2 weeks Ago
Damien Duff believes the potential of Shelbourne’s winter recruit MIpo Odubeko is exciting for the champions and ‘scary’ for every other League of Ireland team. Odubeko’s performance was a standout factor of Shels’ President’s Cup success over Drogheda United with the 22-year-old scoring a goal and drawing a red card offence from visiting keeper Luke Dennison in an all action display. Duff had previously described the front man as a ‘fascinating’ addition given his background.
The St Joseph’s Boys product moved to Manchester with his family at 14 and spent time with both City and United before turning down a contract extension with the latter to sign a long-term deal with West Ham. He graduated to first team contention under David Moyes and made an FA Cup appearance off the bench at Old Trafford amid questions around his international allegiance, but it’s been a challenging few years for the Dubliner since then with uninspiring loans and unremarkable stints with Portuguese side Maritimo and Fleetwood Town preceding a return to these shores. Duff is determined to give Odubeko a bit of love, with a long embrace after he was replaced in the second half of his Tolka Park bow reflecting as much.
“If we speak about players in this league, I’ve not seen a striker being as athletically strong, quick and powerful as him,” said Duff. “You might be able to hit me with someone but he’s a beast and whatever stats as in top speed and all, there is more. Whatever you’ve seen tonight, there is absolutely more, he’s exciting.
Scary for opposition for exciting for us. “He’s been a pleasure to work with throughout pre-season. Like I’ve said, I love when players make that bold step or leap to come here.
Mipo was excellent. He’s a real threat, he’s an athletic freak and he’s going to score goals, plain and simple.” Duff stressed that Odubeko has been easy to work with, dismissing any suggestion that there was a high maintenance element that required a special focus.
However, he feels that he is an example of a player who can thrive in the Tolka Park environment, referencing English winger Will Jarvis, an outstanding performer under Duff who was recalled by parent club Hull City last summer and subsequently sold to Notts County. The Ireland centurion hinted that Jarvis would be better off at Shels where he was appreciated. “Mipo has jumped around a few clubs,” he continued, “I guess (you ask) why?.
I think of Jarvo, he never got a look in at Hull and he’s gone...
I don’t know where he’s gone but he gets ten minutes a week so in hindsight was it a good move? Not at the minute because you want to play football. “Mipo has been an absolute dream, an absolute dream, just highly highly motivated. If I didn’t like him or didn’t want to help I wouldn’t give him a big hug and kiss at the end and I’ve no doubt that it’s going to stay that way so is he hard work or anything? Absolutely not.
” Duff reckons that Odubeko partnership with Boyd could make them the strongest duo in the country, although he was keen to reference the importance of John Martin in the run-in to league joy and he also sees Ellis Chapman in that equation, the attacking midfielder brought in from Sligo Rovers. In general terms, he is satisfied with the attitude he is seeing from his group as next Friday’s opener with Derry City looming over the horizon, with the 45-year-old determined to get a particular message across to his squad ahead of their title defence. “Coyler (captain Mark Coyle) openly said in the press that it’s the most intense I’ve been in the four years.
I totally agree, that’s just driving standards again, I don’t accept that (by) just coming in and doing enough that you win the league this year just because you won it last year. “I’ve openly admitted to the players, the staff, even Nei (Doyle – co-owner), there is a bigger edge than normal to me. Because I think it’s time to be paranoid.
Because if you’re not, you could become a bit complacent, was I paranoid that the guys have come back a bit complacent? I don’t know but I’m going to let them know. “If you come off one percent, we won’t win the league. If you come off a half percent, you won’t win the league.
We won’t win anything. So here I smelt a real energy off them tonight, that’s pleasing, just as pleasing as the trophy and having the President here and the national anthem, that was a proud moment “But here, if you come off it all, you’ll win nothing and it’s a constant theme. We spoke to GAA people.
I think the guys also bumped into Donnacha O’Callaghan the other day and he didn’t win the years after success and it came back to ‘Yeah, I came off it, I was feeling myself, I was complacent.’ It was the constant thing that was coming back to me from everybody, serial winners, when they didn’t win, it was because they were complacent. “Of course tactics and quality come into it but just having that edge, that mindset, how hard are you going to work? If you’re off it, you win nothing.
That’s fact.” Read more.
