Damien Duff reveals how chat with ex-Ireland boss helped him after Shelbourne exit
It’s still less than a year since Damien Duff shockingly resigned as Shelbourne manager just a season after winning the League of Ireland Premier Division.
It was a rollercoaster era for Shels, as, in his first job as a senior first-team manager, Duff took a newly promoted side and won the league title in just a few seasons, securing their first Premier Division title since 2006.
However, only a few months on from winning the title up in Brandywell, Duff resigned after a slow start to the season, and one that saw him get in trouble a few times for stuff he had said and served a touchline ban. Duff resigned in June of last year, a day before they were meant to play against Waterford.
Damien Duff saluting Shels fans with the league trophy. Pic: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
His assistant, Joey O’Brien, took up the reins and did a solid job of stabilising the club through a European run, which saw them record a win in Croatia en route to reaching the Europa Conference League league phase.
Damien Duff has remained relatively quiet since then, as he hasn’t taken up any new role in football since his resignation from Shelbourne, and, speaking on Virgin Media, it’s clear to see why Duff stepped away from the game.
Before the match, working as a pundit for Shamrock Rovers’ Dublin derby win over Bohemians, Duff spoke about how he had struggled personally in his final few months at Tolka Park.
Shelbourne manager Damien Duff during Bohemians vs Shelbourne as he served a touchline ban. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile
‘Going over old ground, I needed to do what I did. I needed to slow down before I quicken up again. I needed to put myself first for once before a football club.
‘I didn’t like who I was becoming at times. I was fighting the world, I was angry, running on anger, just highly emotional.
‘But it was something I felt I had to do to get Shelbourne back to the top. I felt if I didn’t do that, we wouldn’t have won the league. I absolutely stand over that.
Damien Duff and his son Woody. Pic: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
‘Worrying for me is if I get back, when I get back in, would I be the same again here? Probably.’
The former Republic of Ireland International then spoke about how a conversation with his former National Team boss Brian Kerr helped him get himself back on track after a turbulent few months.
‘I remember he [Brian Kerr] rang me a couple of days afterward, and firstly he wanted to see how I was, but also to say that, yeah, I probably stopped being Damien Duff.
Damien Duff, right, meets his old manager Brian Kerr. Pic: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
‘Believe it or not, I’m a softly spoken guy. Bit of a mammy’s boy, and there were times when I turned into a bit of a wild animal, which isn’t me.
‘It was just a call that also resonated with me for what Brian said to me; it was really touching, and it did hit home that I came away from who I really am.’
Duff didn’t rule out a return to the League of Ireland, though he admitted that he burned plenty of bridges with rival sides.
