That was the comment made in jest by one Shelbourne official with a typical kind of dark humour that helps you get through any Irish funeral.
There has been nothing as serious as a death here, of course, just a manager in Damien Duff deciding his future no longer belongs to a League of Ireland club that he helped transform into Premier Division champions.
But before a stirring performance away to Waterford last night, one that would have ended with more than a 2-2 draw were it not for two defensive errors, the mood was sombre.
Some staff members, officials and players wandered around the dugout area and on the pitch, shaking hands along the way like they were greeting the chief mourners.
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In a short address to the players on the training pitch just over 24 hours earlier, Duff, flanked by his staff, technical director Luke Byrne and one of the club’s minority owners Neil Doyle, informed the players he was leaving.
“He just addressed the group, said his goodbyes and it was quite brief to be honest. In a way that’s sad, because of what we’ve all been through but we’re big boys so we have to get on with it,” captain Mark Coyle said last night.
He was speaking after the players had remained in the dressing room for close to 40 minutes after full-time. Doyle, along with his brother Cathal, who is another of the investors, had been invited in to say a few words.
Reflecting on events the previous day, when Duff informed them of his resignation, Coyle explained: “You’re in that much shock you don’t really know what to say. So at the time I just thanked him because he did it in a way, changed our lives.
“We won the league last year, but it was that quick that there wasn’t much really said. Look, it is what it is. It’s his decision but that’s football too and we’re all big boys, we’re all men at the end of the day, we have to get on with it.
“He made his decision, we have to respect that, he’s done what’s best for him but we have to look after ourselves as well so that’s how it is.
“Look, there’s no bad blood or nothing, as I said we have to respect his decision,” Coyle added. “I’ll be forever grateful for what he’s done for me, for my career, everything. To win a league is no easy feat and he’s a large part of that but also us, we’re the ones who cross the line week in week out so that’s where I’m extremely proud of us because people doubted us with this that and the other.
“I know it’s only the start, but I know the group that we have and I know the players we have, I know the staff that we have and I’m just looking forward to the future now.”
Duff’s comments in the aftermath of last Friday’s 1-0 defeat at home to Derry, in which he questioned how his players prepared and spoke about their lack of inner motivation, proved to be his final public pronouncements as manager.
“Look, he’s got that in him and we know that so at the time I didn’t think too much of it to be honest. Most of the time I found when he said those sort of things he was more speaking to us, because he would say that to our faces anyway, so it was probably just that he was looking for a reaction at the time, that’s how I looked at it and he was right. He looked at the performance, it was lacklustre, it was everything that we’re not so he’s not wrong,” Coyle said.
“Maybe he was wrong about the preparing and all that craic, because I don’t know how he would have known that, how people prepare, so I don’t agree with that part of it. But for me he just often said stuff to get reactions and that’s how I looked at it at the time.
“Maybe he had something in his head at the time that we weren’t aware of and but look, I’ll always be very grateful to him and I’m sure there’s a large part of the squad there that will feel the same, but now it’s just about looking forward and as I said there I just tip my hat to the staff the way they’ve reacted, the players. I’m just so proud of everyone involved tonight.”
Asked to expand on the struggles throughout this season, Coyle didn’t shy away from offering his take and countering suggestions from Duff that the dressing room didn’t have the mentality to build on last year’s success.
“It’s been a tough season for us. We won the league last year there’s a lot of expectations on us as a group. We know ourselves we haven’t performed, so the confidence isn’t there, if luck goes our way we win that game [against Waterford] no bother.
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“I know it’s not about luck, but at times we’ve lacked a bit of luck, we lost a lot of bodies, injuries, big players at crucial times and that’s all played into it so there’s a lack of confidence there as well.
“For me that’s probably part of parcel of what happened. It’s not about mentality for me. I know the group, I know we do everything right. For me he was just saying it more as trying to get a reaction. Maybe that’s the way he looked at it, but probably at times that has been the case, but for me there’s been a number of factors that’s led to that in a way. But I just know the group and I know how strong and how tight we are that we’ll react in the right way.”
With a trip to Galway United this Friday, a first-round qualifier in the Champions League to come next month, as well as the start of the FAI Cup campaign, Shelbourne’s season is far from dead.
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'It's not about mentality for me. I know the group, I know we do everything right'
“FAMILY FLOWERS ONLY.”
That was the comment made in jest by one Shelbourne official with a typical kind of dark humour that helps you get through any Irish funeral.
There has been nothing as serious as a death here, of course, just a manager in Damien Duff deciding his future no longer belongs to a League of Ireland club that he helped transform into Premier Division champions.
But before a stirring performance away to Waterford last night, one that would have ended with more than a 2-2 draw were it not for two defensive errors, the mood was sombre.
Some staff members, officials and players wandered around the dugout area and on the pitch, shaking hands along the way like they were greeting the chief mourners.
In a short address to the players on the training pitch just over 24 hours earlier, Duff, flanked by his staff, technical director Luke Byrne and one of the club’s minority owners Neil Doyle, informed the players he was leaving.
“He just addressed the group, said his goodbyes and it was quite brief to be honest. In a way that’s sad, because of what we’ve all been through but we’re big boys so we have to get on with it,” captain Mark Coyle said last night.
He was speaking after the players had remained in the dressing room for close to 40 minutes after full-time. Doyle, along with his brother Cathal, who is another of the investors, had been invited in to say a few words.
Reflecting on events the previous day, when Duff informed them of his resignation, Coyle explained: “You’re in that much shock you don’t really know what to say. So at the time I just thanked him because he did it in a way, changed our lives.
“We won the league last year, but it was that quick that there wasn’t much really said. Look, it is what it is. It’s his decision but that’s football too and we’re all big boys, we’re all men at the end of the day, we have to get on with it.
“He made his decision, we have to respect that, he’s done what’s best for him but we have to look after ourselves as well so that’s how it is.
“Look, there’s no bad blood or nothing, as I said we have to respect his decision,” Coyle added. “I’ll be forever grateful for what he’s done for me, for my career, everything. To win a league is no easy feat and he’s a large part of that but also us, we’re the ones who cross the line week in week out so that’s where I’m extremely proud of us because people doubted us with this that and the other.
“I know it’s only the start, but I know the group that we have and I know the players we have, I know the staff that we have and I’m just looking forward to the future now.”
Duff’s comments in the aftermath of last Friday’s 1-0 defeat at home to Derry, in which he questioned how his players prepared and spoke about their lack of inner motivation, proved to be his final public pronouncements as manager.
“Look, he’s got that in him and we know that so at the time I didn’t think too much of it to be honest. Most of the time I found when he said those sort of things he was more speaking to us, because he would say that to our faces anyway, so it was probably just that he was looking for a reaction at the time, that’s how I looked at it and he was right. He looked at the performance, it was lacklustre, it was everything that we’re not so he’s not wrong,” Coyle said.
“Maybe he was wrong about the preparing and all that craic, because I don’t know how he would have known that, how people prepare, so I don’t agree with that part of it. But for me he just often said stuff to get reactions and that’s how I looked at it at the time.
“Maybe he had something in his head at the time that we weren’t aware of and but look, I’ll always be very grateful to him and I’m sure there’s a large part of the squad there that will feel the same, but now it’s just about looking forward and as I said there I just tip my hat to the staff the way they’ve reacted, the players. I’m just so proud of everyone involved tonight.”
Asked to expand on the struggles throughout this season, Coyle didn’t shy away from offering his take and countering suggestions from Duff that the dressing room didn’t have the mentality to build on last year’s success.
“It’s been a tough season for us. We won the league last year there’s a lot of expectations on us as a group. We know ourselves we haven’t performed, so the confidence isn’t there, if luck goes our way we win that game [against Waterford] no bother.
“I know it’s not about luck, but at times we’ve lacked a bit of luck, we lost a lot of bodies, injuries, big players at crucial times and that’s all played into it so there’s a lack of confidence there as well.
“For me that’s probably part of parcel of what happened. It’s not about mentality for me. I know the group, I know we do everything right. For me he was just saying it more as trying to get a reaction. Maybe that’s the way he looked at it, but probably at times that has been the case, but for me there’s been a number of factors that’s led to that in a way. But I just know the group and I know how strong and how tight we are that we’ll react in the right way.”
With a trip to Galway United this Friday, a first-round qualifier in the Champions League to come next month, as well as the start of the FAI Cup campaign, Shelbourne’s season is far from dead.
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Damien Duff League of Ireland Mark Coyle Shelbourne Soccer