Brian Kerr: Damien Duff faces tough task retaining Shelbourne's title

DUFF TASK AHEAD: VMTV football pundit Brian Kerr at the launch of Virgin Media Television's 2025 sports coverage. Pic: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile.

Brian Kerr feels his former pupil Damien Duff faces an uphill task to retain Shelbourne’s title now their secret is out.

Despite being fourth favourites to bring a first league crown for 18 years to Tolka Park last season, the Ireland centurion accomplished his mission on the final night at Derry City.

The same teams will open the 2025 campaign on Valentine’s Night at Tolka, the start of the fourth season at the helm for Duff.

He was part of Kerr’s ‘Malaysian Marvels’ that finished third at the 1997 U20 World Cup and the pair continued into the Ireland seniors.

Duff retired in 2012 with 100 caps and says his brief spell in management has been the most rewarding time of his life.

“Shelbourne have a chance but what they won’t have is the element of surprise,” Kerr said of the Reds, who laid down their intentions with six straight wins early in the season.

“I don’t think that during last pre-season they’d have realistically seen themselves as winning the league but they’ll take huge confidence from achieving it.

“They’ll still be as invigorated by Damien and the passion of Tolka Park - hard to beat at home – but Shamrock Rovers, St Patrick’s Athletic and Derry City all look strong too.”

Duff and Kerr remain close and the doyen of Irish football always felt his protégé possessed the tools to migrate into coaching.

He began by taking charge of the U15s at Rovers – infamously staging training sessions at 6am – before working at Celtic and back to Ireland to resettle with his young family, initially with the FAI and then Shels.

Once Duff was prepared to withstand the “beady eye” from the spotlight, Kerr had no fears about the 45-year-old’s ability to cope.

He said: “I remember when he mentioned to me about taking on Shels job, I said ‘look, you'll be the biggest news here since John Giles came home from West Brom to take on Rovers in the 1977.

“I said you will have the biggest profile, the biggest pressure and the beady eye will be on you. You hear them constantly saying 'it's all about the players' - but it's not.

“It's what the manager does on the training ground, his judgement in terms of the players he signs, his tactics, all of that.

“So Damien is experiencing something different from what he was like as a player when he only had to worry about his own performance and contribute to the team.

“As manager, you're responsible for everyone's morale in the club - the lads trying to sell tickets, the commercial lads in the office, the good humour of whoever makes the tea, everyone involved and around the club, the staff, the directors.

“They are all depending on the results and it’s you who is responsible for the results. He is enjoying that pressure and his enthusiasm and obsession is obvious.”

Brian Kerr was speaking at the launch of Virgin Media’s upcoming sports coverage, including his punditry work of Champions League, Nations League and League of Ireland matches.