What’s Happened to Damien Duff?

Tuesday March 25th, 2008 by Ed Harrison· 39 Comments

It’s been noticeable that Damien Duff has not even been in Kevin Keegan’s squad of 16 for the last two games.

Damien Duff - just a dip in form?

So it’s obvious that questions will be brought up about Duff’s future at the club, if indeed he cannot make the squad of 16 in future games. It’s early days yet, and it may well be that Damien is just having a run of bad form, and will be back in the side shortly.

But the longer he stays out the more the doubts will mount over his future.

We believe that Kevin will move about 6 players out in the summer and bring 6 in. He doesn’t really need to increase the size of the squad much because we have good youngsters like Kadar, Tozer and the like coming through the ranks, and pressing for first team status next season.

The players we think will leave include Carr, Ameobi, Rozehnal, Cacapa and perhaps Ramage, and Kevin will bring in top players to replace them and thereby improve the squad greatly.

We think Duff has too much ability to be let go, so we’re hoping it’s just a lack of form and Kevin’s new 4-3-3 formation as to why he hasn’t been involved in our last two matches.

What do you think about this?

Comments very welcome.

Tags: Newcastle News · Damien Duff

39 responses so far ↓

1 Jeff from Malaysia // Mar 25, 2008 at 9:34

Please keep Duff, he need time…
2 HeronMag // Mar 25, 2008 at 9:35

Duff could quite easily fit into this 4-3-3 formation that KK seems to prefer at the minute. His best season for Chelsea was when he dominated as the left sided forward. He needs to find the back of the net though. Once he does that, watch his confidence come flying back.

However at the moment he’s being kept out the side by a very hungry Oba Martins and current form doesn’t warrant a start.

But most teams in the Premiership would be more than happy to have him in their squad. I’m Sure KK will want to keep hold of him.
3 Callum // Mar 25, 2008 at 9:36

Sell him - Hes lost pace and that was his greatest asset, he can no longer take players on and always checks back on his runs and ends up passing backwards.
4 paulthepom // Mar 25, 2008 at 9:41

keeegan is resting him,he will be probably back on the bench against spurs.he had been out a long while and then played a lot of matches.the rest will do him good.
5 Davies // Mar 25, 2008 at 9:43

Duff and Martins can co-exist successfully on a pitch. We’ve seen it before, but if there ever came a time when a choice had to be made, Martins would, and should, be put first.

He’s a great man to have out on the left, and he and N’zogbia play well together when Zog is in midfield.

I think he netted a couple of weeks ago, but it was deemed to be offside. He’s still got a lot of pace and makes some impressive runs, without being put of by challenges.

He’d be in my starting 11 just about every week , as long as he was fit.
6 Stami - PLAY CARROLL // Mar 25, 2008 at 9:46

yeah i am in 2 minds about Duff! he WAS a great player! we have not seen any form close to what is expected since his arrival! he is coming of age and im sure is picking up a massive wage every week! if he doesnt improve before the end of the season i would offer him a reduction in pay as a squad player until he starts to prove he is worth his salt! as is the case with many of our players…

off the topic! Enrique has been outstanding these last 2 games IMO! really starting to dominate the left side of the field! with all this talk of Riise, is there really space in our squad for him(Riise)? he is capable of playing a left mid role, but if we hold onto Duff and Zoggy, where does that leave him? Duff ofcourse can play LF provided we stick with the 4-3-3, but at who’s expence? certainly not Oba Owen or big Viduka! and with the likes of Carroll knocking on the door of the 1st team…
so in closing. Duff out, Riise in!!!
7 MattyDread // Mar 25, 2008 at 9:48

Duff has a lot to offer this team and could play in various positions in this 4-3-3 formation we’ve seen over the past two games.

I’d actually play Duff over Charlie at the mo tbh as it looks to me like Charlie has already left the club.
8 steve // Mar 25, 2008 at 9:51

Keep Duff, sell Smith - it’s no surprise that we’ve done better without him in the team
9 Nick Dryden // Mar 25, 2008 at 9:57

All one foot, all head down, getting on (29,) lost more than a yard of pace, CAN’T BEAT HIS MAN, injury prone, kept Charlie out of the team and is on 70K a week.
Get rid , along with Smith and a few others. Simply don’t need him.
10 Frank // Mar 25, 2008 at 10:53

I just can’t understand anyone wanting to keep him, he’s been a bad buy for us, he came in and Charlie was sidelined just when he was coming to top form. He can’t pass a man, won’t pass the ball to anyone and Geremi has done more in two games than Duff has done since he got here. His worst crime was to say Carr should stay! Talk about jobs for the boys.

We should never have bought him, get rid. I hope KK has fallen out with him big time and never plays him again.
11 geordie in taipei // Mar 25, 2008 at 10:59

Duff is quality….he was our best player in many games. Must be another reason he’s not been in squad.
12 Brian // Mar 25, 2008 at 11:24

“He doesn’t really need to increase the size of the squad much”

Ermm…. yes we do need to increase the size of our squad its been far to small and lacking in quality for the past 3 years.
13 Leo // Mar 25, 2008 at 11:28

good player to keep maybe as a squad player though. but at the wages being so high it would probably be better trying to get arshavin in and having versatility
14 Leo // Mar 25, 2008 at 11:28

scrap that if we loose nzogbia keep duff because it will mean we have more turmoil
15 marcus owen // Mar 25, 2008 at 11:35

give duff some of the remaining games to prove himself is a quality player becoz i don’t think we all really happy about the players performance before the last two games.
16 sas1 // Mar 25, 2008 at 11:42

WRT Duff out, Riise in, Riise is as past it as Duff is
17 Leo // Mar 25, 2008 at 13:01

####does anyone know if there is a restraunt inside st james park? im sure i read somewhere that there was one called harveys’, but i rang the club to find out and the receptionist said she hadnt heard of it… hope someone knows better#####
18 DC Magpie // Mar 25, 2008 at 13:33

sell, sell, sell, sell
19 ToonUSA // Mar 25, 2008 at 13:50

Duff is past his best he is at SJP to collect his last big pay check. Sell him along with Smith
20 Frank // Mar 25, 2008 at 14:16

“Duff is quality….he was our best player in many games.”

Ok tell me how many goals he’s created/scored in these many games he’s been the best in? All he does is wriggle past two players and then lose the ball, wriggle past one player and lose the ball. Wriggle past players and shoot a hopeless shot with Owen or Martins or Viduka standing waiting in the middle.

Someone said it’s his last paycheque, spot on.
21 Stephen // Mar 25, 2008 at 14:40

Anyone think we should buy pederson from Blackburn if we sell duff very under rated i think
22 mark // Mar 25, 2008 at 14:46

Keep him, Id sell

Shola
Carr
Ramage (id even release him)
Rozenhal
Possibly Taylor.

Id sign 2 more midfielders, 1 creative, 1 all round midfielder, and 3 new defenders.
23 Cartoon Army // Mar 25, 2008 at 14:53

Duff is a good player in a sh*t team, when you go down he’ll leave
24 Thomas // Mar 25, 2008 at 16:35

Pedersen has had a below par season, hes in the flop starting XI on eurosport although not sure how reliable that is, although the season before he was one of blackburns star players.

As for Duff he’s never had a preseason with us and a season without major injuries which is crucial for rhythm and match fitness/sharpness. Wait till August comes around, he should be bang on form if he gets a good run in the side
25 chuck // Mar 25, 2008 at 16:56

Both Duff and N`zogbia are a perfect pairing,they are able to interchange on the left and both can create with crosses and create havoc by taking on the defence, Icould see a
similar pair on the left with Milner and Wright phillips, Or Arshevin and McGeady,
But a real need is a holding midfielder,a Jimmy Scoular, Roy Kean,or even a Souness type who can put his foot in and control the midfield area
Turn defence into attack.
26 Macca // Mar 25, 2008 at 17:06

He was a good player, back in 2002 he was an amazing player, he played really well in the World Cup for Ireland, he was a real head turner, not to mention them sining in the bar after loosing to Spain. The last thing you expect is to walk into a bar in South Korea I think it was and find, him, Given, Robbie Keane..etc. That was some night. Random.

Anyway when he came to Newcastle from Chelsea, where he never really got a fair go tbh, he got injured, when he got back from that injury, he played one or two good games, he was very impressive for Ireland, and then he got injured again. He’s just back from injury now and in fairness he needs time, form is temporary, if he stays this summer I think he’ll do really well for us next season. He just needs time to get back on his feet.
27 Ian // Mar 25, 2008 at 17:11

Duff has hardly beaten a player for pace since he joined the club, quite simply he is not good enough. We need pace in the side and Zoggy is and always has been the solution to the problem on the left hand side. Duff was a bad buy from day one. While you have a list of people that can go my list includes duff, geremi, smith, carr, rozenhal, ramage, faye, cacapaviduka, martins and ameobi, these players rank between poor and average. If we have any pretence of wanting to challenge for Europe and I am not talking about champions league we need one of the biggest overhauls this club has ever seen.
28 Macca // Mar 25, 2008 at 18:14

Ian..where are we going to get the players to replace them though. I agree that if we want to be taken seriously, challenging for a the top part of the table, then changes are need tag a long players like the likes of Carr need to go, but you’ve got 11 players on your list and we don’t have the biggest squad in the first place.
Looking at the state of things now in the club, top players who are looking to move wont want to come here. We need to buy smart. Quality over quantity. A midfielder, a back or two..etc.

Players like
McGeady
Hunt,
Carrick maybe
Reid if he got fitter.

Those players would be good buys and realistic. IMO we really need a few decent midfielders, we’ve got enough up front to get a few goals and our backs are ok but like we loose our fight a lot of the time in the midfield.

But like I said, it’s about quality not quantity, decent smart buys, not for the sake of buying in bulk. But Keegan is smarter then that. He’s not stupid enough to do that. Quality not quantity.
29 Leo // Mar 25, 2008 at 18:18

yeah macca i know what you mean, i posted on hear a month or so back with reference to the fact that shay robbie and damien are big drinkers and go out together quite often- having spent the night with the 3 of them in a lock in in a pub, they drink guiness and blackcurrent… i got slated for saying this, people saying i was lying… but atleast im not the only one to know the truth
30 Tom_Toon // Mar 25, 2008 at 18:23

We should start loking at the Mexican League, more or less all of the players that come out of there always do well in europe. Gonzalo Pineda is probably one of the few good enough, experienced enough and able to adapt to the premiership. A lot of mexicans are tiny and not so strong but hes quite the opposite.
31 Leo // Mar 25, 2008 at 18:23

ian- please use the enter button, makes hard reading a big fat paragraph when it can easily be cut down… cheers
32 Macca // Mar 25, 2008 at 18:38

Leo..the frighting thing is that they weren’t drunk, they were finished anyway, it was the day they lost to Spain in penalties, they were celebrating a very successful WC from their point of view, I was talking to Liam Given, Shay’s brother, a lot of the Irish players were there and they’re family. They were just having a bit of fun. They weren’t drunk though. LOL some part of me wishes they were.
33 Ian // Mar 25, 2008 at 18:43

Very simply we need quality and quantity, just getting two good players and dropping them in to that rabble we call a team will mean another bad season. Every team is going to improve in the close season and we have got to inprove more than most.
34 toon4lyf // Mar 25, 2008 at 20:52

we dont need to much player we have a decent squad we shud be pushing for europe….
we shud buy barzagli
mcgeady10mr maybe lafita
arca4m
bridge5m
crouch8m
we desperatly have to get rid of
butt
geremi
carr
rozenal
nzogbia
ameobi

we shud play
……….harper……….
beye..faye..barzagli..bridge
mgeady..emre..arca…duff
…….crouch…owen………
35 richie // Mar 25, 2008 at 23:11

defo keep.bein irish followed duff from irish underage level , always had problem coming back from injuries he wont b at his best till next season, but he will b back to it for sure.

sign mcgeady
36 daiv // Mar 25, 2008 at 23:25

Duff is history. No pace and no goals. Always injured . £70K a WEEK. Enough said.
37 AndyMac // Mar 26, 2008 at 9:36

Give Duff time ? You’re having a laugh m8. I’d give him time how about six months for impersonating a footballer ?
38 Walter Tibbs // Mar 26, 2008 at 16:16

He’s the Irish Kewell.

Once a great player, but unfortunately cruelled by injuries and rapidly approaching 30.

Nothing to do with ‘confidence’ or formation, he’s just over the hill and I’m glad he’s out of the side.
39 ourman // Mar 26, 2008 at 17:12

“He doesn’t really need to increase the size of the squad much”

Honestly this blog is written by someone who is entirely clueless.

As for Duff - he is awful. He needs time? How mcuh more time does he want. He’s only getting older and slower.

I don’t think he’s beaten a player in two years.