David Healy insists Coleraine are 'absolutely' Irish League title favourites with 'serious pressure' also on Glentoran
Linfield manager David Healy feels Coleraine should “absolutely” be considered Premiership title favourites ahead of next season and believes “there’s going to be serious pressure” on the Bannsiders and rivals Glentoran due to their level of investment.
Coleraine haven’t won a Gibson Cup since 1974, but new owner Henry Ross has stated his desire to transform them into the Irish League’s “leading club” and recruited the likes of Joel Cooper, Kodi Lyons-Foster and Stephen Fallon to aid that mission.
Ali Pour has taken on an increased ownership stake at Glentoran and given the green light for high-profile transfers including the arrival of striker Pat Hoban from Derry City as they look to end a 17-year wait for title glory under Declan Devine.
Linfield were runaway champions last season, finishing a whopping 22 points clear at the summit as Healy delivered his sixth league crown, but the former Northern Ireland international doesn’t foresee a similar situation next term.
The Blues are currently considered 11/8 favourites to retain their title with bookmakers while Larne are priced at 3/1 and Coleraine 4/1.
However, Healy believes Ruaidhri Higgins’ men should start as the most likely team to seal Gibson Cup glory and insists there’ll be pressure on them to deliver success.
"You only have to look at the huge investment Coleraine have made,” said Healy. “Coleraine will be, and should be, starting as favourites to win the league this year.
"There’s been more huge investment at Glentoran, continued huge investment.
"The job that Kenny (Bruce) did at Larne was phenomenal...he was a brilliant man, but not brilliant for Linfield as a club because he probably cost us two league titles with the continued investment and professionalism he came in with.
"He helped enable clubs to go full-time and there’s new investment there, new investment coming into Cliftonville.
"We played Glenavon the other day, I’ve huge respect for Paddy (McLaughlin) and always have done, the level of player Glenavon are signing – they finished 10th in the league. Ballymena have signed well again.
“All of a sudden there’s money coming in left, right and centre. Stephen Baxter has signed Billy Joe Burns, Adam Lecky and Jimmy Callacher, experienced players he knew from Crusaders. They (Carrick Rangers) will improve.
"There’s going to be serious pressure on Coleraine, Glentoran, who by the way didn’t finish in Europe and financially lost out. There’ll be huge pressure on the investment they put into the football club.”
Linfield have either won the league or finished second in 19 of the last 21 Premiership seasons, celebrating 13 title victories in that period, but Healy believes the expectation should be placed on others this term.
"Absolutely,” he added when asked if he truly believed Coleraine are favourites. “The old saying which I’ve heard from day one and heard 30 years ago before I left to play in England is ‘whoever finishes above Linfield will probably win the league’, which has been the case over the last number of years.
"People will state that this year and there’ll be other clubs and managers going on the back foot and throwing Linfield in as big title favourites, but that’s nothing new.
"We look forward to the challenge but when you look at it factually with the level of investment at other clubs, they should be having successful seasons.”