Damien Duff's long and winding road finally takes him to Celtic

Celtics new reserve team coach Damien Duff is settling in the at the clubs training complex at Lennoxtown. Picture: Alan Harvey/SNS

It has taken three decades for the 39-year-old to finally arrive at Glasgow Celtic.

In between have been a series of big-money moves that allowed him to scale the heights with Chelsea, Newcastle and Fulham after starting his career at Blackburn Rovers. There is also the small matter of 100 caps for the Republic of Ireland including appearances at World Cup and European Championship finals.

Duff is not one to have regrets about not making the move to his boyhood club as a player – or anything else, for that  matter.

He considers that fact he he has now been able to do so as a coach, which will see him assist Tommy McIntyre with the club’s reserve side, as ample consolation.

Had the fates looked more kindly on Duff, he believes he would have fulfilled a different Celtic dream a decade ago.

When he left Newcastle, Duff thought he could simply will Parkhead to be his next destination.

He said: “I think I was just sending out the vibes.

“I ended up signing for Fulham quite quickly.

“Roy Hodgson had played a big part in my career and I signed for him. Moves only happen when they’re meant to be so it obviously wasn’t meant to be [for me to play for Celtic].

“The next best thing is  coaching and to come here as a coach is an amazing thing.”

Duff was asked to interview for the reserve coach post eight weeks ago and the process turned out to be far from straightfoward.

“The interview was the hardest thing I’ve ever done by a mile,” he said.

“Playing at World Cups and everything else was easy in comparison because that’s what I did. I play football so I was doing what you do, but being a coach is obviously new.

“Coming over and expressing my views on football to Brendan Rodgers and the interview panel about how I think football should be played felt a bit bizarre when speaking to one of the best managers in the world.

“Even if I didn’t get the job it would have been an amazing learning experience in itself so it’s been a rollercoaster eight weeks.

“I just tried to be myself. I’m passionate, emotional, I probably curse too much.

“I just tell the truth to players and I’m on them 24/7 and I might annoy them at the minute but only because I care and want to help.

“I obviously like to play attacking football – I was an attack-minded player back in the day so I guess it would be similar to what the gaffer does.

“I just came and was myself. I know a lot of candidates were in for it and people make out I was offered the job because I had 100 caps or a half decent career but that wasn’t the case. I came and I worked hard for it like everyone else that went for it.”

After Duff wound down his playing career with a spell at Shamrock Rovers, he took on a voluntary role at the club because he wanted establish an academy to mirror what is offered by Celtic and other elite clubs across the UK.

He added: “I haven’t come here for money, believe me. I’m here to learn and help players. I believe the players are up at half six in the morning at  St Ninian’s [High School] four times a week. We were the only football team at any level in Ireland to do that and I got slaughtered for doing it.

“That’s the mentality you’re kind of dealing with there at times, but for me it’s the best time of day to work so it was amazing for me to hear they do it four times a week here.”

It that sounds old-school, Duff also admits he isn’t one for a softly-softly approach to preparing young players for the professional game.

His approach was forged in a school of hard Scots at Blackburn Rovers.

“I had Alan Irvine as my youth team coach. He had a brilliant coaching career and I only had him for a year but he instilled standards in me which are maybe lost on some kids now.

“That rubbed off on me and Kenny Dalglish was manager at the time and they were just so hard on me. I know kids are different now and society is different but I still have a bit of that in me.

“I know you have to deal with players a bit differently,” added Duff.

“Maybe some days I set my standards too high with everything but I’m hard, emotional and passionate. I hope the players appreciate it.”