Linfield adage not washing with David Healy as he ramps up title pressure

David Healy feels rivals should be feeling the heat in the title race ahead of the champions

David Healy is used to dealing with pressure at Linfield but he has cranked the heat on their title rivals ahead of the new campaign.

The Blues romped to a 57th Irish League crown last season but Healy is expecting a sterner challenge this time around with the investment that’s come into the league.

Healy says Coleraine and Glentoran should be leading the way in the battle for the Gibson Cup as he deflected the pressure off the champions.

“The challenge at Linfield is always to win the league and if you do win the league then it’s to retain it,” said the Blues boss.

“I know the mantra more than most, I know the challenges more than most and I know the demands better than anybody, but we have 140 years, and that history of success has been built in that time.

“Every other club wants to put pressure on Linfield by saying we should win the league and if anyone finishes above us they will win it.

“That has certainly been the case more or less over my 10 years at the club, but the challenge has been set now.

“When Henry Ross came into Coleraine, people were thinking, how long is this going to take and what’s going to happen? And all of a sudden he’s grabbed the bull by the horns and he’s invested heavily. And they have a very good squad.

“They are probably everybody’s favourite this year, although everybody, I’m sure you’d be saying the old line about finishing above Linfield.

“Glentoran have invested heavily again, I know, again, we as managers always try and play it down but nobody comes in and plays for free.

“The level of investment has been huge throughout the league. Portadown have brought players in, Glenavon have brought players in, so have Ballymena.

“We all want to take pressure off and whatever else, but if Coleraine and Glentoran are not in and around the top two then there’s probably going to be a lot of questions asked if a club like ourselves continue to win or if Larne bounce back again with Nathan [Rooney] in charge.”

Healy felt his side didn’t get the credit they deserved as they surged to the title last season, despite that he is looking for improvement this time around.

“Going by some reports Linfield were never that good but other teams who were in third or fourth were on a run and doing well,” he said. “I was looking at it and I was thinking, I must be missing something here.

“We’re going to need to improve this season, and if we get that improvement, then we’ll give ourselves a shot and a chance of potentially being successful again.”