Heat is on as managers fire verbal volleys

NO self-respecting title bout would be complete without the mandatory war of words, and rival managers Damien Richardson and Stephen Kenny duly delivered ahead of tonight’s title decider at Turner’s Cross.

Both men are too thoughtful and articulate to start throwing haymakers outside the ring, but there was a definite rise in temperature yesterday as the Derry boss responded sharply to what he clearly regarded as provocative comments made earlier in the day by his Cork counterpart.

Speaking early yesterday, Richardson told reporters: “I think if we can play to our potential we’re a better team than Derry, though they will think differently. It will be a game of contrasts. Derry are quite a defensive team anyway, they tend to sit back and play on the break. They’re a very well organised and honest group of players, and impressive in that respect. But perhaps they don’t play as much football as you would like to see from potential champions.”

The Cork City boss then made bold to predict his counterpart’s team selection.

“I’ll tell you what’ll happen tomorrow. I’ve no doubt that (Pat) McCourt won’t play. Killian Brennan will play on the left and Gary Beckett will play up front. And I know the way Beckett operates, he’ll spend a lot of time in the middle of the park, trying to flood the midfield. They will try and come back and defend, in the way they normally do, and then play on the break. It’s what Derry do, and it’s what they do very well.”

Asked if a Cork victory would be better for the league, Richardson replied: “I think it probably would be, in that the message it would send out would be that it’s possible to be successful playing pure football. And that’s not denigrating Derry City because they are a terrific side; in the semi-final here they were superb. For one period in the second half especially, I thought they were immense.

“But I think, from the Irish professional football point of view, we need more leadership from the powers that be in Merrion Square and from club directors, managers and coaches to say to the players to go out and play football in the proper way. We have to be able now to portray an image based on a product that’s vibrant, not a product based on huff and puff and physicality. Because the talent is there.”

A couple of hours later, at their team hotel, Derry City manager Stephen Kenny responded to Richardson’s assessment of his side as a defensive one.

Said Kenny: “For a defensive team to outscore Cork this season is rather ironic. It would be hard for Damien to comment on that because he doesn’t really go to matches, bar his own team. He says he doesn’t look at other teams, he’s only concentrating on his own side.

“Anyone that goes to the Brandywell week-in, week-out can testify to the football that they’ve seen this season. We’ve played some tremendous stuff, home and away, and I think the players have expressed themselves well.

“Everyone in the squad has tended not to seek a profile. What we’ve tended to do is let our football do the talking. We’re not interested in exposure, we’re only interested in playing good football and winning things. We’ve already won the League Cup this season - and for eight of the starting 11 it was their first medal - and now they’re determined to go on and win the ultimate, the championship.”

CORK CITY (probable): Devine, Horgan, Bennett, Murray, Murphy, O’Donovan, Gamble, O’Brien, Kearney, O’Callaghan, Fenn.

DERRY CITY (probable): Forde, McCallion, Hutton, Delaney, Hargan, McGlynn, Martyn, Deery, Brennan, Beckett, Farren.