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Belfast Telegraph
23-06-2025
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
Linfield are handed a major Euro boost as Damien Duff calls quits as Shelbourne boss
The struggling League of Ireland Premier Division side have confirmed the former Republic of Ireland player's exit. Announcing the news in a statement, Shelbourne said that Duff's assistant Joey O'Brien and the rest of the staff will take charge for Monday night's trip to face Waterford and prepare the team for Friday's clash away to Galway United. The former Chelsea and Fulham winger guided Shelbourne to a first League title in 18 years in 2024 but, having won seven of their opening 22 games in the 2025 term, Friday's 1-0 defeat to Derry City left the champions 15 points off leaders Shamrock Rovers as Duff slaughtered his players in the wake of that Tolka Park defeat. The club's underwhelming form, combined with Duff's departure, will inject fresh belief in a Linfield side believing they will face a wounded animal. Shelbourne have been drawn against the Premiership winners in the First Round of Champions League qualifying, with the ties scheduled for July 9 at Tolka Park and July 16 at Windsor Park. The Drumcondra club face the Irish League champions in their first return to Europe's elite competition in nearly 20 years. Linfield last faced Shels in the 2006 Setanta Cup group stages, winning 2-0 at Windsor Park before a goalless draw in the return fixture. One year earlier, David Jeffrey's side won the cross-border tournament by beating Shelbourne 2-0 in the Final at Tolka Park. Shelbourne said that Duff informed them on Sunday morning that 'after much thought, he has made the decision to resign', also telling the players the news. Shels say that while they are 'deeply saddened' by the decision, the club 'fully respects that he feels this is the right choice for him at this time' before going on to hail how Duff 'transformed Shelbourne on and off the pitch', detailing the club's recent title triumph and back-to-back European qualifications. The statement released by the League of Ireland Premier Division champions read: 'Shelbourne FC regretfully wishes to announce the departure of Damien Duff as first-team manager. 'Damien informed the club this morning that, after much thought, he has made the decision to resign. He shared the news with the players earlier today. 'While all at Shelbourne FC are deeply saddened by Damien's decision, we fully respect that he feels this is the right choice for him at this time. 'During his four extraordinary years at Tolka Park, Damien transformed Shelbourne Football Club both on and off the pitch. 'Appointed in November 2021, he took over a newly promoted side and rebuilt it from the ground up. 'Duff guided Shels to a seventh-placed finish and a first FAI Cup Final appearance since 2011 in that debut season. The following year, in 2023, a fourth-placed finish brought the Reds back to European competition for the first time in 18 years. 'In 2024, Duff led the Reds to one of the greatest triumphs in the club's 130-year history, clinching the League of Ireland Premier Division title, our first since 2006. 'On the final day, we went to Derry where a 1-0 win at the Brandywell secured the title in dramatic fashion, marking Shels' return to the summit of Irish football. 'The club wishes Damien and his family every happiness and success in the future. His impact on Shelbourne FC was transformational. He will always be one of our own, and we are eternally grateful for the indelible mark he has left on our club. 'Joey O'Brien and the coaching staff will take charge for tomorrow's trip to the RSC to face Waterford and will prepare the team for Friday's away fixture against Galway United.' Shels co-owner Neil Doyle, speaking on behalf of the Board, said: 'There are no words that do justice to Damien's accomplishments at Shelbourne FC and what he has done for both the club and the League of Ireland. We look back with immense pride on his time here. 'As a club, we move forward with confidence, knowing that the foundations we have jointly built will underpin our continued success. Thank you, Damien, for everything.' Republic of Ireland centurion Duff took over at Tolka Park in the winter of 2021 and, in his first season, led the club to a first FAI Cup Final in a decade where they lost to Derry City in the Lansdowne Road decider. In 2023, Duff's second campaign at Shels saw him guide the club to fourth place, which proved enough to qualify for Europe after Bohemians lost that year's FAI Cup Final. It was the Reds' first European qualification since 2006 as they went on to reach the Conference League Second Qualifying Round in 2024, beating Gibraltar's St Joseph's in the First Round before exiting to FC Zurich. That return to the European stage also came during Shelbourne's stunning title-winning season of 2024. On the final day of the season in November, Harry Wood's winner away at Derry City with just five minutes remaining secured the win they needed to lift a first title in 18 years. The club were 25/1 outsiders at the beginning of that season as the two-time Premier League winner labelled the title triumph as the 'pinnacle' of his professional career. 'If you put your mind to anything and you work hard and you dedicate your life to it, you can do anything you want. That's what my players have done,' he said. But their title defence has proved difficult so far. After kicking off the 2025 campaign with back-to-back wins, Shels won just two of their next 12 games and have won seven from 22 to date. Their home defeat to Shamrock Rovers saw them fall 12 points behind, and although they won at St Pat's the following Monday, their defeat to Derry four days later saw that gap extend to 15 points with Shels now sitting in sixth with 14 games remaining. After Friday's home defeat to the Candystripes, Duff was deeply unhappy with his side's display, suggesting that his players remain too reliant on his own input instead of driving themselves. 'I prepared for the game like I was a professional footballer,' said Duff on Friday night. 'My wife probably cursed me at times. Three-hour siesta, ate really well, focused my mind. I would like to really, really know how many of my players prepared like me or as well as me, which is damning. 'There was a severe lack of energy, real flatness, severe lack of quality and you are going to get nowhere. I don't accept that that's our third game in a week. Never have, never will until the day I die. If you are an amazing pro, you bounce into the night. Even if you are a bit tired, a bit flat, drag yourself along, give yourself a talking-to. 'That's where you have to be an amazing pro, an elite pro, a pro that belongs in the Champions League which are strange words for me to say at the minute. 'Did I smell it on Thursday? Of course. It (training) was awful. It all comes from within, your energy, your motivation, how good a professional you are. 'I don't mind saying it again because it is absolutely true. It's my energy that has driven the players for four years. I've offered them the dressing room for them to lead this show, this steam train. They've never really done it. 'Again, tonight, it's me shouting and screaming. Joe (O'Brien, assistant) shouting and screaming. We had a real energy because we were highly motivated men, prepared well and I didn't feel that spark, that energy off the players. 'You're all probably saying, 'Here he goes again'. I'm trying to drag the team, trying to wake them up, but they never woke up. 'For three years, we've been an incredibly motivated team. If you had a bad night, it was a given that you get a reaction. 'As I told the lads upstairs, I don't know (if there will be one in Waterford on Monday). You never know with us anymore, which is damning. It's damning on me because I'm the manager. 'To become champions again, you have to be hungrier than last year, you have to work harder than last year and, again, if you ask that question to our guys, I'm not sure how many would say yes, I smelled these types of issues in pre-season. 'I thought I would come back and the dressing room would drive itself because there's big characters, there's champions in there. It didn't. 'It's not driven by the players. It's driven by me. And like I said to Darren (Cleary, press officer), you can grab every player down here now and ask the same question: 'Is it Duffer that drives everything?' 'It is, and it gets tiring, but most importantly, it gets frustrating. Yeah, I'm there to help and coach and pick the best teams. I don't think it's the manager that should drive a dressing room that still is.'
Sunday World
22-06-2025
- Sport
- Sunday World
No political overtones to Linfield v Shelbourne, it's all about cold, hard cash
Blues desperate to boost their coffers with Champions League money having failed to attract the finance they need David Healy, right, will be desperate to get the better of Damien Duff and his Shelbourne side in the Champions League. Photo: David Maginnis/Pacemaker Press Shels v Blues, North v South, Duff v Healy, the scene is set for a mammoth showdown between the champions of Ireland next month at Tolka Park. Linfield v Shelbourne in the Champions League has more angles than a protractor, both on and off the field of play. When the Irish League champions meet the League of Ireland champions next month it will be 19 years since their last encounter. The South Belfast team emerged victorious from that Setanta Cup clash, winning 2-0 over the two legs. That result was not as big a surprise as the match between the two clubs the year before when Linfield caused shockwaves by winning the inaugural Setanta Cup in 2005. Under former Linfield hero Pat Fenlon, Shels were top dogs in the League of Ireland having won the title in the two previous years and were big favourites to beat the upstarts from the North. The final was played at Tolka Park on May 21 and home advantage was also thought to swing it in favour of the powerful Dublin club. However, Linfield's feared twin strikers Glenn Ferguson and Peter Thompson struck early in the first half to stun Shels and carry the cup back to Belfast. Linfield were dominant domestically under David Jeffrey back then and are league champions once again under current boss David Healy. Meanwhile, Damien Duff took his first step into club management in 2021 and last year guided the Drumcondra outfit to their first league title since 2006. Shels won it in thrilling fashion, beating Derry City 1-0 on the last day of the title race to pip Shamrock Rovers to the crown. Former Blackburn, Chelsea and Republic of Ireland midfielder Duff has been a colourful addition to the League of Ireland, never shy to duck issues, often with a dash of humour. His Linfield counterpart is also a very strong character and equally willing to make his opinions known. The former Manchester United, Fulham and Northern Ireland striker returned to the province to take on the reins of his boyhood club almost 10 years ago. After a rocky start, Healy went on to win four titles in a row and has won six in total after wresting the Gibson Cup from Larne's grip this year. Duff and Healy know each other through mirrored careers and mutual friend and former teammate Keith Gillespie. Some have tried to dress this clash up as an orange v green affair, North v South, the tired tribalism of the island of Ireland. That is merely wallpaper as far as the managers are concerned, for both have more important matters to worry about. Yes, there are bragging rights for fans and glory for the victors, but when all is said and done, this tie is all about cold, hard cash. Linfield are historically the richest, most successful team in the Irish League, and at one stage that might have applied to the entire island. In recent years, though, Larne, Glentoran and, laterly, Coleraine have overtaken the Blues in terms of spending power, causing much angst in the Linfield boardroom. The powers that be have traditionally held a sense of entitlement, but their 57 titles suggest a sense of superiority would be more apt. They have to be No 1. They have to be champions. Failure is not an option. Deliver or you're out is the maxim at Windsor Park. After losing the title to Larne twice in a row, had Healy not won the league last year, the likelihood was that he would lose his job and the club would revert to part-time status. Linfield posted a loss of £662,000 last year and it is significant that new contract negotiations with Healy were held back until after the Champions League draw was made this week. Having come close on two occasions previously, Linfield are desperate to reach the group stages of European competition, for the lucrative prize money more than the prestige. Linfield last year announced it was exploring the possibility of injecting cash into the club by selling a minority shareholding. This was deemed necessary to compete against Larne, now Coleraine are flexing their financial muscle too. But so far the club's endeavours to bring in new money has proved fruitless, leaving lucrative European prize money as the remaining avenue to bringing millions into the coffers. The Blues are worried about losing their status as the elite club in Northern Ireland, never mind the entire island. Shamrock Rovers have emerged in recent years as the most powerful club in Ireland, North and South, as their European heroics last year proved. Rovers were pitted against Larne in the group stages of the Conference League, the first time any Irish League team had achieved the feat. Tiernan Lynch's side had won the Irish Premiership for two years in a row and had dreams of becoming the elite team in the land. There was much hype about this 'All-Ireland' clash, but on the night at Windsor Park, Rovers gave the Invermen a lesson, exposing a huge gulf in class in the 4-1 win. Trying to glean information from this formline is futile as Shels and Linfield are two different teams. Healy has been relatively quiet in the market since winning the title in May, signing only former Larne right-back Sean Brown. He feels the business he did earlier this year in signing Kieran Offord, Callumn Morrison and Alex Gorrin will bear fruit next season. A significant problem for Linfield is the fact that Shels are midway through their domestic campaign, whereas the Blues lost 4-1 to TNS in a behind-closed-doors friendly on Thursday. This undoubtedly gives the Dublin club another advantage, so Healy is up against it, but this is when he is at his most dangerous. He feeds off being written off, it galvanises him; he's like Popeye after eating spinach, and he loves being the unfancied underdog. Finally, there is the security aspect, but this has been overplayed. It's not Linfield v Rovers or Derry. The two teams have played before without issue and this is not the sort of tie that is likely to attract the mindless minority within Linfield's support. As with most clubs, the supporters who watch their team week in, week out are not troublemakers. They are passionate, vocal and proud, and they despair of the neanderthalic element that turns up for the occasional game. The battle will be won and lost on the field of play.
Irish Daily Mirror
20-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Stuart Byrne: Shels can't take eye off the ball in Europe, like my team did
The single worst thing Shelbourne can do is mention the word Qarabag. Not with a difficult Champions League tie against Linfield to overcome Duff was speaking yesterday about how all talk of Linfield is banned for now, what with Derry up tonight and a trip to Waterford on Monday. Shels are off the pace at home and have work to do to get back into the league title conversation, so you can understand it. But behind the scenes, there will be plenty of Linfield chatter and I don't mind that because these European nights are what it's all about. But don't look beyond Linfield. Don't be thinking or talking about Qarabag in the second round because football will bite you in the arse. And I know this from two lowest moments in football were Shelbourne's 2005 Setanta Cup final defeat to Linfield, closely followed by our Champions League loss to Hibs of Malta in 2002. We took our eye off the ball in between the two legs, and that should be a lesson to the current team. Now, we are talking about extremes and there isn't a chance a modern day team would prepare for a European game like we did that year. Click this link or scan the QR code to receive the latest League of Ireland news and top stories from the Irish Mirror. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. First of all, a travel cock-up meant we ended up in Malta for almost an entire week around the first-leg. George Best and his wife Alex were lounging around the pool on holidays, which was pretty surreal in itself. But we were there for too long and curfews were broken left, right and centre with lads on the beer, all of which caused friction in the group. When we did eventually get home, we played Manchester United in a friendly at Tolka Park just a few days before the home leg against Hibs. And as I've mentioned before, it wasn't any old friendly - but Roy Keane's first game since the explosive Saipan World Cup bust-up and the game was a media circus. It was carnage and no sort of preparation at should have beaten Hibs with one eye closed because you've never seen such a one-sided European game. But we made a balls of it. We knew going into the tie that we'd play Boavista in the next round and they were one of the biggest Portuguese teams at the time. Just knowing that was a distraction as lads were obsessed with their financial bonuses and all sorts. Throw everything else that happened that week into the mix and it was car crash could have been there until Sunday and we wouldn't have scored against Hibs. It still haunts me now. So if Duffer hears anyone talking about Qarabag, he needs to give them a slap because Linfield are a serious outfit. I don't care if they're out of season, there's no such thing as an easy draw in the Champions League. You take all the politics and religion out of it, and nobody can deny that Linfield are a great club. Their history and heritage speaks for itself.I've spoken before about the monotonous dedication you need to be a footballer at the highest level in Ireland. It's bloody hard work, but these are your rewards. These are the games that make the hair on the back of your neck stand up. The added spice of an All-Island rivalry is healthy. There will be a lot of weight and emotion going into the game and Shelbourne just need to focus on themselves and make sure they don't take their eye off the for RTE to step upOne more point on this mouthwatering Champions League clash - RTE have to be all over have women's Euro 2025 commitments at the same time, but I don't care and I don't want to hear the excuses. I don't want to be watching England v Netherlands, or France v Wales which are down to be played on the same night as the Tolka Park game on July pay our licence fee for a reason and RTE Sport have a duty to cover Irish football Get the wallet out and get it for DroghedaI've been thinking a lot this week about Drogheda United and their European heartbreak. It's like your hands have been tied, a blanket is put over your head and you're thrown in the back of a van. You're helpless and there's nothing you can do about it. But you know what? Rules are a personal level, I'm disappointed for my old team-mate Kevin Doherty and I'm sure he won't feel any better for me saying that I'd say his head is in a spin. Hopefully Drogheda's owners are sticking around but with these multi-club ownership rules here to stay, you'd wonder what their motivation is if this is the outcome?As a footballer you strive to be the best you can be and here in Ireland, that's winning trophies and getting into Europe. When that's taken away from you it must have an enormous emotional toll.I was very lucky to play on successful League of Ireland teams and enjoyed great European flights - but I can count them on one hand. I was having lunch in town with my wife a few weeks ago and a fella walking by stopped to chat about football for 30 seconds, and it was all about European games of you're telling me now that Drogheda can't play in Europe, then I'd wonder what the American owners see in this. But I'm sure Kevin Doherty will use it all as motivation.I've always felt that to win a league, you can't really afford to lose more than five games. Now, Shels proved that wrong last year, but five is my guideline. Drogheda have only lost four times this season and they're not going away. They're showing that winning the FAI Cup was no fluke and they have something about the next season or two, the goal for these Drogheda United players is to win the league title and here's hoping the owners stick around and back roar? Lions bore!Batten down the hatches. Cover your ears, close your eyes because the Lions are coming and don't you just dread it. The hobby of the upper class. The most ridiculous sport ever invented. The poshest of the posh. The pretentiousness of the ... ok, you know what I 'that' time again. The time when Irish, Scottish, English and Welsh people come together and deliberately forget about their repressive past for the purpose of, what? Padraig Pearse and William Wallace would be turning in their graves. Get the latest sports headlines straight to your inbox by signing up for free email.
Belfast Telegraph
18-06-2025
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
Linfield legend: We shocked Shelbourne in 2005 Setanta Cup Final… here's how current Blues crop can do the same
Linfield legend Glenn Ferguson believes the current Blues side can give Shelbourne a rough ride like they famously did 20 years ago. In 2005 the Blues humbled Shelbourne in the Setanta Cup decider and Ferguson predicts that historic triumph will inspire David Healy's side.
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Linfield draw Shelbourne in Champions League qualifying
Irish Premiership winners Linfield have been drawn against Shelbourne in the first round of Champions League qualifying. Shelbourne, managed by former Chelsea and Republic of Ireland winger Damien Duff, won their first League of Ireland Premier Division title in 18 years in 2024 after a dramatic final-day victory over Derry City. Advertisement David Healy's Linfield won the Irish Premiership by 22 points in an impressive campaign for the Blues. The first leg in will take place at Tolka Park on Tuesday 8 or Wednesday 9 July, before the return fixture at Windsor Park on 15 or 16 July. Linfield last faced Shels in the 2006 Setanta Cup group stages, when they won 2-0 at Windsor Park before a goalless draw in the return fixture. One year earlier, David Jeffrey's side won the cross-border tournament by beating Shelbourne 2-0 in the final at Tolka Park. Cliftonville will find out their Uefa Conference League opponents in the first-round draw at 15:00 BST. Advertisement Jim Magilton's European play-off winners are unseeded and will face one of Icelandic side Vikingur, Partizani of Albania, Floriana from Malta and Gibraltar side St Joseph's. Irish Cup winners Dungannon Swifts will discover their second-round opponents on Wednesday.
