Damien Duff Hangs Up His Boots

[deryck guyler's spoon]

No multiple stepovers, no rabonas, no showboating just great balance, close control and the ability to accelerate away from his opponent. What a player.

Did he make his debut as a 17 year old against Leicester in the last game of the season? I seem to remember his introduction being overshadowed by a young lad who looked like a cross between Frank Bruno and Linford Christie. Emille Heskey trampled all over us that day and bagged a couple as they beat us 4-2. Of course, that could all be nonsense as I'm sure somebody will point out.

I also have a vague memory of him playing up front with Kevin Gallacher in what must have been Rovers most diminutive forward partnering?

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

No multiple stepovers, no rabonas, no showboating just great balance, close control and the ability to accelerate away from his opponent. What a player.

Did he make his debut as a 17 year old against Leicester in the last game of the season? I seem to remember his introduction being overshadowed by a young lad who looked like a cross between Frank Bruno and Linford Christie. Emille Heskey trampled all over us that day and bagged a couple as they beat us 4-2. Of course, that could all be nonsense as I'm sure somebody will point out.

I also have a vague memory of him playing up front with Kevin Gallacher in what must have been Rovers most diminutive forward partnering?

I remember Bryan Douglas , Bobby Craig and Joe Haverty playing up front for us. Dougie was the tallest at 5' 6", Craig was 5' 5" and " Little Joe " 5' 3".

Don't remember him TS, only Beattie and Thomas. I know that for some cup games they were allowed to merge the two youth teams. May be it was Beattie and Thomas when they did that but I don't remember Cassin or whoever. Perhaps he played prop for the Hornets? :-)

You could count on the fingers of one hand Rovers players who could have played prop for Hornets. John Bray would have been a good shout. Kevin Moran and Matt Woods had the heart for it .

[RevidgeBlue]

Best player I've ever seen playing for us apart from Shearer. An absolute joy to watch. Dearly wish the Walker Trust had not been predominantly concerned with recouping money in the latter years and had kept him at Ewood as our figurehead for several more of his peak years.

Arguably my favourite memory of Duffer was the pre season friendly we played at Ewood one season against Barcelona in front of 24k fans. They couldn't get the ball off him. Absolutely unplayable.

Wish him all the best for the future with whatever he decides to do.

[tomphil]

Class act Duffer, goes down with Shearer, Friedel, Tugay as one of the best ever I've seen play for Rovers. Pity he made a bit of an ass of himself v us for Chelsea & Fulham by disrespecting his former worshippers but that's footballers for you. Great player but bit of a dick although he did nut a Burnley fan up Cav so that gets him forgiven

[Pedro]

Damien Duff is one of a handful of truly world class footballers that I have witnessed in our shirt. He was brilliant, amazing, enthralling and an absolute joy. When he picked the ball up, he made something happen. A privilege of the highest order. Nobody has come anywhere close since.

[blueboy3333]

We've been blessed with some quality left-wingers - Brotherston, Sellars, Wilcox, Witscghe and Duff.

Duff was the best of the lot.

It was a bid part of the match day ritual in those days watching the yoots. Brockhall in the morning, pub for lunch and then off to Ewood. Good times! James Thomas i think ended up at Swansea and Graham Coughlan at Plymouth. That Scottish lad at CB (Brown?) was touted as being a good un but dont know what happened to him. Good footballer but a bit small.

[Pedro]

One of my all time favourites. I used to watch the youth teams down at Brockhall in that period when Duffer played for them. I even watched them away on one occasion and that was down to Duffer in the main. Unbelievable player, Damien I salute you.

The lad that played up front with Beattie was James Thomas. Just as good as Beattie at that level and time but, whilst he played professional football, did it in the lower leagues from memory.

James Thomas was brilliant. He was only small but I was sure he would make it but as you say, only featured in the lower leagues. I was a regular watching reserve team football back then when we used to play at Springfield park and Preston. Duff, Dunn and Johnson would sit beside us in the stands scoffing pies when they weren't playing!!!

We've been blessed with some quality left-wingers - Brotherston, Sellars, Wilcox, Witscghe and Duff.

Duff was the best of the lot.

It was a bid part of the match day ritual in those days watching the yoots. Brockhall in the morning, pub for lunch and then off to Ewood. Good times! James Thomas i think ended up at Swansea and Graham Coughlan at Plymouth. That Scottish lad at CB (Brown?) was touted as being a good un but dont know what happened to him. Good footballer but a bit small.

I also inherited a pair of Keith Brown's boots. Size 8 Uhlsport's - they were worth abot £100 back in the day but were as tight as hell so I gave them away!

[blueboy3333]

James Thomas was brilliant. He was only small but I was sure he would make it but as you say, only featured in the lower leagues. I was a regular watching reserve team football back then when we used to play at Springfield park and Preston. Duff, Dunn and Johnson would sit beside us in the stands scoffing pies when they weren't playing!!!

I also inherited a pair of Keith Brown's boots. Size 8 Uhlsport's - they were worth abot £100 back in the day but were as tight as hell so I gave them away!

That was him, Keith Brown. What happened to him? Did he retire cos you nicked his boots?!

[Pedro]

That was him, Keith Brown. What happened to him? Did he retire cos you nicked his boots?!

He went to Barnsley and things fizzled out, ended up coaching at Accrington I think. He was a centre back/left back but he was tiny. No word of a lie, those boots were minute! They blistered me like hell but they were top quality and Uhlsport were a top brand back then so I persevered with them for a few games.

[blueboy3333]

He went to Barnsley and things fizzled out, ended up coaching at Accrington I think. He was a centre back/left back but he was tiny. No word of a lie, those boots were minute! They blistered me like hell but they were top quality and Uhlsport were a top brand back then so I persevered with them for a few games.

coaching at Oldham since September according to Wiki. Dunny must have took him there.

[speeeeeeedie]

Thomas isn't the guy I'm thinking of. I remember Thomas scoring against Bolton on his Premier League debut. It was downhill after that. The lad I'm thinking of was called Cassin I think.

Graham Cassin played up front with Beattie in that youth team. They were there a year before Duff. James Thomas came in after those 2.

[Pedro]

coaching at Oldham since September according to Wiki. Dunny must have took him there.

Ah right, they were all the same era so could well be pals. There were a lot of good young players at Rovers at that time and it is surprising who has made it and who has totally disappeared off the face of the Earth. You hear a name (like someone mentioned James Thomas) and you think back to how good they were. I am surprised that he never made it, but then again, I remember the first time that Jermaine Defoe turned up at Ewood and he was as good a young player as I had ever seen. Head and shoulders better than what we had at that time. He was frightening.

[Pedro]

Graham Cassin played up front with Beattie in that youth team. They were there a year before Duff. James Thomas came in after those 2.

I remember the name but without being harsh, don't remember him as a player of any note. I think it was in the era of David McNamee, Burton O'brien and Robbie Doyle etc. Also, Jon Walters...who was also class!

[Bucksrover]

Duff and Dunn. The last 2 rovers players who forced the opposition to take the ball off them, or they would create something or score.

Would have loved such a player against Reading.

Maybe I am being a bit harsh on Conway there, but Duff's running with the ball was different class.

Edited December 22, 2015 by Bucksrover

[SoldierMo]

Class act Duffer, goes down with Shearer, Friedel, Tugay as one of the best ever I've seen play for Rovers. Pity he made a bit of an ass of himself v us for Chelsea & Fulham by disrespecting his former worshippers but that's footballers for you. Great player but bit of a dick although he did nut a Burnley fan up Cav so that gets him forgiven

What do you mean? Why an ass out of himself?

[1arC]

Not only was Duff a great player, but I also consider him to have been loyal to the club with what he did. The season before he was sold to Chelsea, he was out of contract and therefore, he could have refused to sign a contract and walked for nothing as a Bosman. He didn't do that to us, as he signed a new contract, that did have a clause in it, which I consider to be fair enough. He was quality and could have made millions, had he not signed that contract.

Sure enough Chelsea met the release clause and came knocking and off he went for £17 million. Before he left Duff had a hand written letter published in the Telegraph, where he thanked the club and the fans personally for what they had done for him. In the 40 plus years, I have supported the club, I have never known another player do that and for me, that just speaks volumes. A quality player and a quality individual, who will be forever remembered at Ewood.

[den]

The clause wasn't at Duffs request either.

[1arC]

The clause wasn't at Duffs request either.

Quite correct and just emphasises what he genuinely thought of the club.

[Tony Diamond Inc]

Did he not say when he left, that he would like to return to the club and finish his career here?

[1arC]

Did he not say when he left, that he would like to return to the club and finish his career here?

Yes he did and it is a shame he didn't make it back, as he would have been welcomed with open arms. I don't remember him coming back as an opponent either, as I am sure he would have been given an warm welcome back.

[tomphil]

What do you mean? Why an ass out of himself?

A couple of disrespectful goal celebrations infront of Rovers fans, all a bit needless after he was supposed to love the club.

[Scotty]

I wrote this on the Rovers Greatest Team thread years ago. Seems appropriate now:

Damien Duff first signed professional forms for Rovers on March 5th 1996 at the age of 17. It was a momentous day for the club.

He was scouted by Pat Devlin, manager of Bray Wanderers and still Duff's agent to this day. Devlin was a friend of Kenny Dalglish and alerted Kenny to the talent he'd unearthed in Ireland. Rovers weren't the only club he told though. Rumour has it that Huddersfield came very close to poaching Damien - thankfully though he chose the Rovers.

Duff made his Rovers senior debut in the last home game of 1996-97 season. However, it wasn't until the season after that he established himself in the side ahead of Jason Wilcox. A crowd favourite straight away, he won over the fans with his skill and touch, as well as a running style best described as "unusual", not to mention the appearence of someone who was permanently knackered. He just looked funny, not remotely like a footballer was supposed to look, but give him the ball and he could be superb.

Superb but inconsistent. Duff had a habit of drifting in and out of games in the early stages of his career, and probably suffered more than most during the frequent managerial upheavals at the time. In fact it was rumoured that Hodgson didn't rate Duff and was willing to sell him - thankfully Hodgson left first.

Duff was relegated along with the rest of the squad in 1999 and remained inconsistent during the clubs first season in Division 1. However, his form was still good enough to earn him his first cap as a substitute for Ireland. He went on to make two more appearences for his country that season.

It wasn't until the arrival of Graeme Souness in early 2000 that Duff started to consistently produce the form that we all knew he was capable of. Although he only scored one league goal during our promotion season it was a vital one - securing victory away against promotion rivals Birmingham. His all-round game though was excellent that season. He terrorised First Division right-backs and linked up superbly with the likes of Jansen, Dunn, Bent and Berkovic.

Our first season back in the Premiership was largely a struggle for the team, but Duff continued to shine. He chipped in with 7 goals, many of them vital, and was instrumental in our 2002 Worthington Cup winning team. It remains the only major honour of his career so far (although I suspect it won't be for long).

That summer saw Damien Duff graduate to world class. He was arguably the star of the 2002 World Cup, helping Ireland into the knock-out stages with a series of man-of-the-match performances. He even managed a goal in the 3-0 group win over Saudi Arabia. Speculation was rife in the media throughout the summer that Duff would leave for one of the "big boys". However, he defied everyone by signing a new 2 year contract at Blackburn and stating his love for the club.

Duff was now unstoppable. He won a place in UEFA's team of the year and inspired the team to new heights during the next season, scoring 13 goals and setting up many, many more. In fact, the only thing that could stop him was a niggling hamstring injury that restricted him to only 26 appearences that season. However, it was no coincidence that Rovers put a fantastic run together during the second half of the season when Duff returned from injury. The run took us up to 6th place and a UEFA cup spot.

Again, media speculation was rife during the summer about Duff leaving. Just as we all thought he might defy the critics again and stay, Chelsea came in with a huge bid and, after a protracted negotiation involving a lot of soul-searching on Duff's part, he left for the bright lights of London.

I've been watching the Rovers for more than 25 years and Duff is easily my favourite player throughout that time. His skill, vision, touch and passing ability made him a fantastic player to watch - a real entertainer. I loved the way he looked shattered one minute then electrifying the next.

He seemed such an uncomplicated character off the pitch as well. We used to laugh as we passed his old battered Fiesta in the car-park before home games - alongside all the BMW's, 4x4's and Jag's of the other players. He lists one of his favourite hobbies as sleeping and spent most of his time at Blackburn living in Hurst Green out in the sticks. No boozy nights out with Page 3 girls for Damien.

I'm still sad that he left yet I still enjoy watching play for Chelsea. For example, I watched him tonight in the Carling Cup against Fulham and he was superb - scoring one and troubling Fulham throughout. Unfortunately, in a few years history will probably show that Duff was at his most successful whilst playing for Chelsea. However, I'll never forget what he did at Rovers. The boy's a genius.


Career

1996-97: Rovers 1 game, 0 goals
1997-98: Rovers 26 games, 4 goals
1998-99: Rovers 28 games, 1 goal
1999-00: Rovers 39 games, 5 goals; Ireland 3 appearences, 0 goals
2000-01: Rovers 32 games, 1 goal; Ireland 6 appearences, 0 goals
2001-02: Rovers 32 games, 7 goals; Ireland 10 appearences, 2 goals
2002-03: Rovers 26 games, 9 goals; Ireland 5 appearences, 2 goals

[oldjamfan1]

A couple of disrespectful goal celebrations infront of Rovers fans, all a bit needless after he was supposed to love the club.

I don't remember the ones you are referring to. I have a vague memory of him scoring for Fulham against us but don't recall his celebration being anything untoward. I personally have no problem with players celebrating goals against their former clubs. You should celebrate after scoring. I don't understand this business of simply walking back to your own half after scoring a goal. The only time I could ever understand that was when The Lawman back heeled that one in to send Man United to the Second Division, but that was an extremely unusual set of circumstances. Although I realise it wasn't a former club, the sentiment was still the same when Shearer celebrated the one he got for us against his boyhood heroes at St James Park after he had come back from his first bad injury in 1993, and Chris Sutton did likewise when he scored for Celtic at Ewood.

Edited December 22, 2015 by oldjamfan1

[tomphil]

It happened but I do agree it's up to players what they do after they score but they should always expect to take the flak that comes with it. Was just a bit strange coming from him seeing as he was on record as holding the club and fans in high regard and it did happen in the modern world of some not celebrating after scoring against former clubs.

Moot point on Shearer really as he'd never played for the toon then and I seem to remember the first few times he scored against us he was quite respectful. Not so much as time went on which is fair enough after all the flak he took.

Anyway there was debates on this very board about the Duff incidents so I ain't getting into any did he or didn't he arguments. Like I said I always thought Duffer a sound lad, seen him out and about a few times back in the day, top lad, top top player.

[martonrover]

One of my all time favourites and I had also hoped we would see him again when he left.

Best wishes to Damien in whatever he does next.