Former Chelsea star 'RESIGNS from his role as manager' with players and staff 'shocked' over his exit - days after he called them a 'pub team'

A former Chelsea star has reportedly resigned from his role as a club's manager.
The news has left players and staff stunned and comes just days after he referred to the side as a 'pub team'.
During his time at Chelsea he won two Premier League titles as well as the League Cup.
He also played for several other Premier League clubs and made 100 appearances at international level.
The individual had been in charge of his club since 2021 and had enjoyed success in terms of winning silverware.
However, he has now seemingly elected to depart.
As reported by RTE, Damien Duff has resigned from his position as manager of Shelbourne.
Duff has chosen to leave the club following a 1-0 defeat at home to Derry City on Friday, with Shelbourne currently in sixth place in the table.
Shelbourne are in action at home to Waterford on Monday but it appears that Duff won't be in the dugout.
Duff was furious after the game against Derry City and claimed that his players had performed like a pub team.
He said: 'This (the Premier Division) is your bread and butter. They are in Europe, in the Champions League, because of the league.
'I asked them before the (Derry) game, I said it's 18 days until the Champions League, and I said if they'd have a Champions League mentality, motivation, energy here.
'I'd say pub teams have better motivation, energy, quality than us. Damning words, but I'm correct in saying them.'
There was further criticism of his players from Duff as he said: 'I'll never give them an out of three games in a week. As I said to them at half-time, as I said to them at the end of the game, how well did you as individuals prepare? Did you have an hour in the sunshine yesterday or today?
'I'd say I prepared better than some guys. Granted, even when you do prepare, you might come in flat, lack of energy.
'How motivated are you then to pull yourself out of that rut, give yourself a talking to? I think some of our guys just accept it and sit there for the night.
'They are hurting, as they should be and we should be.
Duff guided Shelbourne to the league title in the 2024 season, while the club also reached the final of the FAI Cup in 2022, where they were beaten by Derry City.
During his playing career Duff represented Chelsea between 2003 and 2006. He also played for Blackburn, Fulham and Newcastle.
He had a lengthy international career with the Republic of Ireland, during which he earned a century of caps.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Metro

24 minutes ago

• Metro

Chelsea set Nicolas Jackson asking price as Premier League club enter race

Chelsea have set a steep asking price for Nicolas Jackson after a Premier League club entered the race to secure his signature. Jackson enjoyed a relatively promising first season at Stamford Bridge following a £32m move from Villarreal in 2023, scoring 17 goals in all competitions. But the Senegal international went backwards last season, only scoring one Premier League goal in the second-half of the campaign. Wastefulness in front of goal has not been his own problem, either, with Jackson seeing red in two of his last five appearances, including in Chelsea's Club World Cup defeat to Flamengo. Jackson started that game from the bench as Enzo Maresca handed new signing Liam Delap his first Chelsea start since his £30m move from Ipswich Town. Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro's Football Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link we'll send you so we can get football news tailored to you. It was recently suggested by ex-Chelsea star John Obi Mikel that Jackson would remain Maresca's first-choice striker next season ahead of Delap, who scored more goals than his new teammate for a team that were relegated from the Premier League. But Chelsea have seemingly already decided to put their faith in Delap and are therefore open to offers for Jackson. On Saturday, it was reported that Juventus had opened talks with Chelsea to discuss a deal for the 24-year-old. Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano says an unnamed Premier League club are also showing interest in Jackson, who Chelsea value at between €55-60m. Given Chelsea's steep asking price of around £50m, Juventus are ready to turn to other targets unless the Blues shown a willingness to lower their demands. 'I think Nicolas Jackson has definitely been disrespected. I think he's the focal point and a real presence up there. 'He occupies the centre-halves and takes them back to create space for the likes of Cole Palmer to come into. 'Palmer, in particular, profited off the space that Jackson created him. Enzo [Fernandez] as well. I think Enzo is a better No. 10 than a No.8 and when he gets forward he's a real goal threat. 'But they need someone who is going to lead the line and occupy the centre-halves and create that space for them. 'He's been a huge miss. He's not a prolific goalscorer but he's certainly a threat and they can't replace him. 'They've got nobody like him to come in – they've tried it with [Christopher] Nkunku or playing with Pedro Neto as a false nine but it's not worked. 'Sometimes as a manager you have to find a different way. I just think they're a bit to predictable on the ball, playing sideways and backwards, but perhaps there isn't the options forward when the midfield players look up. 'Jackson would normally be stretching the opposition in behind or they could play longer into his chest and have him hold the ball up. They haven't had that in his absence so he's been a huge miss.' Ex-Premier League manager Tim Sherwood speaking to Metro After being sent off in Chelsea's second Club World Cup fixture, Flamengo boss Filipe Luis backed Jackson to develop into one of the best strikers in the world. When asked about Jackson's red card, Filipe Luis said: 'First of all, I love Chelsea. 'I spent one really happy season there, we won the Premier League and the League Cup and I made special friends and played with the best players in the world for a season, and I was really happy there. More Trending 'So I know how the club is special and how the club needs to win titles because of the pressure inside the club, it happens. 'But he [Jackson] is so good, he's young, he has all the potential and quality the club needs. 'For sure, he will surpass this little mistake. I think it was clear, I just saw it in front of me, I haven't seen it on the TV yet, but for me it was a red. 'But it is just a small detail for a player who is a big player, he can be one of the biggest strikers in the world.' For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. MORE: Napoli respond to transfer offer for Scott McTominay after dream debut season MORE: £50m star told to reject Chelsea transfer and join Manchester United MORE: Arsenal set asking price as Bayern Munich consider Gabriel Martinelli transfer

Telegraph

26 minutes ago

• Telegraph

Premier League questions Chelsea over ‘unauthorised ticket seller' co-owned by Todd Boehly

The Premier League has demanded answers from Chelsea over the 'unauthorised' reselling of Premier League tickets by a website co-owned by Todd Boehly. In an open letter, the Chelsea Supporters' Trust requested in March that the English top tier act 'swiftly' in investigating club chairman Boehly's involvement in Vivid Seats. Richard Masters, the league's chief executive, has now confirmed at a Football Supporters' Association event that the competition had written to the club. According to minutes of the recent FSA event, Masters 'confirmed the PL [Premier League] had written to Chelsea to seek clarification on the club's position with the matter ongoing. RM [Masters] advised the PL would reply to CST [Chelsea Supporters' Trust] once the PL had concluded its discussions with the club.' Telegraph Sport first reported in February how Vivid Seats, a US-based online marketplace of which Boehly is both an investor and director, was allowing foreign-based users to buy and sell Premier League tickets for up to tens of thousands of pounds. Boehly has not been accused of any wrongdoing. CST had asked the league to 'act and investigate' the situation which they believe is both a 'breach of trust' and 'a clear conflict of interest'. The trust has also submitted evidence against the American company to the Government's Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). Chelsea recently pledged to take action on ticket touting but did not name Vivid Seats or other ticket resellers. Vivid does not allow fans based in Britain to buy or sell tickets – the latter of which would be illegal – but its business model does raise the prospect of Chelsea co-owner Boehly profiting from the kind of activity his own club have repeatedly denounced. The CST wrote in its March letter to Masters: 'We have received a significant amount of correspondence from concerned CST members and supporters from the wider Chelsea FC fan base on this issue that cannot be ignored.' Boehly has not commented but Vivid Seats previously said in a statement: 'As a global business, we are always respectful and cognisant of local regulatory policies and procedures that are in place in any market to ensure we are compliant. As such, our policy restricts the sale of EPL tickets from UK sellers. We can confirm that we do not have any UK sellers listing EPL inventory on our marketplace. Additionally, Vivid Seats does not and has never directly marketed or advertised Premier League tickets to UK customers.' Boehly, a director and investor in Vivid, described as an 'unauthorised ticket seller' by the league, also owns a 13 per cent stake in Chelsea.

BBC News

33 minutes ago

• BBC News

Arsenal could drop Sesko interest - Monday's gossip

Arsenal's move for Slovenia striker Benjamin Sesko could be in jeopardy, while Chelsea face competition from Bayern Munich to sign English winger Jamie Gittens. Arsenal could back out of a £70m deal for RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko, 22, because of the Slovenia international's wage demands, with Sporting and Sweden striker Viktor Gyokeres, 27, a back-up option. (Mirror), externalBayern Munich have entered the race for Chelsea target Jamie Gittens, 20. The German champions are reportedly willing to offer Borussia Dortmund £55m for the winger. (Kicker - in German), externalA move from Juventus for 25-year-old Manchester United winger Jadon Sancho depends on whether the Italian club sign Francisco Conceicao from Porto. (Corriere dello Sport - in Italian), externalAs far as Chelsea are concerned Nicolas Jackson, 24, is not for sale despite interest from Saudi Arabia and Europe. (Sky Sports), externalLiverpool have agreed a deal to sell defender Jarell Quansah, 22, to Bayer Leverkusen for £35m. The club have placed a buy-back clause in the contract. (Fabrizio Romano), externalManchester United are showing an interest in 25-year-old Fiorentina and Italy striker Moise Kean, who has a €52m release clause (£44.5m) in his contract which is valid from 1-15 July. (La Gazzetta dello Sport - in Italian), external Wrexham and Stockport County are interested in former Wales and Rangers forward Tom Lawrence, 31. (Sky Sports), externalDenmark defender Andreas Christensen, 29, is expected to leave Barcelona this summer. (Fabrizio Romano), external