SFL focus: Jim Duffy preaches safety-first policy

The Third Division club's decline hasn't quite appeared terminal in recent times, but there has seemed little prospect of a revival at Broadwood.

Clyde's very future has looked bleak, with a move away from their rented home still in the pipeline in order to cut costs. As is routinely the case against such a backdrop, the team hasn't done much to raise spirits.

Wins at Brechin and at home to Peterhead have boosted optimism at Clyde, even if their manager Jim Duffy insists a wider issue is the one that should give the club's supporters peace of mind. When he arrived at Clyde last season, Duffy's initial aim was to restore Division Three credibility. Now, he refuses to entertain thoughts of a challenge at the summit of the table.

"We have started well but we are still a million miles away," Duffy cautioned yesterday.

Duffy was adamant the Clyde board had to share his longer-term philosophy before he committed to staying in charge, this summer.

"The club had tried experienced players and tried to claim promotions here and there; and ended up almost bust," Duffy said.

"The club has been in the doldrums, there is no question about that. It has also had a precarious existence. What you have to do is look at the concept of the club in that instance.

"It wasn't the fault of previous managers. The objectives of the club were wrong and it backfired."

As someone who sampled the first set of financial trauma to hit Dundee, Duffy is ideally placed when commenting on such matters.

"Clubs can go out of business," he added. "It happened to Airdrie, it happened to Clydebank. We shouldn't kid ourselves on that nothing will happen to football clubs.

"Dundee had a big fan base and that helped them. But twice, the door was almost bolted shut there."

Duffy and Clyde's answer to this threat is another kind of promotion; that of youth. Whilst admitting that young players are also generally cheaper, the manager is adamant of Clyde's development system is the only way to safeguard their future.

Duffy retained only five players from last season's squad. Three U19s have been promoted into the one for this campaign with others selected from the likes of Campsie Black Watch and the amateur team Glasgow North.

From Clyde's first two competitive games this season, nine of a 16-man squad has been aged 21 and under. Ironically or not, both games have resulted in victories even if Duffy is eyeing the bigger picture.

"I had a chat with the directors over the summer when the asked me to stay on.I said I would only do that if we went down the path I believe we should," Duffy recalled. "If they wanted to go back to experience, I would have stepped aside and let somebody else have a go. So I had to be sure we were on the same page; it took a few weeks for all of that to click.

"Look at Falkirk, they are picking a team full of youngsters to protect the future of the club. People have to decide if they want short-term success or a club which will be going for years and years in the future.

"It is difficult, particularly for supporters because they maybe aren't watching what they would like to be. But there is an issue over the longevity of clubs and that should be protected. People should be patient."

Which begs the question as to why Duffy, who has operated and coached at a far higher level than this, is willing to work at a level where he too will sample such frustration on the touchline.

"I genuinely enjoy it, I enjoy working with players," he said.

"I go into schools a lot and do work with children as part of the Show Racism The Red Card scheme. The same principle applies; the enthusiasm of the kids rubs off on you.

"If young players are keen and enthusiastic, that rubs off on you. It's about development, for me now. If I see or two of our guys progress or get back up the ladder into the full-time game then it will give me encouragement to keep going.

"That would also give other guys a reason to come to Clyde, and the ones already here to keep on going."