Stuart Duff
Encyclopedia
Stuart Duff is a Scottish football player. He is primarily a central midfielder
although his versatility has seen him play in most defensive and midfield positions. Duff has played for Dundee United
, Aberdeen
, Inverness CT
and Ayr United
during his career. He also represented the Scotland national under-21 football team
.
's youth scheme, he turned professional with the club in July 1999. He was given his debut by then-manager Alex Smith in December 2001, when he was used as a right wing back in a match at Kilmarnock
, and went on to make nine appearances that season, collecting the April 'Young Player of the Month' award. In 2002-03
, Duff had his best run of league games, playing 34 times. When Ian McCall
was appointed at the start of the 2003-04 season
, Duff found himself more often as a substitute, playing in just 18 league games. During that season, Duff was part of the Scotland under-21
side that narrowly missed out on qualifying for the 2004 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
, with Scotland losing to Croatia in the play-off. The following season, Duff played 25 league games, earning him a new three-year contract in March 2005. Shortly afterwards, Duff was part of the United side that lost narrowly to Celtic
in the Scottish Cup
final, with his 83rd-minute substitute
appearance earning him a runners-up medal.
In 2005-06
, with Gordon Chisholm
the new manager, Duff played more first team games, with 29 league appearances. During February 2006, Duff alleged he was spat
on by Hearts midfielder Rudi Skacel, a claim repeated two months later by Celtic captain
Neil Lennon
. No action was taken against Skacel in either incident. Duff scored an important goal in the 1-0 win over Rangers
at Ibrox
during the season, which helped United avoid relegation. Duff started the 2006-07 season
as an attacking midfielder under Craig Brewster
and scored once, although was used in a variety of defensive roles under Craig Levein
.
On 29 December 2006, Duff appeared before the Sheriff Court
in Dundee and admitted to driving under the influence of alcohol on 17 December. He was fined £750 and banned from driving for 15 months. The judge, however, said Duff's reputation as 'a gentleman' was clear to see.
and find himself a new club, having been in good form until a freak motorcycle accident which saw him get '3 feet of air'. He was released on 17 January, after playing 170 games for the club, scoring four times. Duff began training with fellow SPL
side Aberdeen
and a short-term move to his home town club was confirmed the following day, seeing him become the third player to move from Tannadice to Pittodrie
in eighteen months, following Lee Miller
and Lee Mair
. Within six weeks of arriving, however, Duff was one of several players manager Jimmy Calderwood
threatened to release at the end of the season, due to the club's poor performances. In May 2008, Duff instead signed a two-year contract extension with Aberdeen.
for a month in December 2009.
After his release by Aberdeen, Duff had a trial spell with St. Johnstone and turned down an approach from St. Mirren
before signing for Inverness CT
. Duff agreed a deal that will run until the end of the 2010–11 season. His contract expired with Inverness CT
in the summer of 2011 and while a contract was offered, no deal was agreed and the contract offer was eventually withdrawn.
Duff played three games for Ayr United
as a trialist in September 2011.
In November 2011, Duff agreed to join Qormi, in the Maltese Premier League
, for the remainder of the season.
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
although his versatility has seen him play in most defensive and midfield positions. Duff has played for Dundee United
Dundee United F.C.
Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club located in the city of Dundee. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1923...
, Aberdeen
Aberdeen F.C.
Aberdeen Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen...
, Inverness CT
Inverness Caledonian Thistle F.C.
Inverness Caledonian Thistle Football Club are a Scottish football club from Inverness who compete in the Scottish Premier League. They are currently managed by Terry Butcher and assistant manager Maurice Malpas...
and Ayr United
Ayr United F.C.
Ayr United Football Club are a Scottish association football team based in Ayr, South Ayrshire, that plays in the First Division of the Scottish Football League. Formed in 1910 after the merger of former clubs Ayr Parkhouse F.C. and Ayr F.C...
during his career. He also represented the Scotland national under-21 football team
Scotland national under-21 football team
The Scotland national under-21 football team, controlled by the Scottish Football Association, is Scotland's national under 21 football team and is considered to be a feeder team for the Scotland national football team....
.
Dundee United
Having been developed as a player through Dundee UnitedDundee United F.C.
Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club located in the city of Dundee. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1923...
's youth scheme, he turned professional with the club in July 1999. He was given his debut by then-manager Alex Smith in December 2001, when he was used as a right wing back in a match at Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock F.C.
Kilmarnock Football Club is a Scottish football team based in the town of Kilmarnock, Ayrshire. Founded in 1869, "Killie" is the oldest club currently in the Scottish Premier League. Home matches are played at Rugby Park...
, and went on to make nine appearances that season, collecting the April 'Young Player of the Month' award. In 2002-03
Scottish Premier League 2002-03
The 2002–03 Scottish Premier League was won by Rangers.As league champions, Rangers qualified for the UEFA Champions League, with runners-up Celtic also qualifying...
, Duff had his best run of league games, playing 34 times. When Ian McCall
Ian McCall
Ian Holland McCall is a Scottish former footballer and is currently without a job having resigned as the manager of First Division side Partick Thistle.-Playing career:...
was appointed at the start of the 2003-04 season
Scottish Premier League 2003-04
The 2003–04 Scottish Premier League was won by Celtic.As league champions, Celtic qualified for the UEFA Champions League, with runners-up Rangers also qualifying...
, Duff found himself more often as a substitute, playing in just 18 league games. During that season, Duff was part of the Scotland under-21
Scotland national under-21 football team
The Scotland national under-21 football team, controlled by the Scottish Football Association, is Scotland's national under 21 football team and is considered to be a feeder team for the Scotland national football team....
side that narrowly missed out on qualifying for the 2004 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
2004 UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship
UEFA U-21 Championship 2004 was the 14th staging of UEFA's European Under-21 Football Championship. The final tournament was hosted by Germany between 27 May and 8 June 2004.Italy U-21s won the competition for the fifth time...
, with Scotland losing to Croatia in the play-off. The following season, Duff played 25 league games, earning him a new three-year contract in March 2005. Shortly afterwards, Duff was part of the United side that lost narrowly to Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
in the Scottish Cup
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,, commonly known as the Scottish Cup or the William Hill Scottish Cup for sponsorship purposes, is the main national cup competition in Scottish football. It is a knockout cup competition run by and named after the Scottish Football Association.The...
final, with his 83rd-minute substitute
Substitute (football)
In association football, a substitute is a player who is brought on to the pitch during a match in exchange for an existing player. Substitutions are generally made to replace a player who has become tired or injured, or who is not performing well; there may also be tactical reasons such as...
appearance earning him a runners-up medal.
In 2005-06
Scottish Premier League 2005-06
The 2005–06 Scottish Premier League was won by Celtic, with a 17-point margin over their nearest challengers Hearts in the first season under the management of Gordon Strachan...
, with Gordon Chisholm
Gordon Chisholm
Gordon Chisholm is a Scottish professional football former player and manager. Chisholm played as a central defender for Sunderland, Hibernian, Dundee and Partick Thistle....
the new manager, Duff played more first team games, with 29 league appearances. During February 2006, Duff alleged he was spat
Spitting
Spitting or expectoration is the act of forcibly ejecting saliva or other substances from the mouth. It is currently considered rude and a social taboo in many parts of the world including the West, while in some other parts of the world it is considered more acceptable...
on by Hearts midfielder Rudi Skacel, a claim repeated two months later by Celtic captain
Captain (sports)
In team sports, a captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field...
Neil Lennon
Neil Lennon
Neil Francis Lennon is a former footballer from Northern Ireland. He is the current manager and former captain of Celtic....
. No action was taken against Skacel in either incident. Duff scored an important goal in the 1-0 win over Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
at Ibrox
Ibrox Stadium
Ibrox Stadium is a football stadium located on the south side of the River Clyde, on Edmiston Drive in the Ibrox district of Glasgow. It is the home ground of Scottish Premier League club Rangers and has an all-seated capacity of 51,082...
during the season, which helped United avoid relegation. Duff started the 2006-07 season
2006-07 in Scottish football
The 2006–07 season was the 110th season of competitive football in Scotland.-2006:*9 July: Rangers defender Fernando Ricksen is banned for the club's pre-season trip to South Africa, following an incident on the outbound flight. Manager Paul Le Guen cited "wholly inappropriate and...
as an attacking midfielder under Craig Brewster
Craig Brewster
Craig James Brewster is a Scottish football player and coach. He made his name in a long and successful career playing as a striker for numerous clubs in Scotland, particularly Forfar Athletic, Raith Rovers, Dundee United and Dunfermline Athletic...
and scored once, although was used in a variety of defensive roles under Craig Levein
Craig Levein
Craig William Levein is a Scottish former professional footballer and manager of the Scotland national team. During his playing career he played for Cowdenbeath and Heart of Midlothian...
.
On 29 December 2006, Duff appeared before the Sheriff Court
Sheriff Court
Sheriff courts provide the local court service in Scotland, with each court serving a sheriff court district within a sheriffdom.Sheriff courts deal with a myriad of legal procedures which include:*Solemn and Summary Criminal cases...
in Dundee and admitted to driving under the influence of alcohol on 17 December. He was fined £750 and banned from driving for 15 months. The judge, however, said Duff's reputation as 'a gentleman' was clear to see.
Aberdeen
In January 2008, Levein told Duff he was free to leave TannadiceTannadice Park
Tannadice Park, usually referred to as Tannadice, is a football stadium located on Tannadice Street in the Scottish city of Dundee. The stadium is home of Dundee United F.C. and has a capacity of 14,209.-Early days :...
and find himself a new club, having been in good form until a freak motorcycle accident which saw him get '3 feet of air'. He was released on 17 January, after playing 170 games for the club, scoring four times. Duff began training with fellow SPL
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
side Aberdeen
Aberdeen F.C.
Aberdeen Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen...
and a short-term move to his home town club was confirmed the following day, seeing him become the third player to move from Tannadice to Pittodrie
Pittodrie Stadium
Pittodrie Stadium is an all-seated football stadium situated in the Scottish city of Aberdeen. It was first used in 1899 and from 1903 has been the home of Aberdeen Football Club...
in eighteen months, following Lee Miller
Lee Miller (footballer)
Lee John Miller is a Scottish footballer who currently plays as a striker for Football League One club Carlisle United.Miller was born in Lanark, Scotland and began his career at before moving to in 2003. After a poor first season at Bristol City, he joined on loan in 2005. That same year, he...
and Lee Mair
Lee Mair
Lee Mair is a Scottish footballer who currently plays in central defence for St Mirren.- Career :Mair spent most of his teenage years in the youth programme with Dundee. In order to gain valuable first team experience the player went on loan to East Fife in February 2001 and made his senior debut...
. Within six weeks of arriving, however, Duff was one of several players manager Jimmy Calderwood
Jimmy Calderwood
James "Jimmy" Calderwood is a Scottish former footballer and currently without a club having recently been manager of Ross County. Calderwood played for English clubs Birmingham City and Cambridge United and Dutch clubs Sparta Rotterdam, Willem II Tilburg, Roda JC and Heracles Almelo...
threatened to release at the end of the season, due to the club's poor performances. In May 2008, Duff instead signed a two-year contract extension with Aberdeen.
Inverness Caledonian Thistle
Duff was loaned to Inverness CTInverness Caledonian Thistle F.C.
Inverness Caledonian Thistle Football Club are a Scottish football club from Inverness who compete in the Scottish Premier League. They are currently managed by Terry Butcher and assistant manager Maurice Malpas...
for a month in December 2009.
After his release by Aberdeen, Duff had a trial spell with St. Johnstone and turned down an approach from St. Mirren
St. Mirren F.C.
St Mirren Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Paisley, Renfrewshire who play in the Scottish Premier League, having been promoted from the First Division in 2005–06.St...
before signing for Inverness CT
Inverness Caledonian Thistle F.C.
Inverness Caledonian Thistle Football Club are a Scottish football club from Inverness who compete in the Scottish Premier League. They are currently managed by Terry Butcher and assistant manager Maurice Malpas...
. Duff agreed a deal that will run until the end of the 2010–11 season. His contract expired with Inverness CT
Inverness Caledonian Thistle F.C.
Inverness Caledonian Thistle Football Club are a Scottish football club from Inverness who compete in the Scottish Premier League. They are currently managed by Terry Butcher and assistant manager Maurice Malpas...
in the summer of 2011 and while a contract was offered, no deal was agreed and the contract offer was eventually withdrawn.
Duff played three games for Ayr United
Ayr United F.C.
Ayr United Football Club are a Scottish association football team based in Ayr, South Ayrshire, that plays in the First Division of the Scottish Football League. Formed in 1910 after the merger of former clubs Ayr Parkhouse F.C. and Ayr F.C...
as a trialist in September 2011.
In November 2011, Duff agreed to join Qormi, in the Maltese Premier League
Maltese Premier League
The Maltese Premier League, known as BOV Premier League for sponsorship reasons , is the top level league for football in Malta. The league was first competed in 1909...
, for the remainder of the season.
Career statistics
| Club | |League | |Lg Cup | |Total | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Dundee United Dundee United F.C. Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club located in the city of Dundee. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1923... |
2001-02 2001-02 in Scottish football The 2001–02 season was the 105th season of competitive football in Scotland.-Key events:Celtic, domestic treble winners a year earlier, retain their Premier League title.... |
9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| 2002-03 2002-03 in Scottish football The 2002–03 season was the 106th season of competitive football in Scotland.-Scottish Premier League:The 2002–03 Scottish Premier League was won on goal difference by Rangers by a single goal over Celtic. Both Rangers and Celtic qualified for the 2003–04 UEFA Champions League and... |
34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 | 0 | |
| 2003-04 2003-04 in Scottish football The 2003–04 season was the 107th season of competitive football in Scotland.-Scottish Premier League:The 2003–04 Scottish Premier League season was won by Celtic with 98 points, 17 points ahead of closest challengers Rangers. Both Rangers and Celtic therefore gained the two UEFA... |
18 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 0 | |
| 2004-05 2004-05 in Scottish football The 2004–05 season was the 108th season of competitive football in Scotland.-2004:*6 July 2004 - Nacho Novo from Dundee to Rangers, £450,000*1 July 2004 - Dado Prso from AS Monaco to Rangers, Bosman... |
25 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32 | 3 | |
| 2005-06 2005-06 in Scottish football The 2005–06 season was the 109th season of competitive football in Scotland.-2005:*1 June: Gordon Strachan officially takes charge of Celtic after the resignation of Martin O'Neill... |
29 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 33 | 0 | |
| 2006-07 2006-07 in Scottish football The 2006–07 season was the 110th season of competitive football in Scotland.-2006:*9 July: Rangers defender Fernando Ricksen is banned for the club's pre-season trip to South Africa, following an incident on the outbound flight. Manager Paul Le Guen cited "wholly inappropriate and... |
28 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 1 | |
| 2007-08 2007-08 in Scottish football The 2007-08 season was the 111th season of competitive football in Scotland.-Overview:* Gretna were competing in the Scottish Premier League for the first time, their first ever season in the top-flight, after being promoted as First Division champions the previous season.* Dunfermline Athletic... |
9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 0 | |
| Total | 152 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 171 | 4 | |
| Aberdeen Aberdeen F.C. Aberdeen Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen... |
2007-08 2007-08 in Scottish football The 2007-08 season was the 111th season of competitive football in Scotland.-Overview:* Gretna were competing in the Scottish Premier League for the first time, their first ever season in the top-flight, after being promoted as First Division champions the previous season.* Dunfermline Athletic... |
10 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
| 2008-09 2008-09 in Scottish football The 2008–09 season was the 112th season of competitive football in Scotland.-Overview:* Hamilton Academical competed in the Scottish Premier League for the first time, their first season in the top-flight since the 1988–89 season, after being promoted as First Division champions the... |
10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 1 | |
| Total | 20 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 21 | 1 | |
| Career total | 172 | 4 | 9 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 192 | 5 | |
Dundee United
- Scottish CupScottish CupThe Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,, commonly known as the Scottish Cup or the William Hill Scottish Cup for sponsorship purposes, is the main national cup competition in Scottish football. It is a knockout cup competition run by and named after the Scottish Football Association.The...
Runner-up: 1
-
- 2004-052004-05 in Scottish footballThe 2004–05 season was the 108th season of competitive football in Scotland.-2004:*6 July 2004 - Nacho Novo from Dundee to Rangers, £450,000*1 July 2004 - Dado Prso from AS Monaco to Rangers, Bosman...
- 2004-05