Tue 04 Apr 2007Still trying to crack the Duffer conundrum
On Soccer:After the season the young striker has
had at Elland Road, it was scarcely surprising that Dennis Wise
made the short journey to Belfast last week to see just what it is
David Healy seems capable of every time he pulls on a Northern
Ireland jersey. The Leeds United manager returned to England, he
said, with a better understanding of how best to use the striker's
talents and - hey, presto! - the Irishman scored his club's winner
48 hours later against Preston North End.It's tempting to suggest Newcastle manager Glenn Roeder would
have benefited similarly from a trip to Dublin last week to see
Damien Duff in action against Slovakia. The difference, of course,
is that everyone knows about the Dubliner's array of gifts, and on
Wednesday night Irish manager Steve Staunton followed the standard
formula for getting the best out of the 28-year-old: stick him out
on the left and let him do his thing.