Stephen Bradley has revealed how the Shamrock Rovers board told him: ‘Don’t worry, be Hoopy’.
By his own admission, Rovers still have a lot of work to do as they have not won a league under his watch.
But they have reached the FAI Cup final on November 3 and three-and-a-half years into the job, Bradley could win his first trophy.
Fortunes have improved since a year ago when some Rovers fans were unfurling anti-Bradley banners after a 5-2 home league defeat to this year's cup final opponents Dundalk.
They felt the rookie boss was out of his depth at a club starved of a trophy since Trevor Croly’s League Cup and Setanta Cup success in 2013.
But the board refused to press the panic button and in the wake of Friday’s semi-final win over Bohs, Bradley, 34, has credited the club’s custodians.
“It’s massive (to be in the final) because that’s where this club belongs and we want to be challenging for leagues,” he said.
“When we came in, we were a million miles away from doing that as a club. And to be fair to the board, they knew that and said they’d give us time to get there.
“By no means are we there because we’re not going to win the league obviously but we’re getting there.”
And on dealing with pressure last summer, Bradley continued: “Pressure comes at a club like this.
“But the good thing from the start was the board were very clear that there was going to be time given. I was never under any pressure from them.
“In fact, when all that was going on they were actually ringing me and saying ‘stay calm and relax, do what you have to do, there is no issue’.
“When you have that backing, it just means there is no negativity getting to the players and they believe in that and they grow.
“And it gives you confidence in how you recruit. You recruit for what’s coming down the road and not for the here and now.
“(Getting to the final) is a reward for them and the fans because there has been pressure but they’ve stuck with us home and away. Hopefully we can win it now.”
If you haven't already, be sure to like our Irish Mirror Sport and Irish Mirror GAA pages on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
