Lincoln star Jack Moylan owes a lot to his former Shelbourne boss as he prepares to win his first Ireland cap.
Jack Moylan (Image: INPHO/Ryan Byrne)
Ireland hopeful Jack Moylan has a message for his former manager Damien Duff – he has never eaten coddle!
Duff set the midfielder on his way to senior international recognition when he signed him for Shelbourne in January 2022, soon after Moylan was released by Bohemians.
The 24-year-old has outlined the massive role that Duff played in his career so far – but insists there was one thing his ex-boss got wrong.
For some reason, Duff was convinced that Moylan was a fan of the traditional Dublin dish made up of boiled sausages and potatoes, among other ingredients.
One of the first things he said
“He had an obsession with thinking I ate coddle but I genuinely have never eaten it,” said Moylan, speaking at Ireland’s training camp in La Finca.
“One of the first things he said was stop eating my ma’s coddle. I hope he watches this so he can stop saying it.
“He was obsessed with things like that because he couldn’t understand lads not (looking after themselves).”
There’s no way Moylan’s mum was ever going to serve up the dish.
“My Ma’ is a vegetarian anyway. She doesn’t even make coddle. If I had my phone I’d show you some of the messages.”
Coddle
It wasn’t just nutrition that Duff obsessed about when it came to his Shelbourne players.
When he signed Moylan, the attacking midfielder had been let go by Bohs and was pondering a career away from football.
Moylan spent his last half-season as a Bohs player at First Division side Wexford on-loan, and he combined that with coaching work at a summer camp near his Dublin home.
It’s a far cry from the present. Moylan celebrated Lincoln’s promotion to the Championship by winning a first senior Ireland call-up ahead of Saturday’s friendly in Murcia against Grenada.
Duff, he says, deserves a lot of credit for that.
Shelbourne manager Damien Duff celebrates a Jack Moylan (centre) goal(Image: INPHO/Ciaran Culligan)
“He battered me a few times,” said Moylan. “Stuff like, ‘You need to be better off the ball’, and, ‘Look after yourself better’; things managers never told me but he tells it straight to your face on day two.
“You listen to him if you want to become the best. When you’ve a manager with a lot of confidence in you it means a lot and you end up doing a lot better.
“I struggled at the start with Shels, it probably took me a while to get going but when you know you’ve someone like him who’d do anything for you it meant an awful lot.”
One thing Duff was famous for as a player was his fondness for daytime naps – and he encouraged his Shelbourne players to do the same.
“He used to be obsessed with sleeping and thank God, because it’s one of the best things that’s happened to me,” Moylan said.
Jack Moylan speaks to the media in La Finca(Image: INPHO/Ryan Byrne)
“He couldn’t believe that lads went home and didn’t sleep. Every day after training for the last four years I’ve had a nap after training. I do daily believe it or not.
“He used to go home, sleep, play golf and go back to sleep. That’s drilled into me now.”
Dying to get back
Both Moylan and Duff are no longer at Shels, but the former Reds boss still keeps in touch.
And according to the midfielder, the 100-time capped Ireland legend is angling for a return to the dugout.
“He texted last night to ask how I was getting on. Slagging me again. Making sure I was doing everything right,” said Moylan.
“He even speaks to my Dad. He gets in touch with them. It shows the fella he is, he cares a lot about his player.
“I’ve had to listen to him on the TV over the last few Friday nights (doing punditry work on Virgin Media’s League of Ireland coverage).
“He might not mind me saying, he is dying to get back involved. He loves football so much. To go away from the game is impossible.”
Moylan added that Duff urged him from early on in his Shels career to target a senior Ireland call.
“He’s just been supportive of me,” he said. “He wants me to do well. He always said, ‘your end goal should be to play for your country’. That should be the plan.
“He said it in my first few days (at Shels).”