DERMOT KEELY REMAINS a revered figure at Tolka Park, and with good reason.
The former Shelbourne manager was the first to deliver a League of Ireland and FAI Cup double in 2000.
It is a feat that Damien Duff could replicate this season.
The finishing line is near, but they are still far from glory.
Almost 25 years ago Shels triumphed in a bitter battle with Bohemians.
Keely and opposite number Roddy Collins were centre stage – even if the latter wanted the spotlight to extend to boxing.
“Roddy, being the showman that he is, was all over the media. We were both on the Gerry Ryan show on 2FM and Roddy wanted me to go into the ring with him,” Keely writes in his new book, Better Without The Ball.
“I was neither mad nor stupid. If I went into a ring with Roddy he would have beaten the crap out of me. I was a lover not a fighter. But the war between me and Roddy created huge interest, as did my spars with [St Patrick's Athletic boss] Pat Dolan. Suddenly the interest in the League increased.
“Maybe the fight thing worked. There were a lot of people out there who would have loved to see someone box the head off me. Cup Final day arrived, and Roddy didn’t let me down with the clobber. One Shels supporter was heard to say that he looked like John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever. It was also good box office.”
Keely’s time in the League of Ireland coincided with his work as a schoolteacher in Dublin, and he revealed on the Football Family Podcast earlier this week how Duff was also a former pupil.
His own achievements in the game mean he now brings that interest to another level, even if the latest feud to emerge with a League of Ireland rival won’t quite be played out on the primetime airwaves.
There was a time not so long ago – earlier this season, in fact – when Duff and current Bohs boss Alan Reynolds were perfectly civil. There were handshakes and pre-match chats on the pitch, like at Tolka Park on 12 April when Reynolds had taken charge at Dalymount Park having started the season as assistant to Keith Long at Waterford.
Reynolds was also still combining his duties as assistant to Republic of Ireland U21 boss Jim Crawford, although that is a position he has since relinquished.
The exact cause of the fallout between the pair is unknown, but feelings were still strong enough for a confrontation to take place prior to the side’s 1-1 draw last month, as The Irish Examiner reported.
“That’s the League of Ireland for you,” Duff said after it became public knowledge. “What really upsets me about the League of Ireland is that there are so many loose lips, so many people that you can’t trust.
“That’s why this is a special group of individuals, players and staff at Shelbourne FC. Outside of that, I don’t care about anybody. I will fall out with absolutely anybody to bring this club back to where it belongs. The fact that I’m getting asked this speaks volumes about people and the league.”
After Bohs beat Shamrock Rovers early on Sunday, Reynolds was also asked about the incident.
“Damien Duff and I had a conversation about something and that happens in football,” he said. “It’s over. I’m after being in enough scrapes in my time to know. Look, we had words over something. If it’s a big deal to him, so be it. It’s not for me. I’m moving on.
“He’s done a great job at Shelbourne which is great for the league, top class. We had a disagreement about something and we spoke about it. Look, I’m surprised it got out as there was nothing to it really.”
The beauty of rearranged fixtures means Shels travel to Bohs this evening in the only Premier Division game ahead of Ireland v England at Aviva Stadium tomorrow.
The atmosphere – in the dugouts and the stands – will be just as raucous, even if unlike in 2000 Bohs are not challenging for the title.
This is Shelbourne’s game in hand on rivals Derry City, so could hold a six-point lead at the top with seven games to go.
Next weekend, 14 September, also sees Shels travel to the Ryan McBride Brandywell for their FAI Cup quarter final tie, and given Bohs should edge out First Division UCD, the cup could provide another element to this new feud.
For Duff, a trip to European hopefuls Galway United follows on 20 September, meaning by the time Keely visits Tolka Park as part of his book launch five days later, the double dream will either be up in smoke or alive and kicking.
