DAMIEN DUFF SAYS joining Shamrock Rovers was a “no-brainer”.
The former Ireland winger, who won 100 international caps for the Boys in Green, signed an 18-month contract with the SSE Airtricity League club last month after returning home from a stint in Australia with Melbourne City.
36-year-old Duff was officially unveiled this afternoon, before a meet-and-greet with Hoops fans at Tallaght Stadium and he revealed that moving to Rovers was an easy decision to make.
“It was a bit of a no-brainer really,” Duff said during a press conference alongside manager Pay Fenlon. “Shamrock Rovers is the biggest club in Ireland and Pat Fenlon is the best manager in Ireland.
“It’s well-known that I met (St Patrick’s Athletic manager) Liam Buckley as well. He rang me when I was still over in Melbourne so I always planned to meet up with him anyway but for me it was straight forward enough. I’m just happy it’s done and I want to get out on the pitch now.”
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The ex-Chelsea, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United and Fulham star Duff had his career in the A-League ended prematurely due to calf and ankle injuries but after training this week Duff was named on the bench for last night’s win away to Longford Town and he could make his debut in Monday night’s league game against Cork City.
“I had a big injury so I think my last game was about seven months ago,” he said. “I’m back training with the team but I’ve only trained three days in seven months so I’ve no right to be back flying and fit and lasting 90 minutes or even 10 minutes on a pitch. I’m back training and that’s as good as it gets at the minute.
“I’m surprised at how well I feel the past couple of days considering I’ve been out so long. We’ll see how we go. I’ve a contract here until the end of next season, but it’s this man to the left here who gives out the contract, not me.
“I feel good and I’m as hungry as I’ve ever been with any move I’ve ever had. I’ve been living like a monk and working hard so I just want to get back on the pitch really. It’s as simple as that.”
Duff facing Italy on his 100th appearance for Ireland at Euro 2012. Donall Farmer / INPHO
Donall Farmer / INPHO / INPHO
Fenlon is delighted to add a vastly-experienced professional like Duff to his ranks and he believes his latest acquisition will be a good influence on his young players.
“I’ve said it before in relation to Stephen (McPhail) and Keith (Fahey), and with Damien coming in,” Fenlon said. “When you bring in senior players like that, their attitude and professionalism can only be a big help.
“We have a lot of younger players at the moment and it’s not just on the pitch, it’s everyday how they prepare for training, how they recover after training sessions and how they live their life. That’s a big help when you’ve got good pros in the dressing room.
“He will be a massive player for us and you can see that already with the younger players. They can go and pick his brains. That’s where you can get the information from, by asking him and talking to him, because he played at such a high level. It’s only good for the club and the younger players within the club.”
The club was dealt a blow this week with news that midfielder Keith Fahey has been forced to retire at the age of 32 because of persistent injuries and Duff is disappointed that he won’t get the opportunity to line out with his former international team-mate again.
He’s a massive loss,” Duff added. “As I said earlier, there are some big players out there in the league and Keith is one of them. It’s unfortunate, he scored an important goal to get us to the Euros, against Armenia, and I remember how disappointed he was when he was injured for the Euros.
“Likewise the other morning when I bumped into him downstairs and he was finalising all the paperwork. It was hard talking to him and it’s a disappointing time in anyone’s career. From a positive point of view he’s 32 not 22 so he has had a good crack at it.
“He still had a couple more years in him and I was looking forward to getting back on the pitch and playing with him because he is a proper footballer with a football brain so he will be a big loss to the club on and off the pitch.”
'I've been living like a monk and I just want to get back on the pitch' - Duff
DAMIEN DUFF SAYS joining Shamrock Rovers was a “no-brainer”.
The former Ireland winger, who won 100 international caps for the Boys in Green, signed an 18-month contract with the SSE Airtricity League club last month after returning home from a stint in Australia with Melbourne City.
36-year-old Duff was officially unveiled this afternoon, before a meet-and-greet with Hoops fans at Tallaght Stadium and he revealed that moving to Rovers was an easy decision to make.
“It was a bit of a no-brainer really,” Duff said during a press conference alongside manager Pay Fenlon. “Shamrock Rovers is the biggest club in Ireland and Pat Fenlon is the best manager in Ireland.
“It’s well-known that I met (St Patrick’s Athletic manager) Liam Buckley as well. He rang me when I was still over in Melbourne so I always planned to meet up with him anyway but for me it was straight forward enough. I’m just happy it’s done and I want to get out on the pitch now.”
The ex-Chelsea, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United and Fulham star Duff had his career in the A-League ended prematurely due to calf and ankle injuries but after training this week Duff was named on the bench for last night’s win away to Longford Town and he could make his debut in Monday night’s league game against Cork City.
“I had a big injury so I think my last game was about seven months ago,” he said. “I’m back training with the team but I’ve only trained three days in seven months so I’ve no right to be back flying and fit and lasting 90 minutes or even 10 minutes on a pitch. I’m back training and that’s as good as it gets at the minute.
“I’m surprised at how well I feel the past couple of days considering I’ve been out so long. We’ll see how we go. I’ve a contract here until the end of next season, but it’s this man to the left here who gives out the contract, not me.
“I feel good and I’m as hungry as I’ve ever been with any move I’ve ever had. I’ve been living like a monk and working hard so I just want to get back on the pitch really. It’s as simple as that.”
Fenlon is delighted to add a vastly-experienced professional like Duff to his ranks and he believes his latest acquisition will be a good influence on his young players.
“I’ve said it before in relation to Stephen (McPhail) and Keith (Fahey), and with Damien coming in,” Fenlon said. “When you bring in senior players like that, their attitude and professionalism can only be a big help.
“We have a lot of younger players at the moment and it’s not just on the pitch, it’s everyday how they prepare for training, how they recover after training sessions and how they live their life. That’s a big help when you’ve got good pros in the dressing room.
“He will be a massive player for us and you can see that already with the younger players. They can go and pick his brains. That’s where you can get the information from, by asking him and talking to him, because he played at such a high level. It’s only good for the club and the younger players within the club.”
The club was dealt a blow this week with news that midfielder Keith Fahey has been forced to retire at the age of 32 because of persistent injuries and Duff is disappointed that he won’t get the opportunity to line out with his former international team-mate again.
“Likewise the other morning when I bumped into him downstairs and he was finalising all the paperwork. It was hard talking to him and it’s a disappointing time in anyone’s career. From a positive point of view he’s 32 not 22 so he has had a good crack at it.
“He still had a couple more years in him and I was looking forward to getting back on the pitch and playing with him because he is a proper footballer with a football brain so he will be a big loss to the club on and off the pitch.”
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