AFTER SEEING HIS FORMER MANAGER at Chelsea having his cake and insisting on eating it for the past two years, Damien Duff has something less palatable in mind for José Mourinho. A slice or two of humble pie. “Damien’s hungry to prove a few people wrong there and I think he will do,” Shay Given, a team-mate now for club as well as country, said after the Ireland midfield player’s move in a deal worth £10 million was rubber-stamped yesterday.

Duff is scheduled to be presented at a press conference at St James’ Park today. Although his arrival will not be heralded in quite the same frenzied way that Michael Owen experienced almost a year ago, the capture has proved a significant sop to supporters who were growing increasingly restless at a lack of activity in the transfer market.

“He’s not had a good run of games at Chelsea over the last couple of years,” Given said. “When he gets that run, then we’ll see a fantastic player. No one can touch him. He’s only 27 and is just coming into his prime, so we’re going to get his best years.”

Newcastle United are also able to offer Duff European football, albeit in the Uefa Cup, after a surprisingly comfortable victory over Lillestrom, considering their tribulations in the first leg, which they drew 1-1. A late long-range effort from Emre Belözoglu, the midfield player, completed a comprehensive win as Newcastle, with an extra week of training in their legs, stepped up their performance. Although far from impressive, it was a cut above anything the Norwegians could muster. “We gave them nothing for 25 minutes, but they have some world-class stars and it showed,” Uwe Rösler, the Lillestrom manager, said.

The confident left-foot contribution from Emre was allied to two goals in seven first-half minutes from Shola Ameobi, who was only 80 per cent fit after being given little chance of playing because of an ankle problem. The forward rarely looks to have the stomach for a fight but he belatedly showed that he possesses some fire in his belly as he attempts to ensure that he is a regular beneficiary of the supply line that Duff, who will reportedly earn £70,000 a week, is expected to provide, starting in the friendly at home to PSV Eindhoven on Saturday, when the new signing will make his debut.

While being an admirer of Ameobi, Glenn Roeder, the manager, also has other candidates in mind. The name of Dean Ashton, the West Ham United forward, surfaced again at the weekend. “I’m looking forward to the next player coming in and I have a list of names I’m working through,” Roeder said. “If I can achieve that and get them in by August 19, we can look forward to a very good season.”

Despite their progression to the Uefa Cup qualifying rounds, the draw for which is on Friday, Roeder conceded that another of his desired targets, Miroslav Klose, the Werder Bremen forward, may remain out of reach. “Klose is top-drawer,” Roeder said of the World Cup Golden Boot winner. “But I think he could possibly be looking for a club in the Champions League. We don’t perhaps fit his remit, but you can’t help but admire his ability.”

The arrival of Duff is a decent starting point, his signature cemented by a concerted charm offensive from Given and Duff’s former Chelsea team-mate, Scott Parker. “His arrival is a fantastic lift for everyone, it really is,” Given, who earmarked his countryman for great things when the pair were at Blackburn Rovers as teenagers, said. “We just tried to sell the club to him as much as possible and we must have done a good job. At Blackburn as a 16-year-old he would train with the first team. Even then, he would run rings round the senior players. He’ll really excite our fans. You just can’t teach some of the things he does.”

Self-taught he may be, but introducing Mourinho to a lesson in humility is clearly something prominent on Duff’s timetable over the coming months.

Lillestrom (4-4-2): O Fredrikson — J P Winsnes, F Kippe, A Rambekk, S Stefanutto — B H Riise, K Mouelhi (sub: K Wehrman, 46min), E Sogard (sub: P Strand, 46), R Koren — M Mifsud (sub: A Sundgot, 61), O Occean. Substitutes not used: H Muller, E Bertheussen, M Myklebust,

P S Andresen Newcastle United (4-5-1): S Given — S Carr, S Taylor, T Bramble, C Babayaro (sub: C Moore, 69) — N Solano, S Parker, Emre Belözoglu, C N’Zogbia (sub: M Pattison, 86), J Milner — F Ameobi (sub: N Butt, 81). Substitutes not used: S Harper, A Faye, P Ramage, A O’Brien Referee: S Sukhina (Russia)

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