Duffy shares credit for award with staff and squad
Jim Duffy paid tribute to his players and coaching staff after picking up the Ladbrokes Championship Manager of the Month award for October.
His side played three league matches over the course of the four-week period, recording a trio of impressive wins against Raith Rovers, Queen of the South, and Ayr United.
Duffy was proud to receive the individual accolade but insists that a manager is only the recipient and shared the credit with his colleagues and the squad.
He told gmfc.net: “It’s something that is strange in this job, how we deal with praise because you’re always wary of what’s kind of round the corner.
“So you maybe don’t go and enjoy these moments as much as you’d like to because there’s always another game approaching very quickly.
“Obviously I get the profile but it’s testament to everyone. I think everybody knows the award is a recognition of how well your team has done over that period. It’s a reflection on the consistency of the team.
“We are all part of a team, whether that’s the coaching team or the playing staff, everybody contributes. The manager gets the credit and the pat on the back with these awards but you can’t achieve anything in isolation.”
And that was borne out by the fact that the club completed an awards double, with defender and recent stand-in skipper Thomas O’Ware scooping the Player of the Month award.
But boss Duffy reckons the 23-year-old doesn’t just deserve recognition for his performances over the last four weeks, but for his consistency over the past two-and-a-half seasons.
He added: “Thomas has been terrific. His consistency has been very good, similar to what I’ve mentioned of the team. Defensively, he’s played his part with his performances.
“But he’s also chipped in with some very important goals, and as we all know, set-pieces are a very important part modern-day football, because teams are organised and you can find it difficult to break them down.
“If you’ve got someone with good delivery and someone with the determination to go and attack the ball the way Thomas does then there’s every chance you can capitalise on those situations, even if you’re not playing at your best.
“These awards are judged over a month, but for me as a coach, I’ve seen Thomas develop over the last two years and I think he had gradually improved his game and become a very important and influential player for us.
“With Lee [Kilday] being out the team recently, he’s also taken on the responsibility of captain as well, and he’s still only 23 years old.
“He can play centre-mid, he can play centre-back – he’s a very accomplished all-round player, and this is fair reward for I think two years of consistency rather than one month of consistency.
“There are probably two or three other players who could have given him a run for his money, so it shows how well he’s done to manage to win the award, and I’m delighted for him.”
Images: Gary Bradley
