“I want people to be patient with him.”
Rotherham United manager Matt Taylor has offered a damning verdict on the quality of the League of Ireland.
Taylor was praising his Irish striker Georgie Kelly, who scored the winning goal for Rotherham in their 2-1 victory over Huddersfield Town last weekend, when he made the comments.
Kelly joined the Championship side from Bohemians in 2021 and helped them earn promotion from League One.
In an attempt to praise his player, Taylor dismissed the League of Ireland.
Rotherham manager dismisses quality of League of Ireland.
The Rotherham manager said that in the League of Ireland is the equivalent of non-league football in the English pyramid and that Kelly is still ‘learning his trade’ in the Championship.
Taylor urged ‘people to patient’ with the centre forward. Yet, in the next sentence, he said that Kelly has become a ‘cult hero’ with fans of the club.
“I’ve been here for two minutes. He is still incredibly raw,” Taylor told The Yorkshire Post about the 25-year-old.
“He’s come from Ireland which, with no disrespect to Irish football, is the equivalent of non-league level in the English pyramid.
“Suddenly, he’s learning his trade in the Championship. That’s so difficult for him to do. I want people to be patient with him.
“There’ll be times where people judge him the other way and he won’t always get the plaudits,” Taylor continued.
“In terms of an attitude and a physicality, we’ve got something to work with. He already feels like that cult hero.”
Georgie Kelly.
Kelly has scored three goals in 12 games for Rotherham since joining the club from Bohemians last January. He previously played for Derry City, UCD, Dundalk and St Patrick’s Athletic in the League of Ireland.
Kelly was named PFAI player of the year for 2021 after netting 26 goals in 40 games for Bohs and helping the Dublin club reach the FAI Cup final.
Rotherham are currently in 16th place in the Championship, with 18 points from 13 games. Taylor was appointed as the club’s manager at the start of October, having previously coached Exeter City.
Related links.
- QUIZ: Name the League of Ireland clubs these Irish internationals played for.
- “If you’re a referee in this country, you’re not allowed say anything” – Damien Duff.
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