Duff’s praise for his staff who “work harder than anyone else”

MICHAEL Duff has paid tribute to his Cheltenham Town backroom team, who he says“work harder than anyone else.”

They were all joining in the celebrations after promotion to League One was secured, and Duff said they have all played a big part in the club’s success.

“They work harder than anyone else, particularly the medical team with the amount of hours they do,” said Duff.

“They are in on days off. They have been magnificent. Gav (Crowe) deserves a lot of credit as do Jimbo (Redman) and Josh (Harris), for their professionalism.

“They are so important in terms of, they are almost like the eyes and the ears and they know what’s really going on in the dressing room.

“Players come and sit in my office and they never really tell you the truth. They put on a persona. When they are relaxed and in the physio room or the gym, that’s when you really find out what the group is doing and who is doing what.

“The atmosphere and if someone is trying to poison it or be really positive. Who reacted well.

They are the ones in the dressing room at half-time and straight after a game as we don’t go in there and we give them four or five minutes. They are vital, but they are not grasses.

“They know what’s going on, and that’s so important. It’s all right me telling a player to do something, but they might hear in the gym “I don’t know what he’s talking about” because the player wouldn’t tell me that.

“Then I know I need to tell him again, show him or go through it with him again.

It is really important, the hours they do are phenomenal and they don’t get the credit they deserve. They are a really important part of the culture that we’ve set.”

Elsewhere, Shaun Howl has stepped up as first team analyst after Tim Bell moved to a new role and Duff said he has had a “tough year.”

“He watches four or five of the opposition games before we play them and has to cut it up in terms of analysis,” said Duff. “We have had a game every Saturday/tuesday so it’s a lot of football in a short space of time.

“Often on Sundays or days off he has to do that. He’s been great around the place, for a start.

“He’s been in our office, so he isn’t in with the players. He has to understand what I want and we built that relationship quite quickly and I have other things to do sometimes.

“He now knows that he can come in and show me this, this and this and I will say I like that and that. He’s been great and I am delighted for him and for all of them.

“A lot of them have been here a long time so the pictures on Tuesday night, they are part of this history as well. They’ll keep them for memories.”

Duff also said he has a “brilliant” relationship with the club board of directors and director of football Micky Moore.

“Mine and Micky’s relationship is really good and we speak three or four times a day,” said Duff.

“Sometimes it’s about nonsense. But we had to make it work. It’s my first job, he’d come out of Barrow and had to make it work.

“We get on. We fall out every now and again, but that’s what I want. I don’t want people to just agree with me all the time because it’s impossible I am always right.

“I didn’t win a game at the start and the chairman (Andy Wilcox) could have easily sacked me.

“At other clubs I could have gone and that’s your managerial career done before you’ve had a chance.

“The board have been brilliant. They have enjoyed it as well and there are so many people who don’t get the credit they deserve.

“The hours and miles that Micky does is unbelievable.

“He’s a one man band and he gets involved in the academy, contracts, watching games, 57 strings to his bow.

“It’s hard to find the words, but the board have been unbelievably supportive. They’ve had their ups and downs as you always do.

“Sometimes you ask for something and they can’t give it to you, or they want something and I am not so sure.

“It’s quite interesting, I watched my first interview the other day and some of the things I said, we’ve managed to do, which is brilliant, but you need their support and trust from the start.

“Just because you’re an ex-player doesn’t mean you are going to be any good at what you do.

“We have managed to put a few things in place that I thought needed tidying up, but I needed their help along the way. They’ve managed to do that with me.”

There are so many people who don’t get the credit they deserve

Michael Duff