10 hours ago
Duff's exit leaves our league in a much poorer place
Life goes on. The world keeps turning, but it is hard to overstate just how much of a gaping hole in the League of Ireland has been left by Damien Duff's shock departure on Sunday.
A number of factors have contributed to the spike in popularity and profile of the league over the last few years – from a post-Covid desire to reconnect with local communities to the post-Brexit environment, to the sense that the Premier League is no longer operating in the real world, but there's no doubt that Duffer was the driving force.
He was the public face and figurehead and his ability to create headlines ensured he became its most prominent voice. It is hard to understate just how much of a gaping hole in the League of Ireland has been left by Damien Duff's shock departure on Sunday. Pic: Thomas Flinkow/Sportsfile
Many of us did wonder just how much of the surge in popularity for the league was simply down to the presence of one of our greatest players. Well, we are about to get an answer.
The league, and more significantly Shelbourne, begin life in the post-Duffer world this evening and it already feels like it will be a poorer place.
Duff did borrow a lot from the Jose Mourinho playbook, the manager with whom he won two Premier League titles. Even Sunday's abrupt exit has the feel of something that the Portuguese native would do – and his efforts to generate headlines with such wild statements like 'raze the FAI to the ground' were often just to deflect from his players. Just as he learnt from Mourinho.
Before Shels claimed the title in dramatic circumstances on the final day of last season, he contacted his old boss and asked him to give his players a message. 'Why Jose?' 'Because, do I try and build, have we tried to build a siege mentality, us against the world like he did? Many of us did wonder just how much of the surge in popularity for the league was simply down to the presence of one of our greatest players. Well, we are about to get an answer. Pic: INPHO/Dan Clohessy
Absolutely. It would be mad not to tap into him. In the team meeting, there was a private message from Jose speaking about what it takes to win a title as a team, [and] as an individual. It blew the guys away.' His press briefings were always considered a vital appointment for this country's soccer writers as Duff would always hold forth on many of the issues within the FAI, Irish football and the league. And, while he often said he didn't want to go to certain places, it only took a prompt or two.
He brought such an intensity to the job , you often wondered if Duff would burn himself out.
In the decade or so since he undertook the coaching journey, Duff has proved to be someone who works on instinct – whether at Shamrock Rovers, Celtic or Ireland, where he lasted eight games as one of Stephen Kenny's assistants.
This season's title defence has been difficult, despite the recruitment of Kerr McInroy and Miko Odubeko and they lie sixth, 15 points behind league leaders Shamrock Rovers. His fiery comments on Friday night following the 1-0 defeat to Derry City suggested that he felt the team were stagnating and perhaps he didn't know how to motivate the players anymore. Damien Duff saluting Shels fans with the league trophy. Pic: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
'The biggest thing to take away was a lack of quality, energy and probably motivation. If you are an amazing professional, you bounce into the third game in a week. Even if you are a bit tired, a bit flat, drag yourself along, give yourself a talking to.
'I prepared for the game like I was a professional footballer. My wife probably cursed me at times. Three-hour siesta, ate really well, focused my mind. I would like to know how many of my players prepared like me or as well as me, which is damning.
'There was a severe lack of energy, real flatness, severe lack of quality and you are going to get nowhere. It all comes back to how motivated players are.' The league, and more significantly Shelbourne, begin life in the post-Duffer world this evening and it already feels like it will be a poorer place. Pic: Thomas Flinkow/Sportsfile
Clearly the flatness and lack of motivation among his squad was affecting Duff more than anyone knew.
The league now steps into the unknown. Shamrock Rovers head to Dalymount Park for tonight's big Dublin derby, featuring two managers – Stephen Bradley and Alan Reynolds – who had their own runs-in with Duffer, and who may suffer from his lack of stardust about the place.
Even if he leaves Shelbourne in a good place — heading into their first Champions League journey in 18 years against Linfield – the league is going to suffer because he's not around.
