'Let’s not shy away from it': Declan Devine declares 'I want answers' after Glentoran admission
Declan Devine has conceded Glentoran “needed to be better” in big games against rivals this season after missing out on an automatic European spot – and admits “we will be in trouble” if they replicate a similar performance to their Coleraine defeat in a potential play-off.
The Glens entered the Premiership’s final day with the possibility of ending the club’s 17-year wait for Gibson Cup glory, and while their result was ultimately irrelevant as Larne thrashed Dungannon Swifts 8-0, Devine’s men were hammered 6-2 by the Bannsiders.
That means Coleraine have guaranteed their European return – regardless of Saturday’s Irish Cup final outcome – in Ruaidhri Higgins’ first full season at The Showgrounds while Glentoran had to settle for third.
The East Belfast club still haven’t finished above third since last celebrating Premiership success in 2008/09 and will be relying on a favour from the Bannsiders this weekend if they’re to avoid a European play-off.
If Coleraine win the Irish Cup, Glentoran will seal a spot in Conference League qualifying, but if Dungannon retain their crown, Devine’s men will enter the play-offs chasing a continental return for the first time since 2023.
In 12 league matches against fellow full-time clubs Larne, Coleraine and Linfield, Glentoran won three and drew six, collecting 15 points from a possible 36, and Devine insists their record wasn’t good enough.
"Let’s not shy away from it, any of the big games we’ve had to win this year, yes we beat Coleraine a couple of times, we beat Linfield on Boxing Day, we didn’t beat Larne at all,” he told the club’s media channel. “When a big game came up, we needed to be better this year.
"Please God they (Coleraine) can go and win one next week, but if that’s the last game we play of the season, it’s unacceptable.
"It’s not good enough, we let the whole club down, and that’s incredibly sore.
"The first thing we’ll be doing is watching the game back and I want answers – I want answers on why we were so soft in our defending, why we lost every duel, I’ll demands answers.
"If we accept that, the future isn’t good. We have to be much better. The players have been outstanding this season and the sorest thing about (Saturday) is the way we buckled.
"That’s not the way I want my team to represent the football club...it was a bad day.
"Hopefully Coleraine win the Irish Cup and we don’t have to go through the play-offs, but if we perform like that again this season, we will be in trouble.”
Devine also labelled Glentoran’s weekend performance as the worst of his managerial career.
"I’m mortified...I have been doing this since 2011 and it’s the worst performance from a team I’ve put out,” he added. “You fight for 37 matches to put yourself in a position to maybe win a league, definitely qualify for Europe, and to perform the way we did was unacceptable.
"I take the blame, it’s a team we put out, it lacked everything.
"I’ll keep that (my message to players at full-time) for the changing room but it wasn’t pleasant...why would it be? We conceded six goals.”