Damien Duff, Shelbourne and an ‘absolutely Hollywood’ finish
GOOD OMENS
Having won two Premier League titles, two Fizzy Cups and represented the Republic of Ireland more than 100 times, you could be forgiven for presuming that leading Shelbourne to the Irish title would rank somewhere between winning the Community Shield and getting relegated with Fulham among Damien Duff’s list of footballing achievements. Famously described as “the problem child” of the FAI by former chief suit John Delaney, who was far more problematic and childish than the tournament he was belittling, the League of Ireland Premier Division is endearingly tinpot through no great fault of its own. It has long been the subject of extreme financial neglect by both the organisation that runs it and a government who make little or no effort to help it thrive, although in recent years and due in no small part to the arrival of “Duffer”, its popularity continues to grow in the face of fierce competition for Irish eyeballs from assorted other, better funded sports.
League of Ireland stadiums tend towards the ramshackle. Crowds are often low. The clubs who participate are heavily reliant on volunteers to put on games featuring players who enjoy all the trappings of English top-flight counterparts, who many Irish fans travel across the water to cheer on each weekend … except the high profiles, even higher wages and acclaim. But for those loyal diehards who click through the turnstiles each week to support teams like Shamrock Rovers, Derry City, Dundalk and Bohs, winning the league title or FAI Cup is the be-all and end-all. And on Friday night, under the stewardship of Duff, Shelbourne finally finished in top spot for the first time in 18 years.
Before their final game of a season which runs from March to November, Duff had said winning would “torpedo” all his previous achievements out of the water and when his side duly beat Derry away to pip Dublin rivals Shamrock Rovers to the title by two points, the 45-year-old described their triumph as “absolutely Hollywood”. He also revealed that in order to help players he felt might be getting sick of listening to him, he’d employed a few motivational tricks that were a little off the wall. Famous for his quietly powerful dressing-room rhetoric, the Lions rugby coach Ian McGeechan volunteered to give a team talk. On another day, Colin Hawkins, a bona fide League of Ireland legend and former teammate of Duff’s, who is recovering from cancer, delivered a dose of inspirational perspective.
For his ace in the hole, however, the former Chelsea winger called on another manager whose siege mentality he has made no secret of trying to ape in a bid to galvanise his players over the past three years. And so it came to pass that on the day of their win over Derry, they were treated to a personal video message of support from … José Mourinho. “Then in the team meeting there was a private video message from José speaking about what it takes to win a title as a team, as an individual,” revealed Duff. “It blew the guys away. A video that was shown in the Everglades [Hotel, in Derry] two hours before the game.” Following his side’s nervy 1-0 win courtesy of a goal that may or may not have been offside, Duff told his players he’d FaceTime the Special One in Turkey and personally add €500 to the post-match beer fund if his old gaffer didn’t take the call. “I’ll put a monkey on the drinking tab tomorrow,” he told reporters, when his attempt at post-match contact went commendably ignored.
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QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Just sit and talk, or just sit” – the message on Brentford sports psychologist Michael Caulfield’s training-ground bench, where players and staff air their thoughts and anxieties. Come for more of an illuminating chat with Ben Fisher; stay for his very good dog Paisley.
FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS
Michael Keegan, to whom I am not related as far as I know, recently mentioned pinning a Kevin Keegan-related headline to his desk (Football Daily letters passim). I wonder if he experienced what happened to my younger brother during a school football match in the 1970s. My sibling fouled someone and the referee, a teacher from the other school, decided to book him and asked him his name. At that time, teachers always referred to us, particularly boys, with surnames, so my brother answered ‘Keegan’, upon which the referee sent him off for being cheeky” – Phil Keegan [any more tales of particularly harsh red cards? Let us know – Football Daily Ed].
No mention of West Brom in your sparse summing up of the Championship (Friday’s Football Daily)? Don’t lose any sleep, we are used to it” – Phil Aston.
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