DAMIEN Duff once described him as a massive influence on his career.

But the former Blackburn Rovers star and Republic of Ireland international is just one of a host of Premiership footballers who can count Alan Irvine as a man who helped to get them where they are today.

James Beattie, Brett Ormerod, David Dunn, Damien Johnson, Martin Taylor - the names roll off the tongue. All products of the Academy that Jack Walker built, all nurtured by former Everton and Rovers player Irvine.

"It's been lovely over the last year or two to see how those players have progressed," said Irvine, now David Moyes' assistant manager at Everton, who Rovers take on at Goodison Park this afternoon.

"And when they say something that's flattering or complimentary I have to say it's very nice to hear. I get a big thrill out of seeing how those players have progressed.

"And one of the nice parts about this job is that you get to meet up with them at Premiership games."

The 45-year-old added: "One of my regrets about leaving Blackburn when I did was that I knew, with the exception of James Beattie, I wouldn't get to see those lads make their debut as first team players.

"Unfortunately they've all moved away from Blackburn now. But they have gone from boys to men, who are very successful.

"And Blackburn have obviously got the benefit of it because, relatively speaking, they didn't cost the club anything but some have gone for huge amounts of money.

"That shows that the youth policy has already been extremely successful and hopefully it will keep going."

But just as players such as Duff and Dunn highlight Irvine as a pivotal part of their development as footballers, the likeable Scot admits he wouldn't be in the position he is today without Blackburn Rovers.

"Blackburn was a huge influence on me," he said.

"And there's no doubt that the major influences on me as a coach were Kenny Dalglish and Ray Harford.

"There was a great balance between the two of them.

"Kenny was a terrific manager of players. He had great management skills and he treated players very well.

"He believed players should be allowed to express themselves.

"And Ray was a terrific coach - very methodical, very organised, someone who believed the team needed a structure.

"It was as a result of that balance that Rovers were so successful."

Irvine hopes he and Moyes are striking the right balance at Everton. If his forward thinking attitude and determination are anything to go by, he is sure to be successful, partly, perhaps, because he has never been afraid to try something new.

Like his football career, his move into coaching wasn't particularly orthodox.

Irvine had a day job as an insurance broker while he was playing in the Scottish Second Division before moving to Everton in May 1981.

He then travelled even further south to Crystal Palace, where his academic background inspired him to take up a coaching course at the tender age of 25.

"Once I got into foootball, I thought 'I don't fancy being out of this again'," he said.

"Doing the coaching course seemed the natural thing to do, and I enjoyed it so much I did the English and Scottish badges."

Irvine was at Ewood when he completed his qualifications, and the transition from player to coach was a smooth one after he took up a voluntary role.

"I was looking around for something to do after I finished the coaching badges because I was fully qualified but wasn't coaching," he explained.

"I asked Jim Furnell if I could start getting involved with the centre of excellence and I ended up running a satellite centre in Leyland.

"And when I first started going to the coaching sessions, I remember two young players who would have been about 10 years old. They were David Dunn and Brett Ormerod.

"By the time I became youth team coach after I finished playing, both David and Brett came to me as full-time players.

"I spent years working with them so it's lovely to see them progress so far."

Irvine has also come a long way since his days at Ewood, but he still holds Rovers close to his heart.

"My time there was a great time. A really happy time, as a player but probably even more importantly as a coach," he said.

Nevertheless, he's hoping for a home win tomorrow. Everton need the points also.

But, he added: "I hope Rovers win the rest of their games after that."