Bradley backing O’Donnell for rapid return after Dundalk axe

Dropping two points at home to Stephen O’Donnell’s Dundalk on the first game of the season was not how Stephen Bradley wanted to kick off the title defence for Shamrock Rovers.

And despite the concession of those precious points, Bradley says he has sympathy for his one-time team-mate and counterpart after he lost his job earlier this week.

Liam Burns takes interim charge of Dundalk after the club dispensed with O’Donnell’s services on Monday. While this will be a tough few days for O’Donnell, Bradley is adamant he will be back in management and called for perspective in assessing the Galway native’s time as a manager.

“I have no doubt he will be. I am nearly sure he’s had an offer already,” Bradley said when asked if there was a route back to management for O’Donnell, who was on the books at Arsenal at the same time as he was.

“Knowing Stephen, he will take his time and will reflect and understand what he did well and what he did bad. And he will be better for it the next time, but I have no doubt he won’t be long out of the game, in whatever capacity he wants.

“His two years at Dundalk were really, really good years. We’ve had eight games, we didn’t win a game in six last year. I am sure there were people calling for us to be sacked,” added Bradley with a grin.

“But it was eight games, a long season, I don’t agree with that decision, not because he’s a friend and I know him, but his body of work speaks for itself.”

Bradley says he was in touch with O’Donnell and his assistant Patrick Cregg – another ex-Arsenal trainee – earlier this week to offer support “on the human level of losing their job”.

He added: “I know both really well and I know Stephen has a brilliant football brain, how he thinks about the game, how he sees the game.

“I think the world we live in now, society forgets all the good work that has happened in the past and just look at yesterday or the last game. We’re eight games into the season and people make their mind up like that. For me personally, I would have looked at what he’s done for the last two years. No one can argue with what he’s done over the last two years.

“I don’t know the internal battles that have gone on, the ins and outs of losing a player like Pat Hoban, for instance. I don’t know the financial situation, but just from the outside looking in, I think we’re very quick to judge rather than looking at his body of work over a period of time.

“His body of work over a period of time stands up. Nobody can say any different. They are the facts. You look at St Pat’s and early Dundalk.

“Would he have wanted to start better this year? I’m sure he would have, but that’s football.

“It’s very easy to be on the outside saying, ‘They should be doing this’ or, ‘They should be doing that’. Some people think some teams have a divine right to win games or think it’s going to be easy to do this or that.

“You look at the league this year and it’s so competitive. For me, if I was making the decision, I would have looked at his work over a period of time rather than the six-week snapshot of this season.”

Patience at board level is a topic relevant to this season and tonight’s battle of the Rovers at Tallaght Stadium.

Last season, Sligo boss John Russell was under pressure after a poor run of form and it was not certain he would be in place for this term, but Sligo’s faith has paid off as Rovers under Russell have been impressive, deserving of their top-four status.

Bradley was also under pressure early in his career as manager, with calls from some sections of the Hoops support – and an infamous banner – demanding change during a difficult 2018 season.

“Sometimes patience pays off if you believe in your plan and your process, but if it’s the wrong plan or process you are in trouble, so you have to be careful what you are backing,” says Bradley.

“We live in a world of social media where people, fans, boards want everything to happen yesterday and can be too quick to act.

“I don’t know the ins and outs in Sligo and what their aims are; last year Sligo could easily have acted on it and they didn’t, to be fair to them, and they started the season well, so well done to them.

“What they have in the attacking part is real pace. We know Simon Power really well and he’s the quickest player you will see. [Fabrice] Hartmann on the other side and [Max] Mata up top, they have real pace in behind. And they have shown they are a threat to any team. And to us up there as well, we were happy to leave with a draw.

“They had a chance cleared off the line that came from their pace in transition. We know what they have. If you’re not ready for it, they are more than capable of winning games and taking points off anyone.”

“Hisbodyofwork over a period of time stands up. Nobody can say any different” Stephen Bradley