Caulfield blasts rival bosses for ‘slagging’ him
JOHN CAULFIELD believes there is a ‘cosy cartel’ of managers who would rather criticise Cork City than promote the positives of the League of Ireland.
The runaway Premier Division leaders maintained their 15-point lead at the top of the table following Friday night’s 4-1 victory over Shamrock Rovers and tensions were high heading into the fixture following pre-match comments from the Dublin club’s camp.
Striker Gary Shaw said he would ‘bully’ and ‘torment’ the Cork defence, while head coach Stephen Bradley insisted Caulfield’s side are still short of threein-a-row champions Dundalk at their peak.
‘I didn’t mention it (the comments),’ the Cork boss said. ‘There is a cosy cartel between a couple of managers who like slagging me or the club off. We would be a lot better off if we promoted the league.
‘Slagging me or the club off, that’s grand, it’s water off a duck’s back. The league needs to drive on and people need to speak out. The managers are powerful in this country. They can stand up and be counted. It would be good if they focused on promoting the league.’
Centre-back Ryan Delaney got a brace and admitted Bradley’s remarks acted as added motivation.
‘It was putting us down a small bit so we knew straight away we’re going to give our all, show him what we’re made of and see what he thinks after that,’ he added.