Jim Duffy was ‘inspirational’

‘MY all-time favourite has to be Jim Duffy.’

Eddie Laffer ty from Douglas has been a Dundee fan since the day he was born, December 20, 1975.

It was derby day and, with Eddie making an appearance at quarter to two, his dad was able to see him and then be at Dens Park for the 3pm kick-off.

“I think you can tell where I got my love for Dundee from eh?” Eddie joked.

Since t hen, his l ove affair for the Dark Blues has continued with leg endar y player and manager Jim Duffy his top player pick.

He said: “When Jim first played with us, we were on the crest of being a really good team. When he got injured you could see us going downhill.

“He was a fantastic defender when he first played with us and the second ti me he came back, when we were really struggling, he definitely helped pick the team up.

“I was a ball boy for Dundee at the time of his injury and you saw how much it hurt him inside after he was told that he may never kick a ball again. That was his livelihood and it was being taken from him.

“Not only was Jim a fantastic player but he always had time to come over and speak to the ball boys and even some of the younger Dundee players.

“He was definitely an inspiration in the dressing-room at t hat time.

“I think my stand out Jim Duffy moment would have to be when we were playing in the Bell’s Cup as it was known at the time in the 1986/87 season.

“We drew United and at half-time we were losing 1-0. Jim was the captain and, when the team came back out, you could see he had them all geared up for the second half.

“We went on to win the match 2-1 in extra time.

“It is evident that Jim really has a massive appreciation for the team when he went on to become assistant manager and then manager.

“The team went through some difficult ti mes through no fault of his own and he even paid players’ wages out of his own pocket, he cared that much.

“In my lifetime, both cup final matches Dundee have played in have been under the management of Jim Duffy and, over the years, he has really built up a great association with Dundee.

“He always speaks incredibly highly of the team and I found that was most evident when he spoke at the dinner celebrating 50 years since a League Cup win.

“He was just a fantastic player and manager.”

Eddie Lafferty is a big fan of Dundee – and Jim Duffy.

Jim Duffy during his time as a player at Dundee.