Damien Duff resigns as club manager after furious post-match rant about his players - Fan Banter
He admitted his side were outplayed in the 1-0 defeat to Derry City, and added he would’ve been embarrassed to draw against them.
Michael Duffy’s 54th-minute wonderstrike secured a deserved 1-0 win for Derry, who overtook Shelbourne into 4th place in the League of Ireland Premier Division and leaving his side sitting 6th.
The former Premier League player guided to a first league title in 18 years in 2024, and are some 15 points off leaders Shamrock Rovers after 22 matches.
Former Bolton, Sheffield Wednesday and West Ham defender Joey O’Brien, who was Duff’s assistant, will take charge of the fixture.
Shelbourne FC can confirm that Damien Duff has stepped down as first team manager.
Everyone at the club wishes Damien and his family the very best for the future.
He leaves with our deepest thanks.
🔗 https://t.co/IdyQoWa3MA pic.twitter.com/0L33F7qCg7
— Shelbourne FC 🏆 (@shelsfc) June 22, 2025
CLUB STATEMENT:
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-place finish and a first FAI Cup Final appearance since 2011 in that debut season. The following year, in 2023, a fourth-place 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.
“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.”
“We didn’t deserve anything out of the game.”
Damien Duff doesn’t hold back in response to his side’s defeat tonight. pic.twitter.com/lwVNLWrIYv
— League of Ireland (@LeagueofIreland) June 20, 2025
𝐃𝐀𝐌𝐈𝐄𝐍 𝐃𝐔𝐅𝐅 𝐓𝐎 𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐄!
In light of Damien Duff’s resignation from Shelbourne today, here he is speaking to Off The Ball on Friday night after losing to Derry City.
🎙️ @bensymes01
LOI on OTB w/ Rockshore 0.0 pic.twitter.com/6BlILtSgd4
— Off The Ball (@offtheball) June 22, 2025
“A bad night, a sobering night.
“We didn’t deserve anything from it. Huffed, puffed . . .
“Yes, we had some moments in the first half, the second half, but I’d be embarrassed walking home with a point.
“Not that they created a lot. They definitely play with a bit of quality. We certainly didn’t.
“The biggest thing to take away was (a lack of) quality, quality, quality, absolutely zero energy, flatness.
“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.
“Here, I don’t like being the one shouting and screaming on the sideline . . . ‘Duffer’s at it again!’ That’s the energy that I have.
“I prepared for Friday’s game like I was a professional footballer. My wife probably cursed me at times. Three-hour siesta, ate really well, focused my mind.
“There was a severe lack of energy, real flatness, severe lack of quality and you are going to get nowhere.”
“Training was awful. I’ve been around football a long, long time and you can have training amazing on a Thursday and be really poor on a Friday. You can have a poor training session on a Thursday and be brilliant on a Friday.
“So it was off the back of two days of not being on the pitch. Played Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday back in Thursday.
“But 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.
“Just really having a sharp mind and paying real respect to your training and the detail you were going to be getting.
“Did I smell it? Of course! It was awful. It all comes from within, your energy, motivation, how good a professional you are.
“I guess I’m the front of shop then, I’m the manager and it’s my energy and that’s why some days this year I crawl in.
“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, it’s me shouting and screaming. Joe 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.
“I don’t know. 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. You know us.
“As I told the lads upstairs, I don’t know. Monday there will be a team, there will be changes.
“You never know with us anymore, which is damning. It’s damning on me because I’m the manager.
“So what comes on Monday, who knows? Absolutely, who knows?”
: 2 tough months in the job & he’s legged it
: he walked awayyyyy walked awayyyyy duffer er er
: When the going gets tough, the Duff gets going
: Clearly wasn’t happy with the standards the players were given him every day. The league still needs work put into it and Duff played a part in that. Big loss for Shels and the league as a whole 👍
: Love him or loathe him.. Still a massive loss for the league
: Constantly questioning player commitment and then throws in the towel himself as soon as things got tough.
: SHELS ARE FALLING APART AGAIN 🎶
: Few bad results and the savior abandons the club. You can’t buy class…
: Fans of every club in the country still trying to pretend to themselves they wouldn’t have him in a heartbeat I see
: Won a league with a mid table team hats off 👌🏻
: What a strange time to leave
: First bit of tough competition and he’s scattered, got lucky last year winning a league that nobody else seemed arsed with winning, and still only done it on the last day….. thank god i don’t have to put up with him being pushed down my neck anymore by the media 👍🏻 good riddance
@evinh111: The level of celebrations from opposition fans goes to show how good a manager he is. They think Shels will be weaker without him, otherwise they wouldn’t be happy. Just an interesting way to undercut their “narrative”. Time to prove them wrong all over again and keep going.
@RedsStats:
Final Line of 146 games:
Won: 58
Drew: 49
Lost: 39
GF: 174 GA:143
TV Record:
P: 33 W:7, D: 14 L:12
Best nights of my Life: 1
Players who should hang there head in shame: 5/6/7+
Damien Duff is a serious manager 🇮🇪
His Shelbourne side sit 5th in the league
They’re unbeaten in 8️⃣ league games
They’ve lost the 2nd fewest games this season 🥈
They also have the best defensive record in the league 🥇
Coach to watch 👀
— tomhwilliams23 (@tomhwilliams23) September 2, 2023
Look at this absolute fucking flute 😂😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/CEJDqoiqsv
— Gary M (@The_Mason_85) June 16, 2025
