Stephen Bradley: ‘We've been doubted before and we'll be doubted again but come see us in November and see where we are’

Stephen Bradley reflected on just where his Rovers team is as they face a crucial European game against Ferencvaros

Stephen Bradley reflected on just where his Rovers team is as they face a crucial European game against Ferencvaros Credit: Martin Doherty (ETPhotos)

Macdara Ferris reports from Budapest

Shamrock Rovers come into Thursday’s Europa Conference League qualifier against Ferencvaros without a win in five games and having only scored one goal in those matches. It is the worst goalscoring run of Stephen Bradley’s seven year stint at the club.

However the Hoops Head Coach isn’t overly troubled by the stat or the talk about the Hoops having an ageing squad. The club are still well positioned to equal the record breaking Rovers four-in-a-row side from the 1980s. With 11 games remaining, they sit four points clear at the top of the table.

“We've been doubted before and I'm sure we'll be doubted again but come and see us in November and see where we are,” said Bradley in Budapest during a lengthy discussion with this reporter on the eve of their second qualifying round tie against Ferencvaros.

“We haven't had the results we wanted during July but we have to understand that the level we are playing at and the expectations that we've brought on ourselves. We’ve no divine right to win any game - domestically or in Europe.”

Goals

“If we were a team that history tells you didn't score goals then it is a concern but in the last three seasons there is only one year when weren’t top scorers (Bohs by a goal in 2021).

“This season we've scored the most goals (47 from 25 games – level with St. Pats), created the most chances and are creating double what we've ever done. Everything tells me we score goals.

“People want to jump on things and I understand that but people react to results and July hasn't been good so far for us with results. I'm pretty sure over the course of the season we'll be the top scorers again.

“This team have built up a lot of credit over the years but it doesn't mean you don't get criticism. It is about trusting what we do and what we have.



“These are the best players in the country and they have proven that time and time again. In 2021 we got knocked out of Europe (by Flora Tallinn) and by Bohs in the cup in a week - that happens but we still went on to win the league.” 

Age profile

The average age of their team in the league this season is 28, three year higher than the next oldest Derry City, with the league average 24.4. 

“People will always look at something to jump on when results aren't where they need to be. They are jumping on the age profile now but I think it is really good.

“We've given 27 debuts from the academy - people forget that and only see what they want to see. We need to be very careful and understand and look at the bigger picture and look at what is really happening rather than what people feel is happening.

"We have Darragh (Nugent) who came through the academy, went out on loan and played 17 or 18 games this year. We've got Conan (Noonan), Kieran Cruise, Naj (Razi).”



Performance review

The Hoops were beaten 1-0 by ten man Dundalk in the FAI Cup for the third time in seven seasons on Sunday. However the Hoops boss was satisfied with this team’s performance when viewed on the night and when reviewing the statistics after the game – Rovers had 22 shots on goal with nine on target compared with Dundalk’s two on target from their taken.

“Sometimes you just don't get what you deserve whether that is football or life and we didn't get it on Sunday. When you come out of the emotion of frustration, hurt and anger of not going through - and we wanted to go and win that competition – when you watch it for what is was, we were very good.

"90% of the performance you'd take each time. I think our xG (expected goals) was 3.9 to 0.2 and I'd take that every day of the week. 

“We know as a team we need to take those opportunities and there is no getting away from that or glossing over that. When you are successful you make those opportunities count and we didn't on Sunday and it cost us unfortunately in a competition we wanted to go far in. 

"We can't be too hard on ourselves as our performance for large parts of the game was good.

“Sometimes you win games that you don't deserve to win. If you don't look at all the data to back it up, you can very quickly fall into a false sense of security. You can think you are playing well and creating loads of opportunities because the goals tell you that but when you watch it back you had three shots on target and score two and you've had 30% of possession.

"Now some teams play like that and that is fine but we don't play like that.

“It isn't just (looking at the data) when you lose, it is also doing so when you win as well. We've had more intense reviews after we have won games, like Sligo at home which was a game we should not have won if you look at all the data.

“Win, lose or draw it is important to analyse the performance and match it with the stats as sometimes emotion can tell you one thing but the stats tell you something completly different.”

Pace out wide

In Dundalk on Sunday, Bradley was able to introduce off the bench Liam Burt and 16-year-old Naj Raji (who made his first team debut). It enabled Rovers to have some natural width – something missing recently in particular with Neil Farrugia and Trevor Clarke injured.

“When you are building a squad, you are always looking for different characteristics in similar positions.

Sean Kavanagh and Trevor are completely different for different types of games and they give you different strengths. Neil and Sean Gannon are different to Ronan (Finn) and Darragh (Nugent).

“We've been missing those players that give us that real pace in wide areas but that is football. You can sit down and moan about who you are missing and every team can do that - and I've seen a few teams who don't shut up about it - but you need to get on with it. It is football and that is the beauty of competing every week you have to try and find a way to win.

“Liam is one that can play in that area of the pitch that is really dangerous. He is back now and showed real glimpses of the quality of why we wanted him here. Hopefully that is him over the injuries and he is free to go and play. 

“Naj is a player we obviously love. He is still really young. I worked with him on the first team I worked with at the club and he was in the babies team. It is great to see him progress and there is nothing better to see him get on the pitch for the first team.

"He needs to keep working but he is a player we really like.”

About Macdara Ferris

Macdara Ferris is a contributor since 2007 to Hoops Scene (Shamrock Rovers' match day programme) and is the co-author of two books on Shamrock Rovers - 'Tallaght Time: Shamrock Rovers 2009 to 2012' (with Karl … View Full Profile