What Shane Duffy has said to Norwich City fans after lashing out following Derby County loss | OneFootball

Duffy was under-fire from some Canaries fans for his social media antics after they lost once more - this time to Derby

Norwich City lost once again in Championship action on Tuesday night away at Derby County - and out of favour defender Shane Duffy was in the headlines once more for all the wrong reasons.

The Canaries are simply not firing under manager Liam Manning following his appointment as Johannes Hoff Thorup's successor earlier this year, with the ex-Bristol City man under serious scrutiny from the fanbase in Norfolk.

A 1-0 loss on the road at Pride Park will have done nothing to ease the fears from the Carrow Road terraces, in a result that saw the club slip into the Championship relegation zone with just two wins from their first 11 matches.

Naturally, Norwich fans were cutting a frustrated figure both at the match and on social media, and one supporter in particular drew the ire of the aforementioned Duffy, who is yet to play this season under Manning.

Shane Duffy sends message to Norwich City fans after unexpected post-Derby County outburst

Soccer Football - UEFA Nations League - Republic of Ireland Training - Hampden Park, Glasgow, Scotland, Britain - September 23, 2022 Republic of Ireland's Shane Duffy during training REUTERS/Russell Cheyne

One fan took particular offence to a post-match comment from Manning that seemed to insinuate that the Norwich rot had set in under previous boss Thorup, and had a pop at Norwich's current head coach for his inferrence - which in-turn brought on an angry retort from Duffy himself.

In now-deleted tweets, Duffy continued his tirade against the Norwich supporter, but an apology has since come from the Irishman via his X account.

"It’s been a tough period, and seeing the criticism towards the team has been hard," Duffy wrote on Wednesday aftermoon.

"We have to accept the criticism right now. Everyone here cares a lot about performing well, and sometimes emotions get the better of you when things aren’t going as planned.

"My comment came out of frustration, not a lack of respect for the supporters - we really do value your passion and backing. I apologise for my comments," the centre-back concluded after his unexpected outburst.

Duffy has appeared in a Norwich matchday squad just the once this season in round one of the EFL Cup, but he failed to make it onto the pitch, with his last appearance coming in May 2025 as part of a campaign where he appeared 45 times out of a possible 46 Championship games.

Very much out of favour with Manning though, Duffy is having to watch on from the sidelines as his current club struggle in the second tier of English football, and his latest online antics may not have helped his standing within the club.

Shane Duffy situation is last thing Liam Manning needs to deal with - Norwich City boss is under serious pressure

It was all change at Carrow Road this past summer, not just with the arrival of Manning, but some key players exited and a lot of unproven talents arrived.

With the likes of Marcelino Nunez and Borja Sainz exiting the Canaries, there was always likely going to be a bit of a transition period, even with the sharp-shooting Josh Sargent leading the line, but no-one perhaps quite expected it to be as tough as it's transpired.

Sargent's goals have also dried up which is a concern for all, and some of the new summer arrivals are young and not used to the English game, which is perhaps now showing through.

Manning will be under serious pressure from above to stop the ship from sinking, and the last thing he would've needed was for Duffy to get into an unprovoked spat online with a Norwich fan - whilst he has fronted up and apologised, it was still unneccessary, and perhaps it's another reason as to why he's not been given a chance on the pitch this season.