SEÁN BOYD has insisted Shelbourne players have no issue with Damien Duff’s tough love because they know he wants the best for them.
Duff singled out Shane Farrell for criticism after he was sent off within 12 minutes of coming on against Shamrock Rovers on Monday night.
The fans’ favourite was rapped by the Ireland legend who questioned his diet and lifestyle off the pitch which he believed contributed to poor performances on that.
Boyd knows better than most what it is like to be on the sharp end of Duff’s tongue.
The striker has 21 goals in 55 appearances for the Reds but his 23 yellow and two red cards offer some insight into why he can fall foul on his manager.
And he was also namechecked on Monday, as someone who had underperformed against Galway United last Friday before upping his standards in the Dublin derby.
Boyd said: “Come here, he’s as honest as they come. He told me I was s*** on Friday and said I was OK on Monday. That’s the way he is and it’s fine. I know that myself.
You don’t want managers to string you along and take s***e. Excuse my language but he is exactly what you want in a manager.
“I’ve been around. I’ve heard stories. I know players. You don’t want to strung along, told you’re great, this and that and they then f*** you out.
“If you can’t live up to or deal with his standards you’ll struggle and at times him and Joey O’Brien, they’re tough on me, but that’s what I want.
“I don’t want someone who is going to talk s***e and tell me I’m great when I’m not.”
SHEL SHOCKER
The 25-year-old incurred his wrath on the opening night of the season when he scored the equaliser against Waterford but was then shown a straight red card for an elbow on Grant Horton.
But he revealed: “It could be even a training session and I’d be in the doghouse but I don’t want to be left float along and just be nothing.
“They want the best for me and I know they care, they want the best for Shane, so it comes from a place of love. It’s what you want.
“Shane, yeah, he’ll be in trouble now and it is disappointing. We probably had a chance to win the game and he let us down. But I’ve been there myself, it is tough.
“After Waterford, I was hurting. We could have won that game, we should have won the game that night.
“I know how that feels. It’s just something where you need to knuckle down and listen to what the manager says because he only wants the best for him.
“If you’re training properly and wanting to work hard for the team, he will be with you 100 percent.”
DUFF LOVE
And the former Shamrock Rovers and Finn Harps striker claimed Duff’s presence alone at Tolka Park ensures he wants to stay put.
He said: We get everything from him – confidence, belief, we get corrected, told what to do and when to do it – he’s the most important man to me at this football club.
“He’s absolutely unbelievable and as long as he’s here I want to be here right beside him. That’s my motivation, I want to stay here as long as he is.
“Obviously if he moves on, I’d love it and be happy for him, but as long as the man is at the football club I want to be beside him, I think that much of him.”
And he will hope to show that by helping Shels to three points at home to St Pat’s after an encouraging performance in the 0-0 draw against Rovers.
He said: “It’s something to build on because the last few weeks have been tough going.
“Joey said it up there, it’s five games without a win so we’ll be hoping to have a go on Friday and try to put that right.”