The fans sang throughout that, with Alan Mathews gone, "things will only get better." Yet after the manner of their 3-0 home reverse to St. Patrick's Athletic last night it is clear that you can take the manager from the club but not the team that he assembled - and that things will most likely need to get worse before they get better.
Shelbourne played with as much misdirection as they have all season against a Pats side who for half the game demonstrated the famed profligacy which threatens to derail any sustained title challenge. The Reds failed to capitalise and in the second half Pats at last found some penetration, scoring through Christy Fagan (twice) and Chris Forrester.
And yet another sending off, this time for Jack Memery for a high-footed challenge on Ger O'Brien, means Shelbourne have racked up a total of six red cards in just 14 league games, which is the same as both their goals and points tallies for the season so far.
With both Bray Wanderers (winning 3-1 at Cork City) and UCD (earning a 1-1 draw at home to Limerick) gaining points, it leaves Shelbourne five points adrift of both clubs at the bottom of the table - leaving things looking as bleak as they did before the announcement of Mathews' resignation.
In fairness to the Shelbourne supporters, they remained in good voice throughout the game, but the wave of post-Mathews optimism must have been seriously tempered by the pessimistic performance on the pitch. Though, it must be said, the support shown to Kevin Doherty - a three time league winner with Shelbourne as a player who has been asked step up from his role as first team coach to fill the breach - was unanimous.
From a defensive standpoint, Shelbourne did well to reduce Pats to long-range efforts in the first half, only two of which were taken with a clear sight of goal. However, this involved a lot of energy-sapping running and pressing, which is something this Reds' outfit are not capable of doing for extended periods.
Any attempted breakaway lacked the required urgency to worry Pats, and the two opportunities which were presented to Shelbourne were squandered by both Sean Brennan and Mark Leech - and they came within the first 15 minutes.
It was only a matter of time before legs began to tire and it was then that Pats began to exploit the increasing gaps between the Shelbourne lines and players. It was then that the actions of interim manager Doherty would be crucial.
Sadly, some of his decisions on the night perhaps highlighted his managerial inexperience. For example, the decision to start Mark Leech in the lone striker's role after the forward was struggling with a groin injury backfired. He looked uncomfortable all game and seemed incapable of doing the hard running necessary to fulfil the role properly.
One incident in the first half was met with derision from the Shels fans as Leech showed hesitancy in capitalising on a loose ball which O'Brien had kept in play - the full-back's momentum in chasing the ball carried him right off the pitch and into the hoardings, leaving Leech with little more than fifteen yards to make up to create a decent attacking opportunity. But he just physically couldn't make it and O'Brien recovered.
More baffling than his decision to start Leech, however, was his decision to persist with him in the second half. Having got to 0-0 at half-time, Doherty would have done well to take off the beleaguered Leech and replace him with a lean-looking Philly Hughes (one fan informed me that he has lost a stone in recent weeks, though I can't officially confirm this - he looked thinner and fitter than he did at the start of the season anyway).
However it wasn't until Shelbourne found themselves 2-0 down on the hour mark that last season's top scorer was introduced to the fray. And when Dean Kelly, who had also been struggling with injury before the game, was brought on for Craig Mooney, he was placed on the right-wing of the five-man midfield as opposed to up front beside Hughes.
Admittedly, there may have been a fear of harming the goal-difference column by chasing a lost cause, but if that had been Mathews making that change in a home game there would have been uproar in the New Stand.
A major problem with this Shelbourne outfit is their creativity going forward, which has contributed to Hughes' goal drought. Last season, the big striker had the likes of David Cassidy, Kevin Dawson, Paddy Kavanagh and Conan Byrne (mainly from the substitutes' bench) providing chances for him.
All of those players left in the off-season and were replaced by players who have yet to show that they possess the same dynamism or eye for a pass - Cassidy moved to Drogheda United and currently has seven assists this season, while Byrne moved to Pats and has had a hand in three of Pats' goals. As for Dawson, he is set to participate in tomorrow's League One play-off final for Yeovil Town while Kavanagh has struggled with injury since joining Derry City and has been the least successful of the ex-Shelbourne quartet.
In came Paul Crowely and Sean Brennan (both Drogheda), Robert Bayly (Longford Town), Craig Mooney (UCD) and Adam Hanlon (Bray Wanderers). Alex Prizeman and Stephen Sheerin both started against Pats and are products of the Reds' successful u19s side, nine of whom were in the first-team squad last night.
It is a new midfield and arguably has the potential to be a strong one if Doherty, or whoever takes the reigns, can instil a specific style of play - so far this season, the sky has probably touched the ball more than the players at Tolka Park as the team has played without conviction.
Against Pats, Prizeman didn't get much support from the left-back Memery going forward whereas the right-back, Rob Cornwall - another u19 product - was seen performing step-overs after five minutes as he cannoned a cross off the onrushing Sheerin. With Leech's movement restricted ahead of him and support from midfield found wanting, Prizeman found himself running down cul-de-sacs in vain.
Even as the third goal was conceded, Shelbourne fans were still singing about life after Mathews - that things will only get better. In an interview with Hugh Gallagher of Extratime.ie last week, former Pats boss Pete Mahon expressed surprised at Shels' current predicament, stating his belief that the Reds' strongest eleven are good enough to get them out of trouble (perhaps politicking for the vacancy himself).
The reality is that whoever takes charge at Tolka Park will have to steer the club to safety with the players Mathews brought in. A change in approach and a crackdown on the disciplinary issue are both drastically needed if Shelbourne are to avoid returning to the wilderness they spent so long wandering in: the First Division.
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