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The Shels boss was speaking after a 4-2 win for his side in Drogheda secured a fourth place finish that will be enough for European football if St Patrick’s Athletic win next weekend’s FAI Cup.
Duff’s deal with Shels expires at the end of the season and it was anticipated that agreeing a new deal would be a formality given his success in the hot seat.
However, a Turkish-led takeover midway through the season appears to have moved the goalposts at Tolka Park with Duff now waiting on official word from the representatives of owner Acun Ilicali.
The manager isn’t the only staff member in limbo with players and backroom staff caught up in the uncertainty.
“Nothing has been put in front of me,” Duff told the Irish Independent. “Everything seems to be very slow.
“I guess it has been a hard few months dealing with stuff in the background, I’ve sheltered the players but it’s time now to really start planning for next season, signing back players within the dressing room. It still hasn’t happened. Signing staff members back – it hasn’t happened.
“It has been frustrating. I won’t lie. Outside of that I actually don’t know what else to say because I don’t know a lot. I’m the manager of Shelbourne Football Club but I don’t know what’s going on at Shelbourne Football Club to be brutally honest.
“I expect to be here but you expect to win football matches and sometimes it doesn’t happen. I’m totally relaxed. The people I care about most are the players, there’s some players who deserve to be here. The staff because I think they’re the best staff in the country whereas I’d like to think I’m always a real relaxed guy, I move on from things if they don’t happen. I could be a barista, I could be happy.”
There have been indications in recent weeks that the Hull takeover has impacted on recruitment for 2024 with Duff unable to tie down Irish players that he wants to keep. He has consistently stressed that he wants a core of his squad to know the League of Ireland.
“There hasn’t been a recent chat,” continued Duff when asked about the latest correspondence.
“Am I surprised? Yeah, listen I’d like to do my business differently, a snappy person I guess, the way I coach and get things done, the way I sign players, get my message across. To round it up, all I’ve done for two years here is worn my heart on my sleeve, bounced into games with a lot of emotion and energy. I’d like to think I brought quality and detail to my team and my club.
“I love the club, I love the guys, I think you can see what we’ve created and I don’t mean me, (he means) the staff, the players, it has to keep rolling on. It’s not up to me. If it was up to Darren (Cleary – press officer), the Briogáid Dearg (Shelbourne fans group), the Riverside (Stand in Tolka), the players, the staff, we’d all have been signed back but it’s not up to them, it’s up to other people. I’m a little bit shocked and surprised.”
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