Football

Coaching Donegal against Derry is 'just business': Paddy Bradley

Donegal selector Paddy Bradley (centre) speaks to players before taking on Tyrone in the Division One match at Healy Park, Omagh in early February. Picture Margaret McLaughlin
Donegal selector Paddy Bradley (centre) speaks to players before taking on Tyrone in the Division One match at Healy Park, Omagh in early February. Picture Margaret McLaughlin Donegal selector Paddy Bradley (centre) speaks to players before taking on Tyrone in the Division One match at Healy Park, Omagh in early February. Picture Margaret McLaughlin

Managing another county against his native heath will never be an issue for proud Glenullin and Derry man Paddy Bradley.

On Saturday he will go toe to toe with his native county and with some of the players he previously coached, but pragmatic Bradley has no qualms about that task.

“That happened when I took a couple of jobs in Derry when I managed Newbridge and the Loup against my own club,” he said.

“Whenever you take on a job like that with another club or another county you just expect that one day you will be standing on the line against your own club or county. It is just business for me. 

“People will say you have a great insight into the Derry set-up and players. But people spend so much time in analysis of other teams that there are very few secrets anyway. I know some of the players individually and would have coached Conor Doherty and Paudie McGrogan at Newbridge, so I would have an insight into some of their strengths.”

When asked what Derry strengths were, he said: “Well, Derry are very pacey in general. And obviously they have been on an unbelievable journey and are playing with real confidence.

“They have class players all over the pitch, like Brendan Rogers who has been a revelation since he moved out to midfield and, of course, Shane McGuigan is having they year of his life and was very unlucky to miss out on an Allstar last year.

“He is in red-hot Allstar form at the moment, and then you have Conor McCluskey in defence who gives very little up.

“I went to see them on Saturday night and they were not at their best, but they still found a way to come back when trailing by three points towards the end of the game against Monaghan. One of the criticisms levelled at Derry has been that they are always ahead and never have to come from behind, but they certainly did that on Saturday night.

“They came back and could have stolen the game as they actually went into a one-point lead before Monaghan got a late equaliser.”

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As for Donegal, Bradley insists they need to get something out of their two games with Derry and Monaghan. But are Derry weaker in the absence of departed manager Rory Gallagher?

“I suppose it is a bit of a weakness and we were used to seeing him being very vocal on the line and he was very direct in his instructions,” said Bradley.

“And they probably missed that at the weekend. Last weekend was the first time they had played without his presence there. Well, you could also say the Ulster final. Even though he wasn’t there, his presence was still there as he had done all the preparation leading up to that game. So Saturday night was probably the first time they did not have his influence in around the changing room. And it will be interesting to see what happens with Derry in his absence over the next few weeks.”

So do Donegal have a glimmer of hope as Derry’s display against Monaghan was a few notches below the Ulster final winning display – albeit it was on penalties.?

“The other thing about that is that it is very hard to beat a team twice in the Championship.

“That was always a potential banana skin for Derry as going back to my own playing days it happened that the team that lost in the Ulster Championship often came back and won in the later stages.

“Monaghan had plenty of time to prepare for this one and Derry had celebrated for a day or two after winning their second Ulster title in a row.

Paddy Bradley. Picture by Mal McCannn.
Paddy Bradley. Picture by Mal McCannn. Paddy Bradley. Picture by Mal McCannn.

“When you factor in all those things, I don’t think you can look at the Rory Gallagher thing in isolation.”

But there is definitely a bit of bounce in Donegal after that morale-boosting win over Clare in Ennis.

“Yes but these are all great lads and they come to training and work every night and we were a long time getting a victory and our displays were not tallying with the work we put in on the training ground.

“They are a very hard- working bunch and the mood has been even better in the camp since we beat Clare.

“We think there is an opportunity there to go and top this group and of course Derry will be favourites but games between the two sides are generally very close.

“And, Ballybofey has always been a bit of a fortress for Donegal, so we are looking forward to this game.

“And I hope the supporters really get behind the team.”