Are Shelbourne unlikely favourites for title - Duff doesn't think so

It has been an interesting start to the 2024 League of Ireland Premier Division campaign, and some sides have had quite an unexpected start in their opening six matches so far, whereas some other sides have quite clearly woefully underperformed based on their own set standards - not least when compared to performances and results in the last campaign.

Bohemians have been one side to start incredibly slowly and that has already led them into a managerial change as they look to turn their own fortunes around, but even current reigning champions, Shamrock Rovers who picked up their 21st title in 2023 have massively struggled and for those who like a flutter, not even football extra time and penalty shootouts betting tips would have gone as far as predicting that kind of slow start.

They are only five games in, but after three draws and a defeat, they finally picked up their first three points of the campaign in last Friday's clash with Galway United.

All in all, it leaves a historically very successful Shelbourne FC side in top spot in the division, and they find themselves clear of nearest chasers Derry City FC by five clear points at this early stage of the campaign.

With five straight wins to their name, manager and former player Damien Duff rewarded the players with an extra day off after their victory away to St Patrick's Athletic. As well as insisting in recent interviews that he, nor his first team squad, would be getting carried away with things (after all there are plenty of games left in the season and plenty of points up for grabs), plenty in the wider world of football will be doubting how much he actually means that right now when you consider their league best form, that has also included derby victories over Shamrock Rovers, Bohemians and St Patrick's Athletic.

Having finished fourth in the table in the 2023 campaign, this is an unlikely title challenge, but right now they are making all the right moves and giddy fans will be hoping that the team can maintain this kind of form until the end of the year and pick up their first title since way back in 2006.

With somewhat of a dour, but media quote friendly approach to the game, Shelbourne's gaffer treated himself to the Six Nations finale on Saturday at the Aviva Stadium as he took his mind off the day job, and the players were given three days in total off to relax up themselves, but once he was back in front of the media, his typical quiet but purposefully chippy personality was back at the fore.

With many in the press claiming their start to the season showed that they had learned how to better cope with pressure following the 2022 hammering by Derry City in the FAI Cup final, Duff agreed with that summation and said it was just the result of the natural 'evolution of the team' as they now better know when to trust themselves on an offensive front, and when to totally dig in to see out an existing result, and he praised the team for doing the latter in Friday's Richmond Park encounter.

He also freely acknowledged that two years ago some players totally crumbled with the pressure of the occasion, and as well as bringing in 'better players' those that do remain at the club have learned from the experience and have matured, so they are no longer as naive at times - all of which is player development anyway, and helped by 'proper men' in the squad that can help lead them in tougher moments.

"We have played a lot of big games since and we are never going to be as rattled again."

Given their start to the year, he also cracked that the players were now incredibly 'used to the demands' that are made of them from himself, and his coaching team, and he then made a specific reference to the title challenge predictions that were now coming in from the outside and his message seemed to be, that whilst there was a long way to go and there would be twists and turns left in the year, he was backing the team to rise to the occasion if it really becomes a possibility for them.

"I have to embrace the demands externally. It is fine. It gets touched on in things. It gets mentioned in meetings. There are 30 games to go, we have only played six, so yes, great start, I have said well done, but I barely know what month it is. We are still nowhere near favourites. If we were 100 points clear, Rovers and Derry would still be favourites."