Damien Duff has been named as an assistant to Keith Andrews at Brentford.
There, the ex-Celtic coach will reunite with Kristoffer Ajer, with whom he worked during his time an an assistant at Lennoxtown.
Duff left the Hoops to become a manager in his own right, gaining promotion to the Irish top-flight with Shelbourne before securing a memorable league title.
He suddenly walked away last year and has now agreed to a different role.
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Damien Duff becomes Keith Andrews’ assistant at Brentford
Duff will link up with compatriot Andrews after the Bees secured a ninth-place finish in the Premier League, narrowly missing out on European qualification.
Ajer started just over half of their matches, playing across the back four.
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Duff joined the coaching staff under Brendan Rodgers in January 2019. Just a month later, the Hoops boss departed for Leicester.
Upon the interim arrival of Neil Lennon, Duff opted to remain on the staff, continuing until he returned to Ireland with Shels’ academy in 2020.
After being named first team manager, he made plenty of friends and enemies along the way with his outspoken demeanour.
Duff has had his issues with the FAI, and has been scathing of them in the past. He has had to apologise for some of his comments, describing them as ‘disrespectful’ and ‘ridiculous.’
Despite his impressive profile as a manager, you can’t imagine that he’ll be getting offered the Ireland job any time soon.
Issues with Irish football are well-documented, with the division gradually addressing its struggles to resonate with fans who would rather watch Celtic or a Premier League team.
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Damien Duff on future ambitions
Asked by the Irish Independent about managing Ireland one day, he said late last year: “I honestly wouldn’t know [about the job] until someone asked.
“So I’ve had people wanting to speak to me from England. It’s only when they ask you’re like, eh no. So I honestly couldn’t tell you.
“I have been critical of the FAI, and I’ve obviously gone under the radar, and you’re putting two and two together, or people that don’t do their homework [are putting two and two together] and will think, ‘Oh he’s after the job’.
“But I think it was the start of the season, nine or 10 months ago, I said it to you, I don’t think there was anything to be gained from it.
“I actively stopped [commenting] long time ago. Would I ever apologise or was I wrong?
“Absolutely not. I’ll always fight for what’s best for Irish football. And, that’s what I always felt I was doing.
“What’s best now is for me to shut the f*** up, I guess.”
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