CRISIS? What crisis?
It’s fair to say that June has been a horrendously difficult month for Limerick FC both on and off the field, with the club marooned in the relegation play-off spot in the Premier Division and, more worryingly, enduring a financial malaise which is likely to see the team stripped of key players when the summer transfer window opens next month.
Through this unenviable scenario, however, Limerick manager Tommy Barrett is remaining circumspect and has voiced his determination to ride out the storm.
He said: “Obviously there is pressure on everything you do, but really it is a game of football at the end of the day. That is not me dismissing it. People are talking about a crisis, but a crisis is the homeless crisis or people committing suicide. This is not a crisis; it is a game of football and we have to get into reality and live in the real world.
“In the work I have done in the past and I’m still doing, that helps. Obviously, I don’t like to lose games. I get upset over it, but in reality, you have to look at the bigger picture and stay calm and take the emotion out of it. I always try to do that. Otherwise, you don’t get any clarity, so that’s what I intend to do.”
Limerick’s lengthy wait for a home win continues after last Friday’s 0-2 defeat to Shamrock Rovers at Markets Field. A decidedly poor match was settled by two goals in quick succession either side of the interval, Limerick native Joel Coustrain giving the Hoops the lead and Graham Burke netting in his final game for the Tallaght club before his transfer to Preston in the English Championship.
The Super Blues have not won at home since March 9 when they defeated Bray Wanderers, who are the next visitors to Shannonside following the mid-season break. The Wicklow club are the only team beneath Limerick in the table, with six points separating the bottom two ahead of the June 29 clash at Markets Field.
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