Sligo Rovers ace Garry Buckley claims it is ‘absolute madness’ for anyone to be calling for Liam Buckley’s head.
The Bit O’Red were top of the league after beating Shamrock Rovers in Tallaght back in May.
But a three-way title charge with the Hoops and St Pat’s failed to materialise and Sligo have fallen 22-points behind the champions elect.
That has led to some frustration among the Showgrounds faithful, although the vast majority are behind Buckley whose team remain third in the table.
But while European football for next season looked a foregone conclusion at one stage, just nine points separates them and second-from-bottom Finn Harps.
Since returning from the summer break, only relegated Longford Town have a worse points return than Sligo.
And they host Drogheda United tomorrow having failed to win in their last five Premier Division games.
But defender Buckley – who yesterday signed a new two-year deal – has urged any wavering fans to keep the faith.
With five games to go, Buckley said: “Maybe we’re a bit anxious as teams are getting a bit closer to us but we’re still third.
“Look at where we came from last year, the manager has been phenomenal.
“We were bottom-of-the-table going into Covid last year and I don’t think any other manager could have gone through that period like he has.
(Image: ©INPHO/Tommy Dickson)
“He was saying it the whole time ‘Europe, Europe, Europe’ and I was thinking ‘Jesus, we’re bottom of the table on points’.
“But there’s no other manager who would have gone through that period of time so gracefully, so calmly.
“Any other managers, there would have been crisis meetings, there would have been argy bargy, fights head-to-head but he kept a cool head.
“I know there’s been a few people calling for Liam’s head and that sort of stuff, but that’s absolute madness. I believe in him and all the players believe in him.
“He gets the best out of me and I’m playing the best football of my career in the last three or four years.
“Look at the bigger picture, the club could have been playing in the First Division this year and now we’re third and people are still not happy.
“Our objective this season was Europe and we’re in prime position and I’ve every faith in getting it.”
Centre-back Buckley – a league and FAI Cup winner with Cork City in 2017 – admits having a sense of regret that a title push fizzled out so quickly this year.
But he insists the club is going in the right direction and that is why he did not hesitate signing a contract extension.
Buckley added: “Every team has blips in the season, it’s just ours that has come before the end of the season.
“We had done so well at the start of the season that there was always going to be a time where we drop off a little.
“If you look at the first four or five months of the season, we were probably the best team in the country.
“It’s just putting that over the course of an eight, nine, ten-month season. Injuries and suspensions probably killed us.
“But when I was with Cork, it didn’t happen overnight and it took two or three years for us to win trophies.
“It’s the same with Shamrock Rovers – their process took them three, four or even five years and now they’re winning back-to-back titles.
“We’re under no illusions that things happen overnight. It’s a process, but we’re in that process and I see us kicking on even more next year.”
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