DUNDALK MANAGER VINNY Perth has not received the credit he is due after his first half-season or so since replacing Stephen Kenny, says his assistant Ruaidhri Higgins.
Perth was Kenny’s lieutenant during the future Ireland boss’ six-year stint at Oriel Park and, having succeeded such a hugely successful manager, was under huge pressure to deliver at the Louth club.
It is his first job as manager, even if he’s technically head coach at Dundalk, and the heat on Perth was even greater after his side made a sluggish start to the campaign.
Speaking to The42 at Dublin airport before Dundalk headed for Baku, where they take on Qarabag in Wednesday’s Champions League qualifier after a 1-1 draw last week, assistant head coach Higgins was full of praise for his boss.
“Vinny is obviously leading this management team and he is doing a marvellous job,” he said. “Personally I do not think he is given enough credit. He is not getting enough credit, I have to go on record and say that.
“The turnaround and what we have had to deal with – I know it has been mentioned but injuries have been a regular thing. In midfield all season we have had to deal with setbacks and injuries.
“Let’s not beat about the bush: after the first series of games there were question-marks and there will be until we do something or win something. We have put ourselves in a good position and he deserves a lot of credit.”
Higgins was full of praise for Qarabag too, especially given the quality of opposition – including Zenit, Rosenborg and Legia Warsaw – that the Lilywhites have faced in recent years.
Asked were they a little different to everyone else they have faced, he said: “They are. Technically they are probably the most gifted of them all; they have a distinct pattern to their play.
“They have a few key players obviously we need to try to snuff out but they do have areas of weakness; we saw that in the second half last week. I don’t think there will be too much difference in the game.
At half-time, we regrouped and had our sort of chat, as we always do, a calm chat. We went out in the second half a different animal and we took the game to them. I think we shocked them a bit.
“You have to look at it from their point of view: they scored early in the tie and became free-flowing; they got their away goal and the pressure was off then. Another team might have folded but this is a great group of professionals, they are winners and that shone through in the second half.”
Dundalk will take on Cypriot champions Apoel Nicosia or Montenegrin side Sutjeska in the next round of the Champions League should the League of Ireland side pull off an upset victory over in Qarabag in their second-round tie.
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