BIG STAGE WON’T BE A PROBLEM FOR DUFFY

SOME 27 years after first stepping into management, Jim Duffy will tomorrow aim to engineer a result that would echo through the ages. Over the course of his coaching career, this irrepressible devotee of the game has tutored multi- millionaires at Chelsea, petrol-money part-timers at Clyde, and many others in between.

Bountiful knowledge has been gained, numerous varieties of experience stored away. A footballing encyclopedia sits there in his mind, ready to be flicked through before he leads Morton into their Scottish Cup quarter-final at Celtic Park.

‘Has my approach changed to games like this one? Sadly, you are not quite as excited about it,’ laughs Duffy.

‘When you first go into these games, these occasions, your adrenaline is absolutely pumping.

‘Nowadays, you realise that calmness is sometimes the best way. Rather than being an excitable schoolboy, you just want to make sure you do it right in terms of the information you deliver to the players. You become a little bit more stoic and pragmatic.

‘Don’t get me wrong, I still get a thrill from going to places like Celtic Park. When I walk out of the tunnel, and the fans are singing, it’s still a fantastic moment to be there.

‘But, in the build-up, you are a bit more reserved. That’s just because you are little bit older — and not quite as wise as you think you are…’

Once Britain’s youngest manager, when placed in charge of Falkirk before his 30th birthday, 56-year- old Duffy (below) now stands as one of the longest-serving coaches anywhere on these islands. ‘The fact is a lot of people don’t give older managers a chance to show the benefit of their experience,’ he argued.

‘That’s the nature of it. Listen, I was a manager at 29, so I’m not going to complain about young managers getting jobs. But I do think a body of work over a concerted period of time can only make you better for that experience.

‘You absorb how the game has changed. Some of the guys, maybe l i ke Graeme Souness, wouldn’t want to go back into it again, because they maybe feel the game i s now different f rom what they knew. How the players are, the mentality, and all these things.

‘It is a bit frustrating at times. On the field, tackling is not allowed. Off it, social media plays a big part. The game has changed quite dramatically over a period of time.

‘But do I think I’m better now for it all? I don’t have any doubt about that. And I’m still ambitious. You shouldn’t be in football otherwise.’

Duffy is certainly long enough in the tooth to know what progression for Morton would mean for his opposite number. Ronny Deila has admitted his situation at Celtic is now ‘critical’ after Wednesday’s goalless draw with Dundee provoked derision from the stands.

‘I’ve met Ronny because their reserves play at Cappielow,’ said Duffy. ‘But it has just been to exchange niceties really, nothing more.

‘All managers understand this is the road we chose to take — and you have to take what comes with that. ‘The higher you go, the rewards for success are greater, the demands are greater, and the criticism is greater if you are not doing so well. He knows that. He is not a novice. ‘Against Dundee, there were some people giving Ronny Deila criticism. But then there were a lot of people booing the people who were criticising. I think the majority are still with him. ‘Celtic didn’t play at their best. They were a bit off the pace, as he said. But they weren’t shocking, or looked as if they were falling apart at the

seams. With the big teams, any slight fall from grace is deemed a crisis.

‘From our point of view, I suppose if they were firing on all cylinders you might be biting your nails a little bit more.

‘But we understand they still have to be a good bit below their best. Even on Wednesday night’s performance, Celtic are still a good bit ahead of where we are at the moment.

‘Football, though, is a game where you never know what can happen. Against Hamilton, they had a player sent off and missed a penalty kick. Sometimes it’s about whatever the gods throw at you.’

Duffy’s side sit in sixth place in the Championship, still in contention for the final play- off place, and can lay claim to having toppled Hibs into their recent decline. Their remarkable 3-0 win at Easter Road 10 days ago is something he feels will help his players tomorrow. Up to a point.

‘I suppose what it shows is there are no certainties in football, no gimmes,’ he said.

‘But, listen, Celtic are top of the Premiership. Regardless of whether you can go and get a result at Easter Road or Ibrox — fantastic football stadiums — they are still Championship clubs. It is a huge jump to go and play the Premiership l eaders and the champions.

‘Hopefully, the players get some form of confidence from knowing they have done well in front of big crowds and against big clubs. They should know they can at least handle the occasion.

‘That’s important because you come up Celtic Way and see all the statues of famous influences at the club. People can get a wee bit star-struck at times.’