
Damien Duff's attack on League of Ireland mid-season break is outlier – but clubs not in Europe may have schedule gripes
His Only Fools confession originally came last year when the Shelbourne boss
cheer
up players.
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And it was hardly off-the-cuff as it transpired the famous scene when Del Boy fell through the bar was edited with Paddy Barrett's head superimposed on to actor
Not that the Shels chief was laughing last week as he bemoaned the League of Ireland's
summer
holidays
.
In his team
news
bulletin the former
And after the final game of the first half of the season, he
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He then said: 'There's an air of the Jolly Boys' Outing. They are meeting at the pub in the terminal. It's a week on the gargle. That's not the
football
education I had in
England
.'
For younger readers, 'The Jolly Boys' Outing' was the 1989 Only Fools
Duff, it must be said, also acknowledged this break was coming at a good time for his team as the Shelbourne truck was rolling about as smoothly as Del Boy's three-wheel van.
And it is not like those players, who more likely headed for
alcohol
, at least not during the season.
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All travelled with fitness programmes, with many even given trackers to make sure the
work
is done.
And that was from managers who were glad of the break — because what made Duff's comments so headline-worthy, besides his profile and quotability, was that he is publicly an outlier.
Damien Duff mercilessly trolled by rival fans over bizarre attempt to go incognito while serving ban
Before he had spoken, Bohemians boss Alan Reynolds had said he felt the stoppage was good for his in-form team who had been living in each other's pockets for six months.
winter
.
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And no manager has a choice — it is written in the rules that players are entitled to five consecutive days off during a mid-season break.
Every year, those rules are reviewed and sources indicate that abolishing the break has never been discussed. The players have regularly voted in its favour, with the last
If that has changed it will be known soon. On Monday, the PFAI are sending out another survey along with voting forms.
But it is expected to
remain
popular with people who were glad of a release after an intense campaign to date saw teams play at least 18 games in 15 weeks.
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That is where there could be gripes from clubs not in
The reason for the heavy first-half run is to aid those in Europe, with Shels having at least 22 matches to come.
Win their
So while Duff does not like the summer break, the Only Fools fan must focus on July and the potential for his club to make
history
and considerable 'readies'.
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To paraphrase Del Boy, 'This time
next
year Duffer, yiz could be millionaires'.
1
Damien Duff spoke out against the League of Ireland mid-season break
Credit: Michael P Ryan/Sportsfile
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The Irish Sun
6 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Shelbourne director warns funding needed ‘if we want another Italia 90' & says Mason Melia ‘example of what can be done'
SHELBOURNE academy director Colm Barron looks at the success of Mason Melia and imagines what more could be achieved. Melia, 17, will move to 5 Shelbourne academy director Colm Barron Credit: RTE 5 Mason Melia, bound for Tottenham Hotspur, celebrates after scoring a goal for St Patrick's Athletic Credit: Shauna Clinton/Sportsfile 5 25 April 2025; Victor Ozhianvuna has been linked with Arsenal Credit: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile 5 Cathal O'Sullivan has been linked with Brentford Credit: Michael P Ryan/Sportsfile He is one of a number of emerging teenage talents coming through the League of Ireland . star with the Premier Division leaders. next million-euro export In the eyes of Colm Barron, this quartet - among other - is an example of what can be done with the kind of support that is currently lacking. Read More on Shelbourne The Shelbourne academy director told SunSport: "I think that shows the evidence that the National League underage is working. "My point would be, can you imagine what we could do, or potentially could do, if we were able to get 16-17-year-olds into full-time football within our own country, while also supporting them? "I think what's happened over the last few years with the likes of Mason, etc., and plenty of other good young players coming through, has been brilliant. "But what happens when he's 22-23 will really determine whether it's been a success or not for him, so I wouldn't get carried away with that. Most read in Football "There was "I wouldn't say they're coming through despite the system; it's probably a good realisation with regards to the good work that's being done at clubs." RTE pundit's one-liner about Damien Duff makes Joey O'Brien laugh after Shelbourne's win vs Linfield Barron is no stranger to the kind of funding and resource support required by the Back in April, LOI Academy Development Manager Will Clarke He outlined how there were just nine players between the ages of 16 and 19 in a full-time environment in Ireland, in addition to "a handful" abroad. Clarke revealed how, to have success at international level, we need 35 players playing in the top five leagues in The impact of Barron said: "Everything is privately funded by the clubs, so whether that's through investment from the owners - they do the best that they possibly can to support the academy system. "With Brexit and the changes that have happened in the game in regards to young players going to the UK, there's a massive emphasis now on the National League clubs especially to be developing these players. "The infrastructure just isn't there to support them, to give them the best opportunity, and while clubs like ourselves and other League of Ireland clubs are doing their best to fight the system, having that infrastructure around players to be able to hire more staff, player care, sports psychology , all those elements need to be there to develop elite level athletes. "If that's what our ambition is in this country , which it needs to be because we all want spring back days of USA 94, Italia 90, then there needs to be a major support put in through the government or through the FAI and that's just not there at the moment. GLASS CEILING "The level of the ceiling from a football perspective is probably getting close to being reached if the funding around it doesn't change. "There's no club in this country who has a full time academy system for 16-18 year old players. "If that was to change as a starting point, the League of Ireland product would just go through the roof. "The improvement of players would also go through the roof, and then we start to get closer to breaching the gap between ourselves and other European countries." "Can you imagine what we could do, or potentially could do, if we were able to get 16-17-year-olds into full-time football within our own country, while also supporting them?" Colm Barron Barron hopes to demonstrate the work being done in a hand-cuffed system through the upcoming documentary Football Families . The new series, which airs on next Thursday night at 10:10pm, offers a behind-the-scenes look at the inner workings at Tolka Park. It was filmed in 2024 at a time when And Barron hopes it will expose the public to the sacrifices involved in a football club, and expose rising stars to the kind of scrutiny they can expect in the professional game. "The thought process for us when we were approached for that was for two reasons. "To shine a light on the good work that's being done in academies at the moment through an under-resourced system in regards to support, funding and infrastructure from the government and the FAI. "And then the second thing was for players to potentially receive an opportunity for something that they might experience in the future with regards to cameras being around. "It's good for them to be exposed to them things and to handle that side of the game. "Young people's lives are lived out through social media , the majority of them. "It's become more and more common that players have agents at younger ages. People are probably starting to lose the run on themselves a little bit with regards to that. "We see the glitz and glamour of Sky Sports and footballers believe that, 'oh yeah, that's me' or 'that's what I want to be'. "They don't see the hardship, the setbacks, the discipline, the sacrifice that it takes to do that. "Education around that is huge. The support network around that is something again that needs to be invested in. "Players need to be cared for around all aspects, not just what they do on the pitch. "To do that you have to have resources, you have to have time, you have to have money to do that." 5 Shamrock Rovers star Michael Noonan Credit: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

The 42
a day ago
- The 42
Linfield hit with €12,000 fine after Shelbourne Champions League game
UEFA HAVE FINED Linfield FC €12,000 and ordered a stand closure following their Champions League qualifier against Shelbourne last week. Linfield and Shelbourne drew 1-1 at Windsor Park, Belfast, on Wednesday, 16 July, with Joey O'Brien's Dublin side winning the tie 2-1 on aggregate. In a statement issued today, the Uefa Appeals Body confirmed its decision to fine Linfield €10,000 and order a stand closure for 'the racist and/or discriminatory behaviour of its supporters'. The club was also fined €2,000 for the lighting of fireworks. Advertisement The fines are effective immediately, with the stand closure — for one Uefa club competition match — suspended for two years. Shelbourne were fined €4,000 after the home leg at Tolka Park, for blocking public passageways in the Riverside Stand. Shelbourne CEO Tomás 'Mossy' Quinn confirmed the penalty in an email sent to season ticket holders on Tuesday. 'We ask all supporters to continue representing Shelbourne FC with pride and respect,' the former Dublin footballer wrote. 'Uefa matches bring increased visibility on supporter behaviour, and while we were happy with how the Linfield game in Tolka went, we still received a fine of €4,000 from Uefa or blocking of public passageways in the Riverside. 'Uefa tend to at least double the original fine each time there is a repeat behaviour so something for all to be aware of. To assist with this, our stewards will be checking tickets inside the ground to ensure only tickets allocated to the Riverside have access to that side of the stadium.'


Irish Independent
a day ago
- Irish Independent
Indo Sport podcast: Bits & Bobs
Olexiy Kashchuk of Qarabag scores his side's second goal during the UEFA Champions League Second Qualifying Round first leg win over Shelbourne at Tolka Park in Dublin. Picture: Sportsfile Daniel McDonnell (still jacketless) joins Joe and Will for a Thursday Bits & Bobs with plenty of your emails to discuss, including drinking wine at Centre Court, and the return of pedantic corner (now in E-Paper form). On the chopping block is where Shelbourne now sit in their race for European qualification, whether Duff's exit has taken steam away from the league, and what impact more European money could have on a potential beast in Shamrock Rovers. The news that the Irish women's basketball team have been drawn in the same group of Israel also sparks discussion around how sports organisations should take a stand. Plus - there is some defence from our emailers of Scottie Scheffler, and our studio has an uplifting surprise The next edition of Indo Sport LIVE takes place on August 6, head over to Ticketmaster for information on how you can join us at Vicar Street. If you'd like to get in touch with the show, email us at indosportpodcast@ You can subscribe to our dedicated Indo Sport YouTube page here Listen on... Spotify Apple Podcasts