Latest news with #DamienDuff
Irish Examiner
a day ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
'I think we'll be fine' says Cork City's Seani Maguire before jetting off for mid-season break
The League of Ireland's mid-season break is upon us, and Shelbourne manager Damien Duff has again made clear how he feels about it. 'There's an air of the jolly boys out, they are meeting at the terminal tomorrow, they are meeting at the pub in the terminal. "It's a week on the gargle. That's not the football education I had in England,' stated Duff, who recently described this mid-season break as "amateurish." But it's fair to say some of the footballers feel a little differently about it. 'I'm going to Portugal with the family Sunday, for a couple of days, so it'll be a nice little break, just myself, my wife, the baby, and the grandparents,' admitted Seani Maguire, speaking minutes after Duff in the aftermath of Cork City's 1-1 draw with Shelbourne on Friday night. 'I've a couple of buddies over there as well. Yeah, look, I think the mid-season break, you can look at it two different ways, where you can go and just have a break totally away from football. 'But I think the message was clear from the manager in there, that we'll be back in the Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and throughout the week leading up to the Bohs game, because this is a big 18 games for us.' That result proved to be enough to edge City a point clear of bottom club Sligo Rovers at the halfway point in the Premier Division campaign, but it was the performance under newly appointed manager Gerard Nash that provides the club with reasons to be hopeful. 'I think we'll be fine. A couple of lads coming back fit, hopefully a couple more bodies through the door, and we'll see us win a lot more games than we lose' added Maguire, who was also keen to praise Cathal O'Sullivan following rumours linking him with a move to FA Cup winners Crystal Palace. Read More Colin Healy sees Kerry take care of Longford 'I think young Cathal will make his own decision. I think he can be whatever he wants. I think he's one of the best young fellas I've played with, and that includes England. 'Not just because of his talent, it's just his attitude towards everything, I think that's what teams in England will look for first, because you can just see it clear as day how good he is on the ball, he's a joy to play with. 'When he eventually goes to England, I'll be gutted not to play with him again, because of how good he is. 'But I'll be keeping tabs on his career, because I think he'll definitely play for Ireland, he's that good, and he'll definitely go and play at the highest level in football in England. 'His first touch is unbelievable, and it's not just his taking players on 1v1, just the basics of football, he does really well. 'He plays like a fella that's probably 10 years older than his age. He's brilliant, and as I said, his attitude is A1. 'He's so strong. Even in training there could be two or three lads hanging off him, and he just stands up. 'You see him in games there, he's getting kicked, he's getting lashes in the back, and he just keeps going and going and going. 'He'll go on to have an unbelievable career, I've no doubts about that.' Maguire also spoke highly of Djenairo Daniels, who he has struck up a promising partnership with in the absence of the injured Ruairí Keating. Cork City's Djenairo Daniels celebrates scoring a penalty with Sean Maguire. Pic: ©INPHO/Bryan Keane Daniels signed for City at the end of April with the club announcing at the time that it was a short-term deal until July. But it is understood the 23-year-old Dutch striker's deal will actually expire at the end of the season, although he could still sign for another club this summer with City entitled to a fee. 'DD, since he's come in, he's done really well,' continued Maguire. 'Obviously he didn't play in quite a while, and to come in and play so many games in a short space of time is a credit to him. 'He's a fit lad, he's a strong boy, he's quick, he has everything to be a top striker. He's scored goals there that are poacher's goals. 'You can see tonight the little, short and long passes, and the combination plays that we were doing, and I enjoyed playing with him tonight. 'I've only just come back in the team, and started to play with him, and I don't want to have that partnership with him, and to see him go. 'Hopefully the club get it sorted, and he'll be here for however long he wants to be.'
RTÉ News
3 days ago
- Sport
- RTÉ News
'A week on the gargle' - Damien Duff slams mid-season break
Damien Duff let loose on his Shelbourne players with a half-time tirade during their 1-1 draw against Cork City. A fan video from outside the Turner's Cross changing rooms caught some of Duff's "ranting and raving" through an open window after a below-par first half. Post-match, the Shels supremo suggested his side "probably had one eye on Dublin Airport and not on the game" ahead of the mid-season break. Duff said of his half-time rant: "I haven't done that in a long time, and I wasn't planning it, but sometimes you are driven towards it. "You can talk tactics and subs, but sometimes when a manager vents, it's for themselves. That wasn't for myself. It was to get a reaction out of them. "Does it usually work? No. Did it work in the second half? We were better. Was it because of that? I don't know. "It could have been the subs. It could have been our application. "The first half wasn't a Shelbourne performance. It wasn't a performance befitting champions. "To win a league again and be up there or thereabouts again, you need a bigger edge. Everything has to be better than the year before, and it hasn't been. That's why we are where we are." Duff also admitted that he "fought tooth and nail" with some of his players over their holidays. When asked about the mid-season break, he replied: "I have never liked it. The flipside is it has come at a good time for us as it's a time for reflection, but I don't like it. "There's an air of the jolly boys out. They are meeting at the pub in the terminal. It's a week on the gargle. That's not the football education I had in England. "People probably think I am unfair saying it. I think it's ingrained in the culture here. It's ingrained in my guys. I fought tooth and nail with my guys. I am not happy with some of my guys on it, but that's for another day. "But they have had a different football education to what I've had. I was taught differently, and that's why it doesn't sit right with me. "At the league's halfway mark, fifth-placed Shels remain nine points behind front-runners Shamrock Rovers. But Duff insists his side are not out of contention. "There's a long way to go. We are still alive and kicking. We still have a heartbeat, and I know it because they are great guys. "We have certainly dropped a lot of points along the way with basic individual errors when we have dominated games. Different story here. "I love challenges. It gets me excited. If it doesn't excite our players and the club, the second half of the season, be it the FAI Cup, Europe, or chasing Rovers down, then they are in the wrong place. "Nine points is a pretty big gap, but if you have a decent fortnight in the League of Ireland, you can claw it back. "I wouldn't say it's a big challenge. I have always embraced big challenges. Taking over Shelbourne Football Club was a hell of a big challenge. "There's an air of the jolly boys out. They are meeting at the pub in the terminal. It's a week on the gargle. That's not the football education I had in England" "Cup final the first year, Europe the second year, won the league the third year. They are big challenges, but we overcome them, because that's what we do. "For the second time in the past month, Duff made a triple substitution at half-time, including the return of Paddy Barrett in defence. "It could have been more. Absolutely could have been more," said Duff. "We can't waste 45 minutes. We talk about not wasting a moment, an action, you can't waste a half of football. "It's a common theme here: if you waste a half, you are coming off. "They are not decisions which should make you nervous or afraid of giving the ball away. When lads come off lacking energy and spark, and there's a flatness about them, that's why. "Unbelievable quality all week, and then maybe they thought they could roll into Turner's Cross and turn Cork over. It doesn't happen like that in Turner's Cross. "Maybe they have stopped listening, I don't know. Sure, we got a reaction in the second half, and even in the first half, you can say we showed resilience getting in at 0-0 because the fire was coming."
Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Examiner
'It's a week on the gargle' - Damien Duff defends half time rant but hits out at mid-season break
In this day and age, where camera phones are everywhere, it's hard to get away with much. Particularly when you're a high-profile figure such as Damien Duff. And that again proved to be the case on Friday night as during the half-time break, when Duff thought he was having an angry word or four with his players in the privacy dressing room, opportunistic City fans were lingering outside the small window at the back of the Shed recording footage. Despite the scoreline remaining at 0-0, Duff clearly wasn't pleased at the performance of his players as City had dominated throughout the opening 45. "I was wondering why people. . . I haven't done that in a long time, and I wasn't planning it, but sometimes you are driven towards it," admitted Duff, who was surprised to learn in the aftermath of their 1-1 draw that the audio had been doing the rounds on social media. Live scenes from Turners Cross as Damien 😈 delivers the half time team talk — The Other 3 Amigos Podcast (@TheOther3Amigos) May 30, 2025 "You can talk tactics, subs, but sometimes when a manager vents it's for themselves. That wasn't for myself. It was to get a reaction out of them, to get a jolt out of them. "Does it usually work? No. Did it work in the second half? We were better. Was it because of that? I don't know. It could have been the subs, it could have been our application. The first half wasn't a Shelbourne performance, it wasn't a performance befitting champions. "To win a league again and be up there or thereabouts again, you need a bigger edge, everything has to be better than the year before and it hasn't been, and that's why we are where we are. "Does it worry me? It's not the time to worry or dwell, it's the time to act. We made changes, but an incredible flatness, which I find incredible, an amazing training week, I complimented them on it yesterday before training. "Training again was excellent, it was a training week that I've seen when I've been at elite clubs, where everyone trains with an edge, togetherness, driving each other on. Unbelievable quality all week and then maybe they thought they could roll into Turner's Cross and turn Cork over. "It doesn't happen like that in Turner's Cross. Maybe they have stopped listening, I don't know. Sure, we got a reaction in the second half, and even in the first half you can say we showed resilience getting in at 0-0 because the fire was coming, and they got in at 0-0." The stalemate on Leeside leaves the champions in fifth place, nine points adrift of Shamrock Rovers at the top of the Premier Division. Asked about the challenge his club now faces in order to retain their crown and if it is achievable, Duff admitted: "I think it is in this league. "Good three weeks and that's what Rovers have done, and pulled away. We have certainly dropped a lot of points along the way with basic individual errors when we have dominated games. "Different story here, counter-attack goal brilliant from Sean's point of view, awful from ours. I love challenges, it gets me excited. Read More Honours even as Shelbourne deny Cork City much-needed victory "Here, if it doesn't excite our players and the club, the second half of the season, be it the FAI Cup, Europe or chasing Rovers down, then they are in the wrong place. "Nine points, it's a pretty big gap but if you have a decent fortnight in the League of Ireland you can claw it back. "I wouldn't say it's a big challenge. I have always embraced big challenges. "Taking over Shelbourne Football Club was a hell of a big challenge. Cup final the first year, Europe the second year, won the league the third year, they are big challenges but we overcome them, because that's what we do." The City clash officially marked the half-way point in the League of Ireland season, with the players now getting the opportunity to go on holiday before returning to action in two week's time. "Our lads have different amounts of time off," added Duff, who recently described this mid-season break as "amateurish." "Different players have different loads during the season. The staff will be in with some players from the middle of next week, you don't need to know who they are. I have never liked it. "The flipside is it has come at a good time for us as it's a time for reflection, but I don't like it. There's an air of the jolly boys out, they are meeting at the terminal tomorrow, they are meeting at the pub in the terminal. "It's a week on the gargle. That's not the football education I had in England. People probably think I am unfair saying it. I think it's ingrained in the culture here. It's ingrained in my guys, I fought tooth and nail with my guys, I am not happy with some of my guys on it, but that's for another day. "But they have had a different football education to what I've had, I was taught differently and that's why it doesn't sit right with me."
Irish Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Irish Times
Shamrock Rovers hold the lead as season reaches its halfway point – what we learned from Friday's League of Ireland
Mid-season break may have its benefits Damien Duff questioned the merit of the League of Ireland 's mid-season break this week, but results on Friday night suggest a small rest might be appropriate. Eight goals were scored across the five games, with half of them coming in Waterford and Drogheda's 2-2 draw at the RSC. Even the imperious league leaders, Shamrock Rovers , looked lethargic as they played out a 0-0 against an admittedly impressive Galway United defensive unit. Duff's comments disregarded that the break coincides with a round of international fixtures, for which the league pauses at other points throughout the year. Joseph Anang was on the bench for Ghana against Nigeria on Wednesday and flew back to take part in a 1-0 victory for St Pat's in Sligo. Others, including Josh Honohan, have games to look forward to in a week's time. Regardless of international commitments, this interval has been part of the league's schedule for years. Still, on the evidence of last night, some sides could use a small rest. READ MORE Shamrock Rovers finally held but lead remains intact You have to go back to March to find the last game in which Shamrock Rovers failed to score a goal, but the league leaders were frustrated by a resilient Galway side in Tallaght on Friday night. The Tribesmen seemed to take a lot from their hard-fought victory over Cork City last week, coming out with a confident zip to their play belying a run of four defeats in five. Gradually, the Hoops did take control, but aside from one impressive save to deny Danny Grant, Evan Watts didn't look overly stretched in Galway's goal. Rovers' lead at the top stays at six points, and confidence will be high heading into the second half of the campaign. Galway will hope to build off an organised, disciplined performance – the sort of foundation that John Caulfield and Ollie Horgan demand. Late goal specialists flip the script Bohemians have developed a reputation for winning games late on this season, with memorable victories arriving at the death against the likes of Shamrock Rovers, St Pat's and Galway United. The moment of consequence in their game against Derry City, however, arrived within 30 seconds. James Clarke's strike from the edge of the area hit Mark Connolly's arm, and referee Rob Hennessy pointed to the penalty spot. It felt harsh in the moment, and Connolly would argue he had no time to adjust. As he did against Shelbourne two weeks ago, Dayle Rooney converted. Bohemians' Dayle Rooney scores a penalty against Derry City. Photograph: INPHO/James Lawlor Bohs deserved their victory and should have scored more. Derry were unusually disordered, emphasised by Tiernan Lynch making four substitutions by the time the second half began. To make matters worse, his fifth change Robbie Benson managed to collect two yellow cards in 20 minutes – neither the product of particularly harsh challenges. The home side can now look back on an impressive first half of the season. If they manage to wholly avoid a repeat of the poor form they showed in the opening seven games, European football looks likely. Drogheda remain tough to beat Drogheda United's scintillating early season form may have cooled, but their cockroach qualities are going nowhere. Like many sides before them, Waterford discovered how difficult it is to bury the Drogs, who twice scored from corners to escape the RSC with a point. Conor Keeley's injury time goal, smashed in from all of two yards, will haunt John Coleman as he looks to address his side's Achilles heel – set pieces. Pádraig Amond, who set up Tommy Lonergan early on, looked to have won the game when he cleverly diverted Dean McMenamy's drive past Luke Dennison. The away side though, despite a late red card for Elicha Ahui, remain in second place thanks to a valuable draw. Nash's Cork City show signs of life Ger Nash claimed his first point as Cork City manager but may feel as though his side could have taken more in an impressive showing against the champions. Damien Duff talked up the weight of Shelbourne's trip to Cork in the build-up, but his side struggled to echo his message on the pitch in a lacklustre first-half performance. Cork were the better side, with Djenairo Daniels and Seani Maguire looking like a cohesive pairing and playing into each other's strengths. Shels looked solid but docile. Shelbourne's JJ Lunney and Djenairo Daniels of Cork City. Photograph: INPHO/Bryan Keane Despite his best efforts, Mark Coyle has looked understandably uncomfortable at times in his makeshift centre-half position this season. Another such occasion arrived near the hour mark – Maguire, making his first start since suffering a hamstring injury against Waterford at the beginning of March, leapt high above the Shels captain to head home a looping cross from Milan Mbeng. Plenty of times this season, Shelbourne have patiently controlled the ball and struggled to unlock well organised defences. Here though, Cork looked comfortable at 1-0 and may have gone on to win had there not been a moment of inspiration from Ali Coote. On as a substitute, Coote twisted on the edge of the area and arrowed a low strike in off Tein Troost's far post. Neither side will be thrilled with a point, and both have plenty to improve on in the second half of the season. Still, with David Meyler now in alongside Nash as Cork's number two, there may be something to build on. Looking ominous for Sligo Rovers Sligo Rovers didn't play badly but came away with nothing on Friday night, in a familiar and disheartening story for the league's bottom-placed side. Like Bohemians, St Pat's took advantage of an early penalty (converted by Aidan Keena) and never needed to build on their lead. The Bit O'Red had decent half-chances without ever mounting a barrage on their visitors. Sligo now have one win in eight games and sit 11 points behind eighth place Waterford. With the constraints of their fully supporter-owned model, it is difficult to imagine much can be solved in the July transfer window. Still, games like last night's make it feel like the gap on the pitch is only marginal.
Irish Daily Mirror
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
Stuart Byrne: Duff pictures were not mortifying for the league, and here's why
When it comes to social media, I live in a cave but make no apologies for it. I don't need nonsense in my Monday, I stepped out of my dark hollow to watch the Shels v Drogheda game, and noticed how everyone was talking about 'the Damien Duff picture'. The pic was from Friday night and I was only hearing about it on Monday, so that says more about me than anything but, again, no with the pundits discussing it, I guessed it had gone viral so I took out my phone to google it. They were brilliant pictures to be also sparked the usual stuff you hear about facilities not being up to scratch and how mortifying it looks for the league. Duff said as much himself. He was embarrassed - not of how he looked, standing on the grassy knoll, but for how it portrayed the league. He later said that football figures around the world were texting him about it, none of this is new news. Certainly not for anyone who has attended League of Ireland games in the last 20 years. The desperate state of our grounds is not the story. Results are not even the story a lot of the time. It's people who make headlines and, in this case, Duff. Click this link or scan the QR code to receive the latest League of Ireland news and top stories from the Irish Mirror. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. As time passes, that picture will be laced with nostalgia. It may even be iconic. He feels it's a terrible reflection on the league, but it's not, and I see a positive stadiums have been crumbling for two decades, and longer in some cases. We moan about them, but there's never any movement for change. People running Irish football present us with facilities plans and presentations and they talk a good game, but it's all hearsay and rumours. Poxy stadiums themselves won't cause uproar and demonstration. People do that. I'm always amazed at the lack of public protest over the dire housing crisis in this country. And yet thousands of people will join anti-immigration marches, protesting about people coming to Ireland who need our help? That seems to get people off their arses pretty f****** quickly, even though immigrants actually need compassion, support and shelter. I'd hazard a guess that there's football fans - League of Ireland supporters - joining in those marches. Would they not be better rallying behind a better ideal than that shallow, hollow cause they think they're fighting?But I guess the League of Ireland has always been a fractured community. I stand to be corrected but apart from the Deportivo game, I don't recall fans coming together in unison to better the game is falling down and while the redevelopment has been delayed a little, the money is there to see it through. But not enough pressure is being put on the Government to get the wider football projects completed on is the people's game and it's where we should be focusing our efforts, rather than complaining about the optics of one man on the hill in a dilapidated ground. It's low hanging fruit and a tired, old argument because nobody disputes that the grounds are kips. Change the narrative, think bigger and actually do something about the slow progress that Government and bureaucracy itself is showing Irish in perspectiveI felt too much was being made of St Pat's ahead of the season. They won their last nine league games in 2024 and it was certainly an impressive surge up the table. But there was no pressure on them and they were flying under the radar. Suddenly they were being talked up as title contenders going into this year and I just felt it was had a roller-coaster week, snatching an injury-time win from the jaws of defeat against Cork City before getting smashed 4-0 by Shamrock Rovers three days later. But take the Cork game last Friday. 1-0 up and then 2-1 down with a minute to play, the crowd were turning. They were on Stephen Kenny's case midway through the half, when the team looked flat and having played for Pat's, you hear every word coming from the such a tight pitch, there's no hiding place when your supporters want to dish it out but they got behind their team when they mounted the late, late comeback. But the feel good vibes evaporated in Tallaght on Monday and I think St Pat's are at a experiencing what Bohemians were going through earlier in the season. And you could say Shelbourne are too. St Pat's are in a position now where people expect them to challenge for the title and that means having to win every not easy and you don't develop habits like that overnight. You're talking about young men dealing with something they're not used to and that's pressure. We're seeing that play out at the moment and while I do think St Pat's will recover, inconsistency will bring them down if they don't snap out of it on the rise?I've no idea how Gerard Nash will do as Cork City boss. Anyone who says they do, is talking through their while I knew nothing about him a week ago, I like that they've gone for someone young (38).Cork City is a hell of a job to get - a one-club city, a cracking pitch and a proper ground. Someone has to get it right as the Rebels are a sleeping giant. But that's also the new manager's biggest problem. Cork people are a fiery bunch and they're a bit fond of themselves. Nash will have to get it right pretty quickly and he'll soon realise playing career at Ipswich was cut short after cruciate injuries and he had to retire early, and went straight into coaching. As a Stella Maris man, I won't hold it against him that he played for Belvedere but I wish him well and hopefully Cork have unearthed a it awayYou know me. When I'm irritated by today's societal norms, I tend to keep it to myself because I'm not the pass-remarkable type. But I'm also a liar ….. so anyway, back to my expanding book of pet hates and this week it's a two for one bonus.I was walking around town the other day, on my lunch break, enjoying the glorious weather and people with the throngs of office folk who swan around in gangs with their work lanyards around their necks? They may as well be carrying a flag saying 'I work for (insert company name here).' Put it in your pocket like a normal people who wear sunglasses to work. You're up at 6am and that's your priority? Silicon Valley wannabees.
