Ruaidhrí Higgins comes out swinging over Derry City critics and calls for 'perspective'

The City boss - who admitted the boos which greeted the final whistle after Monday night's 1-1 draw against Sligo Rovers were justified - spoke candidly about the online criticism and abuse from the stands from sections of Derry's despondent fanbase and called for 'perspective' as his side face into the final three season-defining fixtures.

Higgins says he's got 'broad shoulders' and is fully prepared to 'take criticism on the chin', however, the Limavady man - who took umbrage to a perceived negativity from sections of the press and online critics - robustly defended his players who he has 'backed to the hilt'.

"I don't read social media or all the online stuff but when people say 'don't read what's said online' it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know it's not good," said Higgins.

“Obviously you don't like hearing it. It comes with the territory nowadays and that's just the way of the world," he added. "I can handle it, but the bit that gets me is when it can have an impact on people around you, when family members don’t go to the games anymore and stuff like that. That's the bit that sort of irritates you.

"I've got broad shoulders, I can take it on the chin, I've dealt with worse than that. As a player here it was the exact same, Marmite, and I'm long enough in the tooth to know how the game works but the modern day especially, it's really, really escalated and that's not just for this football club, that's everywhere.”

And with games against Dundalk, St Pat's and Shelbourne to decide their title tilt, the former midfielder has called for those disgruntled fans to direct their anger at him rather than at a team he fully believes can achieve 'something special' this season.

“People are right to have a pop after the other night absolutely, but again we have an opportunity over the next few weeks to end the season really, really well, and that's our main focus.

"We're actually in a really privileged position where we have a chance of winning a league title and an FAI Cup, so that's the way we look at it.

"We try to look at it through positive eyes. We'll try to stick together as we've always done, the staff and the players and see what we can come up with over the next few weeks.

"When we don't win and play well, of course I share the frustration. I'm not naive to see what goes on. I completely understand that.

"No-one is as frustrated as me, but as I said I'll back myself and I'll back the players to the hilt and the staff, and hopefully we can change that feeling of frustration into joy over the next couple of weeks, but there's going to be a lot of hard work and we're going to need everyone," he continued as he jumped to the defence of his playing staff.

"I think that we're at a stage of the season where something special could happen and what I would like to do is if people are negative and angry, direct it at me, because I'm the manager of the club. “Come at me, because the players need to go out onto the pitch feeling free, feeling motivated and we need them to be at their best over the next few weeks.”

"Wait until the end of the season and see what happens and then voice your frustrations but for the next three games, let's stick with us."

Higgins' tenure which has reaped an FAI Cup in 2022 and back-to-back runners-up spots in the league not to mention another FAI Cup Final appearance this season, has been under the microscope due to the financial backing from club Chairman Mr Philip O'Doherty.

The Holy Grail of the league title is within touching distance for a club starved of top flight success since that famous 1996/97 season and Higgins reminded his dissenters of the progression made under his watch.

Despite missing several opportunities to top the table, they’re just two points off the lead and hold their destiny in their own hands.

"What I will say is, if we rewind back the clock to April 2021 when I took the job on, we were four points adrift at the bottom of the table, Longford were second bottom and my remit was to keep the club in the division in my first year and we ended up qualifying for Europe which got the whole process going quicker.

“We signed one player that summer window on a permanent, so I inherited the squad that was bottom of the league, we signed one player on a permanent that summer and two loans from Bohemians and Dundalk and we ended up getting into Europe.

"In the second season, the first full season, we finished second in the league and won the cup.

"Last year we finished second in the league and had a good run in Europe, something that hasn't been done for a number of years and this season we have a chance of winning two trophies, so I'll take all the criticism in the world on the chin but sometimes a wee bit of perspective is needed. “Of course there's been investment but there's been investment in six or seven of the top clubs in the country so it's ultra-competitive.

"We can't just go and sign any players that we want, just to make that clear, so if you look at over the last number of years, I'm comfortable enough. “Obviously our form isn't outstanding at the minute but we're still in a really good position to pick up a trophy or maybe two.”