Michael Duff (footballer)

Michael James Duff (born 11 January 1978) is a Northern Irish professional football manager and former player. He is the current manager of League One club Huddersfield Town.

In a professional playing career spanning from 1996 to 2016, in which he made over 600 appearances, Duff played as a defender for Cheltenham Town, Cirencester Town (on loan) and Burnley, winning three Premier League promotions with the latter. He played in each of the top eight tiers of English football in ascending order. At international level, Duff earned 24 caps for Northern Ireland.

After retiring as a player, Duff coached at Burnley's academy before becoming manager of Cheltenham Town in 2018. In 2021, he led Cheltenham to their first automatic promotion from League Two as champions. He was appointed head coach of Barnsley in 2022, leading them to the League One play-off final in his first season. One month later, Duff was named head coach of Swansea City before being dismissed in December 2023.

Early life
Duff was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in 1978. He moved with his family to Gibraltar and then Germany due to his father's career in the Royal Air Force. They settled in Bedale, North Yorkshire for six years, where Duff attended secondary school.

As a boy, Duff joined the football academies of Nottingham Forest, Darlington and Swindon Town, but was released from all three due to his short stature. At age 11, Duff witnessed the Hillsborough disaster during the 1989 FA Cup semi-final between Forest and Liverpool, which he attended with his father.

Cheltenham Town
At 16 years old, Duff played for Carterton Town and was spotted by Cheltenham Town scout Derek Bragg. Duff attended a trial at Cheltenham before making several appearances for their first team in the Southern League.

Following a loan spell at Cirencester Town, Duff returned to Cheltenham when Steve Cotterill took over as manager. In Duff's first full season at the club, Cheltenham were promoted from the Southern League before winning the FA Trophy at Wembley in 1998. The following year, Duff scored a 93rd-minute winning goal against Yeovil Town to promote Cheltenham to the Football League.

Cheltenham won promotion again in 2002, with Duff playing as a centre-back in the team, having previously played right-back. He was named in the 2001–02 Third Division Team of the Year by the Professional Footballers' Association. On 13 February 2002, Duff earned his first international cap for Northern Ireland, playing the final nine minutes of a 4–1 friendly loss to Poland in Cyprus. Cheltenham were relegated the following season, but were subsequently promoted back to the Third Division.

Burnley
In 2004, Duff made a £30,000 move to Burnley in the Championship and became a regular starter for the club, spending five consecutive seasons in the Championship. At age 29, he picked up a serious cruciate knee injury against Crystal Palace at Turf Moor during the 2007–08 season. The injury caused him to miss five months of football, but he returned at the end of the season.

The following season, Burnley were promoted to the Premier League after beating Sheffield United in the play-off final. Duff played in the match, which ended Burnley's 33-year absence from the top-flight. After completing his Premier League debut, Duff had played in the top eight tiers of English football.

Burnley were relegated in 2010, but Duff remained with the team. They were promoted again in 2014 before suffering another relegation the following year. Duff retired from playing professionally at the end of the 2015–16 season, aged 38, having helped Burnley win the Championship title and promotion back to the Premier League. As a result, he became the second footballer, after Neil Clement of West Bromwich Albion, to be promoted to the Premier League on three occasions with the same club.

Duff made more than 300 appearances for Burnley. He was capped several times for Northern Ireland as a Burnley player, playing in games such as the 1–0 win over England in 2005 and the 3–2 win over Spain in 2006, before retiring from international football in 2012.

Managerial career
After retiring from playing, Duff coached Burnley's under-18 squad in 2016 before becoming head coach of the under-23 squad in 2017. He also worked with Burnley's first-team, travelling with the squad to several UEFA Europa League matches in 2018.

Cheltenham Town
On 10 September 2018, Duff was appointed manager of his former club Cheltenham Town in League Two, his first managerial position. His first win was a 6–2 victory over Arsenal's under-21s in the EFL Trophy. In his second season, Duff won the League Two Manager of the Month award for September 2019 and February 2020. He won the award in February after Cheltenham achieved 18 points from 21, with the club sitting in fifth place and four points from automatic promotion.

The following season, Duff's Cheltenham hosted Premier League champions Manchester City in the FA Cup. They led City 1–0 before conceding three goals in the final 10 minutes. The same season, Duff secured Cheltenham's first automatic promotion in the Football League with a 1–1 draw against Carlisle United on 27 April 2021. Duff was named the League Two Manager of the Season and Cheltenham finished the season as champions.

Duff then led the club to their highest-ever finish in the Football League at the end of the 2021–22 season; a 15th placed finish in League One. In June 2022, after nearly four years at the club, Duff informed Cheltenham that he wished to depart for new opportunities.

Barnsley
On 15 June 2022, Duff was appointed head coach of recently relegated League One side Barnsley on a three-year deal. Duff won the League One Manager of the Month award for November 2022, with Barnsley winning both of their two league games during the month. He won the award for a second consecutive month after ten points from four matches saw the club rise to fourth in the table.

Duff won the award again in February 2023, with Barnsley having gained 16 points from six matches and remained unbeaten throughout the month. He led the club to the play-off final at the end of the season, losing 1–0 to Sheffield Wednesday in extra time.

Swansea City
Duff was named head coach of Championship club Swansea City on 22 June 2023. He signed a three-year deal, with Barnsley being paid compensation. His debut on 5 August was a 1–1 draw at home to Birmingham City; Tom Coleman of Walesonline praised him for using different tactics to predecessor Russell Martin. Swansea took three points from a seven-game winless run at the start of the season before defeating Sheffield Wednesday 3–0 at the Swansea.com Stadium on 23 September; this was the first of four wins in a row, followed by one win in eight for the rest of his tenure. The club sacked Duff on 4 December 2023.

Duff said his Swansea team would play differently to previous managers such as Martin, and said that they would be more physical and fast-paced. Fans of Swansea voiced discontent in Duff not playing to "the Swansea way", the possession-based style of football associated with the club since Roberto Martínez's management in the 2000s. In September 2023, during the poor start to the season, Duff said that fans calling for the reintroduction of "the Swansea way" did not understand how football had changed.

Huddersfield Town
On 13 May 2024, Duff was appointed head coach of newly relegated EFL League One club Huddersfield Town on a three-year contract.

Personal life
Duff has two sons with his wife Jess, who is from Cheltenham. He settled his family in the town and remained living there while manager of Barnsley, 150 miles away.

As a player
Cheltenham Town
 * Football League Third Division play-offs: 2002
 * Football Conference: 1998–99
 * FA Trophy: 1997–98

Burnley
 * Championship: 2015–16; runner-up: 2013–14; play-offs: 2009

Individual
 * PFA Team of the Year: 2001–02 Third Division

As a manager
Cheltenham Town
 * League Two: 2020–21

Individual
 * League Two Manager of the Season: 2020–21
 * League One Manager of the Month: November 2022, December 2022, February 2023
 * League Two Manager of the Month: September 2019, February 2020