Duff to improve with Keegan?

**Razors left peg** · 28/03/2008, 6:59 PM

Originally Posted by Ciaran

Last time Duff played for Ireland in a competitive game it was against Slovakia at home and he ripped them to pieces almost on his own, he was stunning that night.

The problem isn't Duff, it's how people are using Duff. Duff needs to be playing on a wing with a fullback who can cover him, for Newcastle Duff has ended up doing far more defensive work than offensive, and who could blame him when the only one behind him is N'Zogbia?

I agree.... also though I think that maybe after his injury he mightnt be 100% until he get a proper preseason behind him

**kennedmc** · 28/03/2008, 8:07 PM

Originally Posted by eirebhoy

Aye but Newcastle don't fit the decent team bit.

why wink?

**jmurphyc** · 29/03/2008, 2:51 AM

Originally Posted by Ciaran

Last time Duff played for Ireland in a competitive game it was against Slovakia at home and he ripped them to pieces almost on his own, he was stunning that night.

Whilst I agree with the rest of your post, from what I can recall he was quite good against them but he hardly tore them apart. He was still nowhere near as good as he has been in the past and was by no means at his very, very best that night. He had a good game, but not a truly exceptional one.

**Colbert Report** · 31/03/2008, 12:33 AM

Duff didn't make it off the bench today but in fairness Newcastle won the match 4-1.

**paul_oshea** · 31/03/2008, 10:40 AM

was chatting to a load of newcastle fans last night in the pub ( not far from tottenham ) and i was asking them why isn't duff getting on the bench ( apart from yesterday ) for newcastle and they went, he's injured, I said I dont think he is and they were like "why aye man, he must be if he isn't getting picked". They all assumed that he must have been injured to be not getting on the bench even, they couldn't understand it.

**NeilMcD** · 31/03/2008, 3:41 PM

IT is dues to the fact that Keegan has decided to play 4 3 3 with Martins Owen and Viduka up front and three workers in the centre. This could be just to get them out of trouble, who knows but it seems to be working.

**Guidedbyvoices** · 31/03/2008, 9:13 PM

Originally Posted by paul_oshea

was chatting to a load of newcastle fans last night in the pub ( not far from totenham ) and i was asking them why isn't duff getting on the bench ( apart from yesterday ) for newcastle and they went, he's injured, I said I dont think he is and they were like "why aye man, he must be if he isn't getting picked". They all assumed that he must have been injured to be not getting on the bench even, they couldn't understand it.

Still a total p!ss head i see!! Have you managed to lower more than five pints before it starts coming up again? Many a suit of mine did you ruin you Roscommon pup ya.Anyhow Paulie i have never heard of this new town in london i have hightlighted above. Maybe you dreamt it all , meet up with the Newkie boys the lot,in your usual intoxicated state.

**paulie_walnuts** · 31/03/2008, 10:34 PM

West Ham will be his next port of call. Graveyard for Newcastle failures. Duff seems to be one of them.

**eirebhoy** · 01/04/2008, 9:14 AM

Sunday Tribune
LITTLE BOY LOST
Barry O'Donovan

The current mediocrity is all the more painful because of past excellence. If it's hard to believe Duff is now 29, it's easier to forget just how good Duff was for a couple of years. Good enough to have Arsene Wenger pick him out when Arsenal faced Chelsea in the Champions League quarter-finals back in 2004 for one.

That first year at Chelsea when Mama Ranieri, along with the Chelsea support, got fed up with Claudio Ranieri leaving him out for no good reason and Duff still conjured up assists well into double figures and five league goals.

That period between around October '04 - March '05 when himself and Arjen Robben tore defences asunder down either wing and Duff had six goals in a month. The time he terrorised Sinisa Mihajlovic into two yellow cards and slalomed his way to a wonder goal away to Lazio, the assist at Camp Nou a year later and the third goal of that romp against Barcelona in the second leg that seemed just a precursor of great nights and greatness to come. When Jose Mourinho came to Dublin to see Duff in an international game in September 2004 he was a non-believer, yet by February 2005 he'd been swayed, declaring of Duff, "He is crucial to us, I cannot rest him. He is better than I thought." There were goals at Anfield and Old Trafford, twinkling toes running at defenders and making of chances all over Europe. Perhaps the clearest signal of Duff's form was the relative lack of whooping it up done over here and you know how we're a killer for the next great thing; there was simply no need to big up a man walking the walk.

Full Article

**paul_oshea** · 01/04/2008, 11:09 AM

who would go for him?!

http://www.eleven-a-side.com/acrosst...ws.asp?n=31598

**Guidedbyvoices** · 01/04/2008, 3:32 PM

[quote=paul_oshea;910684]who would go for him?!

What do you mean by that? I dont think anyone would go for poor auld Damien, isnt he just a little lad? BTW why is there a need to use an exclamation mark with a question mark

?

**paul_oshea** · 02/04/2008, 8:59 AM

[QUOTE=Guidedbyvoices;910986]

Originally Posted by paul_oshea

who would go for him?!

What do you mean by that? I dont think anyone would go for poor auld Damien, isnt he just a little lad? BTW why is there a need to use an exclamation mark with a question mark

?

I don't know, you tell me

**geysir** · 02/04/2008, 1:08 PM

It's paradoxical.

**eirebhoy** · 08/04/2008, 1:19 PM

Keegan:

"We've not only got a good team of players at the minute, we've also got a good squad around it.

"What you have to have in your squad is the ability to change things at all times.

"We've got that with someone like Damien Duff - he's on fire at the moment.

"I thought he might get a goal (after he appeared as a 74th-minute substitute against Reading) and he was unlucky not to.

"He's champing at the bit to get back in the team, and then it'll be James Milner in the next ten days or so wanting to get back in as well.

"You'll see now when Duff, Milner and Smith come back in - and they will - they'll be coming back into a side which has some confidence. That can make a major difference to how they play as well."

**OwlsFan** · 08/04/2008, 1:23 PM

That's good but my betting is that he'll be sold to someone like West Ham or Birmingham at the end of the season.

**kennedmc** · 08/04/2008, 1:25 PM

Duff on fire at the moment....... on the bench

You gotta love Keegan!!

**mackannovic** · 08/04/2008, 1:28 PM

Originally Posted by eirebhoy

Keegan:

"We've not only got a good team of players at the minute, we've also got a good squad around it.

"What you have to have in your squad is the ability to change things at all times.

"We've got that with someone like Damien Duff - he's on fire at the moment.

"I thought he might get a goal (after he appeared as a 74th-minute substitute against Reading) and he was unlucky not to.

"He's champing at the bit to get back in the team, and then it'll be James Milner in the next ten days or so wanting to get back in as well.

"You'll see now when Duff, Milner and Smith come back in - and they will - they'll be coming back into a side which has some confidence. That can make a major difference to how they play as well."

This man is an idiot.

**gustavo** · 08/04/2008, 1:45 PM

Originally Posted by mackannovic

This man is an idiot.

Why??

**carloz** · 08/04/2008, 2:06 PM

Originally Posted by mackannovic

This man is an idiot.

In fairnes his 4-3-3 in recent weeks has been a bloody breath of fresh air in a league over run by negative 4-5-1 anti football

**NeilMcD** · 08/04/2008, 2:24 PM

I think he went with the idea of playing that system in order to get them on track and now he is going to bring the wingers back in a fck it all up again and Duff will get the blame.