Duffy pledges to repay boss for support

SHANE Duffy l ast night vowed to repay Neil Lennon for helping him through the toughest spell of his career. The Republic of Ireland captain capped a return to form with the second goal in a 2- 0 win over Kilmarnock.

And s peaking af t er Celtic recorded their first back-to-back wins since October, the on-loan Brighton defender t hanked Lennon for looking out for him after the loss of his father Brian in May and a troubled start to his Parkhead career.

‘The manager is a big reason why I came here because of the faith he showed in me to try and get me here,’ said Duffy.

‘He’s been brilliant from the day that I walked into the club and gives you confidence.

‘ Listen, I wouldn’t have put myself out the way he did. He’s been great with me.

‘He came around and he really cares about players and their emotions.

‘He knows I was going through a tough time. I’ve really never had a manager like that before who would come around and care.

‘How are you getting on life? How are you handling it up here? It meant a lot to me and I’ll always respect him for that.

‘Hopefully, I can repay him with some wins.’

Arriving on a one-year loan to sky- high expectations, Duffy was blamed f or a number of high-profile individual errors.

More comfortable in a back four alongside Christopher Jullien, the 28-year- old insists no one was more critical of his performances than himself.

‘ It’s hard f or me to explain because this isn’t the way I wanted things to go,’ he said. ‘I’m my own biggest critic as well.

‘It’s been tough but you need to dig in. I’ve had a lot of tougher things that have happened to me in my life and have coped.

‘I know my form hasn’t been good enough but I know I can come back stronger.

‘The gaffer has been brilliant with me. I actually felt he took me out of the team at the right time because my form wasn’t good.

‘He’s done the right thing by me and picked the time to bring me back in. I watched the team from the sidelines and saw what I could learn. I feel I’m still getting to know the players and it’s not been easy.

‘But it was obvious to see my form did dip.

‘The Celtic fans haven’t seen me before and since I’ve come into the club I haven’t been me.

‘I get them, I understand the criticism. I wouldn’t be happy with myself either, to be honest, if I was watching me play from the stands.

‘I’m realistic and know what levels I can get to. I’ve had a tough year and no one really sees what goes on behind the scenes in people’s lives.’

The loss of his father shortly before joining Celtic on loan had a devastating impact on the Derry defender, contributing towards a difficult settling-in period in Glasgow.

‘My dad was a massive part of my life,’ added the defender. ‘It’s hard as he was the one I’d speak to about everything in life. My two kids also live back in Derry and I’m up here alone.

‘With the Covid restrictions, I can’t really interact with the team as much as I’d like. But I’m big and ugly enough to understand I have got to do better on the park. That’s what I’m paid to do and it’s a job I love.

‘Maybe I took things a little bit to heart and was trying too hard to do well and not let everyone down.

‘But it affected me when things weren’t going well and I was all over the shop. That’s just me being honest.

‘But I have a great manager here who has been brilliant with me. He knows all about it having been here at Celtic for so long and he knows what to do with me. He also knows what kind of player I am and how determined I am to bring something to this team.

‘ That’s why I’m not getting carried away. It’s been a good week but I still have a lot more to show Celtic fans.’

Insisting he would feel like a ‘coward’ if he cut short his year at Celtic to return to Brighton in January, Duffy dismisses the idea outright.

‘I don’t listen to that,’ he said. ‘I don’t know where it has come from. I would be a coward to l eave without producing. It’s not in me. I would never do that. I’m here.’

Setting his sights on his first Celtic trophy in next weekend’s Scottish Cup final against Hearts, he acknowledges the Hampden experience will be diminished by the absence of fans after admitting he loved seeing the fan protests which preceded yesterday’s win.

‘I love seeing it,’ he said. ‘Listen, there have been ugly scenes and that’s not really what Celtic is about. The stuff today with them backing you. It gives you goosebumps. I wish the stadium was f ull and I could r eally experience it, but I’m hoping I get the chance.

‘It’s a special club with special supporters. We know they are always behind us. As any supporter is, they are frustrated as they know there is a lot more in the team and we haven’t shown it.

‘We’ve had a terrible Europa League, the Rangers game and a couple of draws. They are frustrated and I understand it. I’ve grown up with it all my life. You just put it aside and get back to basics to try and get this team flowing again and get on a roll.’