JOE REDMOND called Jon Daly on Tuesday after he heard that his St Pat’s boss had been sacked.
Daly parted ways with the Saints that same day after a 1-0 loss to Sligo Rovers the previous evening.
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And Redmond said: “I thanked him for everything he did for me, how much trust and belief he had in me, even when I was injured, keeping my confidence.
“He did a lot of good things for us on the pitch.
“Off the pitch, he was someone you could talk to about personal problems.
“We thank him for that. Hopefully Jon will have a great managerial career.
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“He’s obviously disappointed. He wanted to take us to the next level.
“And he never stopped, right up to the last whistle of the Sligo game.
“He tried to push us to get the most out of us. He’ll be disappointed as he believed in us.
“That’s one thing he instilled in us, to believe, and it was cut short.”
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Daly was axed following a seventh defeat in 15 games this season. And it leaves the title hopefuls seventh in the table.
It is well below expectations this season after Daly took over 12 months ago and guided the club to a third-place finish and FAI Cup final glory last term.
But skipper Redmond — who has missed the last three games with an ankle injury — credited his former gaffer with raising those hopes.
He said: “Jon put in so much work and never left a stone unturned. He gave everything to the club.
“He put everything into us and made us believe again. He got us an FAI Cup during his time in charge. I’ve the utmost respect for Jon.
“The news that Jon was gone was tough. It is for any group to see your manager leave. As players, we take responsibility too.
“As a team we need to regroup. We’ve got important fixtures coming up.”
The squad had Tuesday off — it was planned in advance of the club’s decision — and reconvened yesterday with Seán O’Connor in temporary charge.
Redmond revealed that the players have been given no time frame on when a new permanent gaffer will be in place.
But SunSport understands that former Ireland manager Stephen Kenny has been approached, while Stephen Rice and Ian Baraclough are also being considered.
If the club look in-house, we revealed yesterday that Academy manager Stephen Elliott is considered the frontrunner having been a contender before Daly’s appointment.
But Redmond, 24, insists that their hectic run of games — with meetings with Shamrock Rovers, Derry City, Shelbourne and Bohemians in the next fortnight — means the side must focus on themselves.
TOUGH ROAD
He added: “We’ve spoken about the upcoming games but we have to focus on Shamrock Rovers this Friday.
“With the league this year, there’s no easy games. It’s so tough that you have to fight for one point, never mind three.
“It’s about all us leaders in there trying to keep us together. That’s so important with a bit of uncertainty.
“We realise we’re the ones going out on the pitch and we’re experienced enough to know we can win or lose depending on our attitude.”
Whether Redmond will be involved in any of those games is unlikely.
He has missed the last fortnight with ankle ligament damage and should return before the summer break — but the skipper said he is taking it day by day before hitting a target.
Redmond said: “It’s a difficult one. I‘ve had scans. It’s more down to the pain threshold.
“I’m trying to do everything I can to help the lads. They’ve been pushing each other and there’s a lot of quality.”
