‘She just likes cuddles and being petted’ – Damien Duff says his dog Bella means just as much as his Celtic medals
Damien Duff after the game against St Patrick's Athletic
Shelbourne manager Damien Duff says his dog, Bella, that he got in Glasgow means just as much to him as the league and cup medals he helped Celtic win while a first-team coach at Parkhead.
Duff spent 18 months at the Glasgow club, initially as assistant manager to the reserves in January 2019 before stepping up to the first team and into Neil Lennon’s backroom staff at Celtic Park.
As a first-team coach, Duff helped Celtic secure the treble and a ninth consecutive Scottish Premiership title, but he says his springer spaniel Bella is on par with the success he achieved in Scotland.
“I guess I had a couple of amazing things I brought back from Glasgow. I got a crammed football education in two years, I brought home a couple of league medals, a couple of cup medals, and on a par with all that is Bella,” said Duff, after Shelbourne’s Dublin derby win over St Patrick's Athletic on Friday night.
“I was always afraid of dogs, I would run away, but probably sometimes the best thing is to go get a dog and she's my best mate. She's a soft Glaswegian, she doesn't like the wind, the rain, or the snow. She just likes cuddles and being petted.”
Damien Duff pulls supporter out of the crowd and into Shelbourne's team talk
After the Reds secured a third successive win over St Pat’s to remain top of the Premier Division, Duff shared an insight into the behind-the-scenes work that goes into preparing for matches, with two games in a four-day window around the corner.
“My favourite bit is being out on the grass,” added Duff.
“But you're on a laptop 24/7 now. So on Monday, post-match will be delivered on this [game]. I'm sure it will be a nice one hopefully from Joey [O’Brien], he usually does the post-match. But the laptop will have to be turned on [this weekend], because to plan the sessions, you don't just go out and play 5-a-side, planning a session can take a couple of hours.
“I'll start working on Dundalk, Derry too,” Duff added, with the leaders facing an away trip to the Lilywhites next Friday before Derry City away on the May Bank Holiday.
“We don't have an analyst, we don't want one, we’d rather do it ourselves. So will I switch off? No, but that's the way I like it."
