Stephen Bradley has spoken out against the boos received by the Ireland men's team after Tuesday night's defeat to Greece in Dublin.
A promising first half gave way to a chastening second in the Aviva Stadium, as the visitors ran out victors on a difficult evening for the new coaching team headed by Heimir Hallgrímsson.
Many of the home fans had chosen to leave after Christos Tzolis made it 2-0 with three minutes to go, with some of those who stayed to the final whistle booing at the game's conclusion. Some had also jeered and booed when Matt Doherty was introduced as a substitute with 16 minutes to play.
There were boos at full-time from those who stayed to the end of Ireland’s 2-0 defeat against Greece on Tuesday night 😬
Where do we go from here? pic.twitter.com/vz7de7Dhu5
— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) September 10, 2024
It was a sobering night for those in attendance - but Shamrock Rovers boss Bradley has called on fans to get behind the new manager rather than turning to boos.
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Stephen Bradley calls out boos for Ireland team
Speaking to some of the Irish media on Thursday ahead of his team's return to action in the League of Ireland, Stephen Bradley was asked for his thoughts on the back-to-back defeats suffered by Ireland to begin the Heimir Hallgrímsson era.
Bradley said that the Irish supporters in the Aviva Stadium "have to" back the new manager, while saying that he felt the boos at full-time on Tuesday did not reflect the traditions of Irish football.
I'm not sure who the boos at the end were directed at. We've never been that nation and we can't become it.
We have to be very mindful of that as a nation and, as someone from the outside, that we don't become that nation that is booing after the man's second game in charge. We can't become a nation that doesn’t give managers and groups time.
This man has been chosen to do the job and we have to back him. We have to back this man, his staff and the group of players for the length of time, whether that's a campaign, two campaigns, whatever it is.
We can’t forget what we are and what we're really good at and support the manager, his staff and his players for as long as they are doing the job.
Stephen Bradley would go on to say that he understood the frustrations fans may have with the organisation of the FAI, but that booing the players and coaching staff was not the answer.
I understand people get frustrated in moments and when we (Rovers) lose a game, fans get frustrated and say things. I get that, it's part of being in football.
But as a whole, that's not us. We're a nation and a people that support our national teams, management and staff.
Bradley's Shamrock Rovers are back in Premier Division action against Sligo Rovers in Tallaght on Friday night, as they hope to secure European football for next season. They currently sit sixth in the table, four points off third-placed Sligo with two games in hand. Victory on Friday would go a great distance towards securing a top-three finish for Rovers.
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