THERE ARE few things many people in football detest more than a success story.

The best teams and players are invariably the most despised.

It is true of Manchester United in the ’90s and City currently, it’s applicable in Irish football with Shamrock Rovers and Stephen Bradley.

And now, Damien Duff has come into the Premier Division and committed the cardinal sin of regularly winning matches and taking the team to first in the table.

“I think a lot of people around the country hate me, hate the staff, hate the players, hate the club, and it drives us on. We get off on it,” Duff told Richie Sadlier in a recent interview during the latter’s podcast series ‘Episode’.

“So maybe 10, 15 or 20 years ago I didn’t like annoying people, we all want to be loved. Maybe it’s old age and not being arsed, but I love that people hate us. I absolutely love it.

“Why do I think I’m hated? I don’t know, try walking down the street, try to go to Dalyer or Richmond, you get constant abuse, personal abuse about myself, my brothers, my family, my sister, anyone and everyone.

“But it’s no problem, it’s the game, I guess. Absolutely we are hated. I’ve said it openly in the press the last week or two, I absolutely believe that. Some football fans around the country hate Shelbourne more than they love their own team and they’ll probably hate me even more for saying that.”

Duff always comes across as genuine so there is no doubt that he believes he is hated.

And anyone who has recently been at any away ground with Shelbourne playing, especially a Dublin Derby, will likely not disagree with this assessment, given some of the disgraceful personal comments aimed at him.

But you can visit virtually every major football stadium in Ireland and beyond on matchday, and there will always be a loud minority who engage in unacceptable behaviour.

Whether it’s Man United fans singing about the Hillsborough tragedy, or Cork City supporters coming up with vile chants about Stephen Bradley’s son, or the countless racism controversies in Italy and Spain, this toxicity is unfortunately prevalent at grounds across the world.

It’s indefensible but also extremely hard to stamp out, and Duff — one of the most famous faces in Irish football — will inevitably be subject to more abuse than most.

But do the vast majority of fans really hate Duff? 

Let’s look at the reasons why that might not be the case.

Duff is regarded as among the best and most successful Irish footballers ever. His £17 million move to Chelsea made him the most expensive Irish player at the time.

He has two Premier League titles, two League Cups and an appearance in the 2002 Uefa Team of the Year, in addition to representing Ireland 100 times, including at two major tournaments.

Moreover, usually, when you look at any famous footballer’s playing career, there are at least a couple of controversies or instances where they didn’t cover themselves in glory — but this is not the case with Duff.

His reputation as a coach is similarly exemplary. He is highly thought of and has impressed wherever he’s been — he might still be working at Celtic if not for homesickness and wanting to be closer to home with family.

And whether you are a Shelbourne fan or not, there is no doubt Duff’s arrival has been a positive for the league.

The list of former Ireland regulars with extensive experience coaching in the Premier Division is not long.

The decision to appoint Stephen Kenny as Ireland’s boss after his success with Dundalk felt like a major boost to the perception of the domestic game. And Duff’s arrival at Shels also substantially enhanced its credibility.

It is surely no coincidence that, since then, crowds have continued to increase and the league has set attendance records.

Duff told Sadlier he was not motivated by money or fame and the former Blackburn star has repeatedly referenced how financially, he is set for life and unlike most League of Ireland managers, is not dependent on his job to put food on the table.

The easier option in his position would have been to sit back and do the odd bit of punditry or media work. Instead, despite admitting to initial apprehension, the manager has embraced the domestic game in the way few people with his profile have done before him, and arguably not since Leeds and Ireland legend Johnny Giles took over at Shamrock Rovers.

So why do certain people supposedly feel entitled to hate Duff? Finding a rational answer to this question is difficult.

At a stretch, you could point to his tendency to be more honest than most managers meaning he occasionally goes over the top in his comments — his recent dig at Stephen Kenny, for example, felt unnecessarily harsh.

But fans often complain about the boring and robotic nature of many managers during pre and post-match interactions so Duff is a breath of fresh air in this regard and his openness also adds to his box-office allure.

Yet perhaps there is a strategic element to what Duff is saying too. 

No one was better at creating a siege mentality than his old boss Jose Mourinho and Duff has admitted to taking bits from Mourinho’s coaching style and all the other managers he worked with in his career.

Leaning into and perhaps exaggerating the perception that everyone around them reviles them can be an effective motivational tool for any team.

As Duff told Sadlier: “I was driven by anger as well and I still would be.”

At one point, the former winger also explained: “We have created a mentality, us against the world, us pushing it, but I think it has happened naturally as well.”

Exactly how natural this antipathy is will remain a source of debate.

However, most fair-minded people will likely acknowledge Duff is one of the best things to happen to Irish football as a player and a manager. But more importantly, his team ostensibly are the biggest threat to Shamrock Rovers’ domestic dominance in several years.