Compact double to Single?

...my chain keeps rubbing on my front mech, I don't think its the mech, I think it could be the shifter as it was slightly damaged in a crash...
Possible I suppose, but it seems unlikely: if it was damaged it wouldn't shift, rather than shifting incorrectly.

FD can be a faff: does this shed any light on the matter? Are you trimming as you shift across the cassette?

If you do go 1x9, I would try just taking the small ring and the FD off: you still have the RD to take care of chain tension, reducing the need for a SS specific ring.