Declan Devine has hit back at Liam Coyle by insisting he can ‘hold his head up high’ as Derry City boss.
Candystripes legend Coyle reckons Devine is facing the axe if he misses out on Europe this season.
Derry slid down the table in last year’s Covid-hit season and only avoided the relegation playoff on the final day.
Coyle labelled that ‘shocking’ and told an RTE podcast today: "The bare minimum for Declan this season has to be a European spot.
“If he doesn't get that, Derry might look in another direction and bring in someone else."
If that puts Devine on the backfoot ahead of Saturday’s trip to Longford Town, the City boss - contracted until the end of this season - isn’t showing it.
Going into his third season in his second spell in charge, Devine said today: “I've been here before and I know what it takes to manage this football club.
“24 months ago I was in a brilliant position in another job (with the Irish Football Association) with absolutely no pressure.
“There were 300 or 400 people coming to the Brandywell for the last five or six games of the season, when they finished eighth two seasons ago.
“Thankfully, I was able to get the city behind me. Listen, everybody is entitled to their opinion.
“But from my point of view, I look in the mirror every morning, I know what I'm trying to achieve and I know what I'm good at.
“Derry, over the last 12 years, have finished more in the bottom half of the table than the top half.
“We've won two senior titles in the top division in our history - I've won one of those. The expectation levels managing Derry City Football Club are always high.
“No matter who is manager of this football club, there's going to be pressure on them.”
Devine, who led Derry to the FAI Cup in 2012, continued: “When Derry ask you to be their manager, you take the pressures and all the pitfalls that come with it.
“And if I look in the mirror and understand that I'm 100pc doing my best, then that's fine, that does me down to the ground.
“It’s very much a results based business and I can hold my head up high and say I'm happy with the job I’m doing.”
Devine is also hoping that Derry City can have fans back in the Brandywell earlier than their league rivals.
Northern Ireland’s vaccine rollout is already streets ahead of the Republic of Ireland’s and it opens up the prospect of supporters returning.
“If we can do that in a safe manner, I’d take every advantage we can,” he said. “The statistics up here are fantastic and long may that continue.
“Last year it was a major disadvantage to us having two health systems. One worked for us and one worked against us.
“So if we can get people into that ground earlier than anyone else, absolutely brilliant. I would jump at the opportunity.
“We need fans back because it’s absolutely rubbish without them.”
Meanwhile, Devine has allayed fears that new signing Joe Hodge may not return to the Candystripes.
The Manchester City youth and Republic of Ireland U19s midfielder, 18, was an eye-catching loan signing over the close season.
But he has a small hairline fracture in his lower back and is in Manchester for treatment.
Devine added: “He's at a club where they’re going to give him the best medical attention they can give him.
“Sometimes it can take four weeks, sometimes six weeks, sometimes 10 weeks. It's down to how often he's getting scanned which will be every fortnight.
“He's been told to take a minimum of a four week rest, and hopefully when he gets rescanned again it'll show the thing is cleared up a good bit.
“We were very hopeful we'd have him for the season, not just this short period of time. But I'm very confident we’ll have Joe Hodge back playing for Derry this season.”
