Damien Duff has cancelled Christmas on his new Shelbourne players after informing them that pre-season will start early.
Mirror Sport reported early last week that the Republic of Ireland legend was the club’s top target to succeed Ian Morris.
And Duff will be confirmed as the new boss of the promoted Premier Division side at a press conference in a Dublin hotel on Wednesday.
Previously a coach with Ireland and Celtic, he is currently Shels’ U17s gaffer and this switch will mark his first step into senior management.
And according to sources, the Drumcondra club could be about to secure additional investment to assist their Premier Division return.
Under Duff, Shels are scrapping evening training sessions and moving to morning slots which will effectively see players go full-time.
Duff, 42, sought assurances from club chiefs over the weekend that he would have total control over team affairs.
And once that was given, he set about forming a backroom team that is set to include current Shamrock Rovers defender Joey O’Brien as assistant.
It’s unclear if O’Brien - a former Ireland team-mate of Duff’s - will be a player-coach or if the 35-year-old intends hanging up his boots.
Today, the Shels players discovered that their pre-season return date has been brought forward from early January to before Christmas.
But their First Division season wrapped up last Friday - when they got the trophy - and that’s a full month before their new top flight rivals will finish theirs.
Duff is determined to hit the ground running next season so strength and conditioning work and assessments will now begin this side of Christmas.
Player recruitment has also been stepped up and Dundalk midfielder Greg Sloggett and Bohemians defender James Finnerty are already targets.
Shelbourne’s budget will still pale in comparison to the likes of champions Shamrock Rovers and even their fellow European contenders next summer.
But the switch to morning training sessions - and working with Duff himself - is seen as a game changer in being able to entice new players to the squad.
Duff is expected to be in the dugout for Shels U17s - the team he takes with Shelbourne skipper Luke Byrne - when they face Cobh Ramblers in the Shield final on Saturday.
But that will be his last involvement before stepping up to senior ranks and planning for the club’s return to the Premier Division.
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