DAMIEN DUFF’S MEDIA duties before most of Shelbourne’s League of Ireland games usually tends to be restricted to a few paragraphs of housekeeping quotes in a press release sent out by the club the day before.
Who’s fit, who has a knock.
Expecting a tough game.
Hoping to learn some lessons/build on the last performance.
The usual.
On Tuesday Duff had plenty more to say.
Very little had to do with Friday’s Dublin derby with St Patrick’s Athletic.
Virgin Media are showing the clash and their television cameras also visited the Reds’ boss at the club’s rented training base in the AUL Complex in Clonsaugh earlier in the afternoon.
A little while later and Duff was holding court in Tolka Park.
Topics ranged from the situation regarding possible investment in the club, following the collapse of talks with Southampton’s owners Sport Republic and the interest from Hull City’s Turkish benefactor, to dreaming of what might be should they build on an impressive start to a season which sees them sit fifth, just four points off third place.
“The best bit of my day was 10 o’clock [this morning] until just after 12 on the pitch. After that, it is phone calls, management, whereas I belong on a football pitch. I just want to talk about football,” Duff said at one point.
But then that changed.
When the future of some of his most promising stars – Jack Moylan the most recent – was brought up, a spark was lit. Duff confirmed there is already interest from the UK, not just in Moylan but others in his emerging squad, and he also revealed that he has initiated a new club policy over the last 18 months in a bid to set a new kind of benchmark.
“I could be really pointed with it, any agents…it’s not black and white but its my policy, as long as I’m here it will be club policy, but any agents that come in and say ‘I want a get out clause for 30 grand or 40 grand’, no, you can go and do one,” he began.
I’ve had conversations and it’s just taking the piss so, yeah, getting value for your player but it’s also just agents [saying] ‘oh I’ll make a quick buck, I’ll get them across to any old club in England’. No, I care about my players.
“They’ll go for what they are worth and if a club really wants them, they’ll show how much they want them by paying the money. That’s my policy at the club.
“If the dog and duck from the UK come in for Jack [Moylan] I wouldn’t let him go, or I wouldn’t advise him to go. It has to be the right move. We will cross that bridge when we come to it. But if I am a scout I am looking at a lot of players in the squad, no doubt.”
The issue of get-out clauses is not a new one. Last season, champions Shamrock Rovers lost Danny Mandroiu, a former Ireland Under-21 international who had been involved with the senior set-up, to Lincoln City in England’s League One for a paltry fee in the region of €30,000.
Bohemians also saw talented duo Dawson Devoy and Promise Omochere depart in similar circumstances for MK Dons and Fleetwood Town, respectively.
At the time, that prompted Bohs’ chief operating officer Daniel Lambert to make the case for League of Ireland clubs banding together for an unprecedented show of solidarity with a collective approach to refusing to accept clauses below a certain threshold.
“Ah, for sure like, so whether it be where the FAI get involved or Mr [Mark] Scanlon (League director) eh, absolutely, it really makes me angry,” Duff added.
“It’s catch 22, calling each other’s bluff. They (agents) might say to me ‘then the player’s not signing’ so I’ll talk to the player then and say ‘I ain’t trying to keep you here forever’. You’re going to get more money, here’s a new contract, but there’s no clause in it.
“That’s the way I work… I normally miss out on signings because I can’t afford to pay them 1,500 quid. Usually when I’ve met players and can give them the 1,500 quid, they come, because they want to come and work in our environment and our standards.
“We offer them an elite service. I’m not trying to make a headline or anything here but this is what I do and as long as I’m here, I’m not going to be hamstrung by agents. I like to think it helps the league. I think there’s a real lack of respect for the league by doing it. I’ll fight it all day long.
“I think we’re disrespected in terms of what we offer. It’s ‘ah Ireland, why would you loan players to Ireland?’ That’s the UK club mentality. If we do get a player, their sports scientist rings up asking do we have GPS, ‘those things that go on the players’ backs?’
Do they think we’re f***ing cavemen over here? That’s the stuff you’re dealing with.
They get brilliant coaching here. I’m not sure about the other clubs but we’ve top level coaching here which isn’t realised outside of Ireland. It’s disrespected but we must be doing something right because the English clubs keep coming back trying to get our players on the cheap.
“Anyway, it’s not like I’m harping on about it, that’s what it’ll feel like when I see the headlines – here he f***ing goes again. That’s why I hate doing these [press conferences].
“I don’t think people speak about it. ‘Here’s Duffer again’, but I’ll fight it. That’s why I fight the agents. I’ll fight anyone verbally. It’s my league now. There’s wonderful men and women in the stands for 70 years, legends of the game, but I’m just a blow-in here 18 months.
“I’ll still fight tooth and nail for this league. I’m not going anywhere anytime soon because I’m going to live Ireland. I’m not just fighting for Shelbourne, it’s the two divisions and below because someone needs to do it. Someone needs to speak up.”
And just before he got up to leave…
“We’re playing St Pat’s on Friday, by the way.”
