Damien Duff found senior management to be a ‘shock to the system’ in his first few weeks at Shelbourne.
But while wins were hard to come by initially, the Drumcondra giants are chasing a fifth victory in-a-row when they visit Shamrock Rovers tonight.
Duff, 43, is a former Rovers player, had a spell on the first-team’s coaching staff and was also Under-15s manager.
And his assistant manager Joey O’Brien won two league titles and an FAI Cup in the last three years as a Rovers defender.
But Hoops boss Stephen Bradley is not surprised to see Duff turning Shels’ fortunes around having got to grips with the demands of the job.
Duff might agree with Bradley’s assertion that nothing in his decorated playing career could prepare him for management.
Ahead of tonight’s derby clash, Bradley said: “The spotlight is something he’s had to deal with since he was 17.
“And now that he’s the marquee name as a manager in this country I think he has no problem with that.
“He’s had it on a world stage across Ireland, Chelsea, Blackburn and playing in the biggest games you can possibly play in.
“That spotlight never fazed him - and it never will. But management is a totally different game.”
Bradley continued: “I know from early conversations with him that it was a bit of a shock to the system in terms of what it entails.
“But time and experience will help him with that. He doesn’t shy away from a challenge he never does; he never has, and I don’t see him doing that now.
“Damien is a fantastic coach and I’ve seen that up close. He has a really high work ethic and I’ve no doubt that he’ll have Shels in a really good place.”
Bradley, 37, then offered an insight into the around-the-clock demands that all managers face - and what Duff has had to get used to.
“It really is 24-hours a day and there’s never a day off,” he explained. “Even if you get a day off, or on holidays, your phone is always on, there's always something happening.
“A player just shows up, trains and they’re happy. That would have been a difficult transition and I’m sure it still is. Over time, you learn how to manage it.
“You have to trust the people around you and delegate. If you don’t do that there’s too much happening.
“Doing it all yourself doesn’t work because mentally it really drains you and you’re not getting any quality at all, whether it’s at home with the family or in here with the team.”
On the pitch tonight, Rovers are looking to bounce back from Monday’s shock 1-0 defeat away to Drogheda.
The blow was cushioned by Derry City also losing - in Sligo - so the gap at the top remains seven points.
Hoops skipper Ronan Finn said: “Shels have a young, energetic side and they’ll be dangerous. They’ll be coming to Tallaght with no fear.
“They’ve only been assembled and I think they’ve found their feet and are steadily improving. But we’ve got to get back to winning ways.”
