New Fulham signing Damien Duff admits he jumped at the chance to end his Newcastle nightmare when Roy Hodgson came calling.

Duff was unveiled at Craven Cottage this week, having signed a three-year deal for an undisclosed amount, thought to be in the region of £4 million.

And having been part of the Newcastle side that was relegated from the Premiership in May, the 30-year-old is looking forward to being back in the big time.

Duff said: “I did not really enjoy my football up at Newcastle and for whatever reason things did not really work out.

“I have not come here to prove people wrong - I just want to enjoy my football again.

“Last season was heartbreaking - both for the players and the fans.

“It was very hard to take.

“Nobody really knows what is going on up there and in a way that has brought the players closer together - which has been shown at the start of this season.

“It was definitely the hardest time of my career up at Newcastle.

“To have four managers in a season like we did is never a good base to build from, and things just went wrong.”

Duff worked with Hodgson during his early years at Blackburn Rovers, and the Republic of Ireland international admits that was one of the deciding factors in his switch.

He added: “He is absolutely top notch as a coach.

“He has managed the top clubs and top players around the world and that speaks volumes.

“I got on really well with him at Blackburn, and I for one am surprised he has never been talked about for the England job.

“As soon as I heard of Fulham’s interest it was a real no-brainer, and it was an easy choice to come here.”