cheltenham have a solid goalkeeper in Scott Flinders and I like the young lad Kelsey Mooney, who came on loan from Aston Villa. But Tyrone Barnett has never been prolific and I do worry about who will score their goals.
Right now, though, it’s just good to see another young manager given an opportunity. Duff has had a great headmaster in Sean Dyche and I know he still speaks to Steve Cotterill, his own manager at Cheltenham all those years ago.
But he’s not there just because he’s an ex-player. He’s served his apprenticeship and he’s got that job on merit.