Jose Mourinho Disciple Would Be The Perfect Manager For Lincoln City – Opinion

“Am I scared? Absolutely, yeah. Do I feel uncomfortable? Absolutely. But I’ve been preaching to kids since day one, my own two kids, the U15s at [Shamrock] Rovers, the U17s at Shels [Shelbourne], about showing personality, about showing courage, which they can lack at times.

“For me to say no [to the Shelbourne job initially], I was lacking courage, I was lacking personality. So over the weekend, the board asked me to reconsider and I did, and that was soul searching.”

In November 2021, newly promoted League of Ireland Premier Division side Shelbourne announced the appointment of Premier League winner Damien Duff as head coach of the men’s first team.

No other arrival of a new manager has caused such a media storm this century in the Republic of Ireland, so the pressure was piled on Duff from the get-go.

Shelbourne had spent seven out of the last eight seasons in the First Division (equivalent of the English Championship) before Duff’s arrival in the dugout. However, a 7th-place finish and a cup final in his debut campaign as Shels boss made supporters finally believe that the Reds were back in business.

Upon taking the job, Duff labelled Shelbourne as a ‘sleeping giant’ and his first season in charge showed signs that the club, who once competed among the very best in Europe in the Champions League, were slowly waking up.

But was the 2022 season a one-off success? Well, no. In fact, Shelbourne only got better as Duff signed some big improvements across the summer and winter windows, including a new goalkeeper in Conor Kearns, a stalwart at the back in Paddy Barrett, as well as Hull City loan duo Will Jarvis and Harry Wood, just to name a few.

Furthermore, Duff has rarely had an out-and-out centre-forward to lead the line as striker Sean Boyd, who was Shelbourne’s top goalscorer in the 2022 campaign, has spent the majority of the season on the sidelines.

As things stand, there are merely two games remaining this season and Duff’s side are sitting fifth in the table, five points off the league’s European spots and one behind bitter rivals Bohemians.

However, as the dawn is breaking and the sleeping giants awake from their lengthy slumber, Duff could have the chance to follow Shelbourne attacker Jack Moylan to Sincil Bank following the departure of compatriot Mark Kennedy.

Kennedy was surprisingly dismissed last week in the aftermath of a 1-0 defeat at home to Burton Albion and according to bookmakers, Duff is one of the favourites to succeed the Irishman. But would Duff be a good fit?

It may be quite early into his managerial career, but all signs point to yes.

The ex-Republic of Ireland international has worked with a limited budget at Tolka Park. Many cynics will point to the club’s takeover by Hull City’s owner Acun Ilıcalı but Duff had been working with tight budgetary restrictions for the guts of 18 months.

Whoever takes the Imps’ head coaching role will have to deal with having little cash to play around with during the January transfer window. Duff has already proven himself to be astute in this aspect.

Moreover, Duff has been incredibly pragmatic with his tactical approach at the Dublin club. This season, the Reds have averaged 47.6 percent of the ball per game which is the fourth-lowest possession percentage in the LOI.

However, Duff’s side are conceding 0.62 goals per 90 in the league which is the lowest, even less than the champions-elect Shamrock Rovers. In total, Shelbourne have conceded 23 goals in 34 matches, fewer than any other side in Ireland’s top division.

One of the factors behind Shels’ excellent defensive record is their lack of pressing. The team have boasted a Passes allowed Per Defensive Action (PPDA) this season of 11.56. Only Drogheda United and UCD have registered a higher number.

PPDA essentially measures how many passes the defending team allows their opponents to make before making an attempt to win the ball back. The higher the number, the less the pressing intensity.

Shelbourne are not a high-pressing side under Duff but can conserve energy for longer as a result, preferring to drop back into a solid defensive shape, predominantly a 5-4-1 or a 5-3-2, and defend their own box.

During his career, Duff has played under some of the sport’s greatest pragmatists, including José Mourinho, Roy Hodgson, Giovanni Trapattoni and Claudio Ranieri so it’s not a surprise that he knows how to set up a mean defence.

Lincoln City have quite a high PPDA too. In fact, at 14.69, it is the highest in the league. On top of this, the Imps have the sixth-best defence in League One for goals conceded which may surprise a few people.

There are a lot of similarities between Shelbourne and Lincoln City’s styles of play and their statistics this season but the former is outperforming and the latter is underperforming on the pitch. Perhaps having Duff and not having Duff is what separates them both.

With Shels forward Moylan coming in on a free contract very soon and Lincoln City already having a strong Irish connection, with the likes of Danny Mândroiu, Sean Roughan and Dylan Duffy in the ranks, Damien Duff could be a swift and astute addition.

Yes, it may be a bit of a risk compared to other available managers but could be one worth taking. However, to paraphrase Duff himself in that famous interview two years ago after accepting the Shelbourne job, Lincoln City’s board need to have a bit of courage to get out of this mess.

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