Whats Joe Dooley Waiting for

[leinsterman]

just seen a bit on the paper about Joe Dooley hasn't said if he is going to take the job for another term or not
whats he waiting for, he must know bye now if he wants it or not or is there something else there.

see where laois have got Brendan Fennelly which was a good move for them, maybe thats what offaly hurling needs
an outsider again over them. if Joe was not to take up the offer of the offaly job i would like to see Micheal walsh of
kilkenny getting the job done great work at minor and under 21s in the last few year's or maybe Ken Hogan seems to be doing well with
tipp under 21s and coolderry.

[bracknaghboy]

Totally agree Leinsterman. His actions thus far suggest to me a man that is not sure if he wants to give this 100% again. If in doubt you have to go. I assume in the coming weeks he'll be reappointed and that will see the loss of a great opportunity for Offaly hurling. If Dooley is in charge next year I think we will watch this team go backwards and fast.

[black and red exile]

It looks very like the Ken Barlow of hurling will probably give it one more year which is a great shame. It will mean more of the same again next year, a struggle to stay in Div 1, more than likely huff and puff against KK and Galway in Leinster before going down with another moral victory and yet again going out with a whimper in the qualifers around mid July, surely anyone with a brain can see that a new voice with new ideas are needed, there is a serious freshness needed there to take Offaly to the next step. Dooley has given his best shot and done his best but please just move over and let someone else come in, PLEASE.

[Michael Kenny]

Tommy Dunne is the best upcomming coach, and would be the best possible manager to take Offaly to the next level. He was the main man with the Tipp U21 this year. If Offaly are serious about moving upwards this is the type of coach we need, young, hungry and with a decent pedigree having coached winning minor and U21 sides.

[GreatDayForTheParish]

This 'delay' has struck me as odd for a long time now. The exact reason for is unknown but no matter what, it implies a reluctance of some sort exists with either the Board or Joe Dooley.

I'd be of similar mind to the opinions outlined above. The whole scene, ethos needs to be moved up a gear. Despite a complete lack of underage success we have some very good players and could actually have the makings of a pretty decent team. A team thats capable of more than the last few years. For that to occur however will require, I believe, a change in management, a change in attitude.

Ignore the 'great work being down down there', 'progress' and 'team in transition' platitudes thrown around by the national media, the know no better because they couldn't care less. Those of follow the scene more closely will be aware of the potential for more and will be fed up of the glorious defeats that some people seem so content with.

the type of coach we need, young, hungry

Ya, I'll sign up to that. Tommy Dunne and Ken Hogan are decent suggestions. The lack of any appealing Offaly candidates off the top of my head is a great worry, I genuinely fear that the same list of local names would put themselves forward again this time, the same tired names the we have seen many times in the past. Given our County Board's worrying trend for showing a complete lack of any ambition, it would be very possible, if not probable that Joe Dooley could be replaced by somebody worse. Unfortunate situation to be in but still, one can't be constrained by the shackles of fear. What's needed now it's a desire to bring things to the next level and ensure that the next decade is not a repeat of the last.

In that vein what I want is for a bit of ambition to be shown. The right man can bring any team a long way in a short period of time, Kildare being a case in point in the football. Sticking with Kildare, a Kieran McGeeney type figure would be my choice for the Offaly role, somebody who understands both the relaties of the modern game and the mindset of the modern player. Limerick have also taken a chance recently with the appointment of O'Grady. We'll see how it goes, there is no guarantee of success, but it's ambitious and at least they're trying something new, something different - they had to and I hope it works out for them.

So, step up Offaly?

[Plain of the Herbs]

A very good question in the title of the topic.

I’d agree with GreatDay, the delay is odd at this stage. Rather than the “out, out out” calls from Bracknagh and Kilcullen, I’d be interested in the feelings of the senior players in this one. If they feel Dooley has nothing more to offer them by way of improvement then his position would be difficult. Keeping him on would lead to resentment and an unhappy camp.

On the other hand, look at the Monaghan footballers, where the board got shut of a manager against the will of the players. Do that and the new manager will have a very difficult task in hand in winning the respect of the players.

Now there’s a world of difference between player power and listening to the players in this. The opinions of the players should carry some weight here.

[Bord na Mona man]

If he is going to step down, he's not giving his successor many club games to go and watch.