SATIRICAL news site Waterford Whispers wrote a story this week about football journalists camping outside Damien Duff’s house begging him to return. It was fairly close to the truth. Duff dropped a bombshell last Sunday when he informed Shelbourne he was stepping down as boss. And it wasn’t just Reds fans who shed a tear as the eyeballs he brought to stories and online videos were welcome in a print industry battling each other and the aggregators. Duff’s absolute dedication to Shels, authenticity and great one-liners made him a dream for the media. Our audiences seemed to love it too with even non-League of Ireland people reading and listening. And how could you not? Whether it was wanting to bulldoze FAI HQ or referring to himself as “the fool on the hill”, Duff was box office. But it still feels to me like all the talk about what he did for the League of Ireland was and is overblown. Yes, his involvement meant it was more likely than not that the average punter knows Shels are champions. But Rory McIlroy’s win in Augusta means I — unfortunately — know who won The Masters. And there are no additional benefits to the game of golf from that fact. I’m sure there were some who read the articles or saw the videos and decided to buy tickets to games. But the League of Ireland’s success post-Covid has many parents. Duffer is the most recognisable but others have played their part. A fortnight ago, when Virgin Media revealed its top-five most-watched LOI ties so far this season, Shels featured twice — highlighting the league’s growth is not just down to Duff. Nevertheless, while I think the Ireland great’s importance to the LOI has been overestimated, what he did for his club is perhaps underestimated. He took his first senior managerial role with a newly promoted team that was about to go full-time with all the growing pains that that can bring. The club has also had three different principle owners in his four years as gaffer and has seen many front-office changes as it adjusts to being a top dog. But through it all, he guided them to an FAI Cup final in his first year, a top-four place in his second and a title in his third. Yes, he had a decent budget. But it was far from the biggest and the League of Ireland is one where you have to speculate to accumulate and collect the big cheques from Europe. Which is why it’s even more puzzling that he left two weeks out from a Champions League Wheel of Fortune with Linfield. But Shels fans will never forget how he restored them to former glories like when they won titles under Dermot Keely and Pat Fenlon. Rival fans won’t forget it either. Still, flak from opponents will not disappear because Duff got going. Shels were a big club that — in the eyes of their rivals — became a small one. Duff made them big again and his departure will not change that.