Club football managers 22/23

[Offalyblueboy]

Time of the year for this one.
Lots of clubs looking for managers, who is looking and is there any local managers going to other counties.

[Offalyblueboy]

Here’s what I have heard
Tullamore, edenderry and rhode remain the same
Durrow shamrocks ferbane looking and the new team bracknagh will be sure to hold onto David Connolly. Not a mention of what’s happening in Clara.
Rumours of Declan kelly taking over in ferbane

[frankthetank]

That would be a smashing appointment by Ferbane to be fair. Could be a great fit for all concerned.

[jimbob17]

Durrow, Shamrocks and Clara will be tough jobs with the hurling getting stronger in these clubs. Clara and Shamrocks obviously see themselves as stronger in football while opposite is case in Durrow.

Very hard to do both well at same time, despite Ferbane doing so, and will be interesting to see how Tullamore going Senior A in hurling impacts their football team.

Clara did OK last year and will be happy to have made quarter final on first year back up while Shamrocks seemed to go a bit backwards. They have had a change in management almost every year for a number of years now so they can't keep blaming managers for their stagnation. Bracknagh will likely stay with same management but will need to have everyone to stay up as I'd question their squad depth if some of their starters go travelling, which I think will happen for lots of clubs next year. Hard to blame young lads if they do go, as they were pretty much locked down with Covid for last few years.

In senior B, probably falling between Tubber, Clonbullogue, Cappincur and possibly Ballycommon. New management in Tubber I believe, while I'd imagine status quo will remain in Clonbullogue and Ballycommon. Not heard anything re Cappincur or other clubs in Senior B.

[Lone Shark]

That would be a smashing appointment by Ferbane to be fair. Could be a great fit for all concerned.

I'm far from sure of that. In his time in charge of St. Loman's, Declan Kelly was immensely successful but he wasn't known for encouraging dual players to commit equally to both codes.

Now it's entirely possible that he operated as he did under the instruction of the St. Loman's executive, and that he would have no problem with living within the delicate balance that is ensuring both football and hurling are given equal chance to thrive in Ferbane/Belmont. However one thing is for sure - if the day comes when either side starts pulling too hard, the whole thing will come crumbling down. In a world where players are forced to choose, both clubs will lose out badly and will cease to be championship contenders almost instantly.

In 2022, Ferbane lost a county semi-final on penalties to the eventual champions. Belmont lost a county semi-final by a single point to the eventual champions, having conceded two goals in stoppage time. A radical overhaul is not what's needed in either club.

[jimbob17]

That would be a smashing appointment by Ferbane to be fair. Could be a great fit for all concerned.

I'm far from sure of that. In his time in charge of St. Loman's, Declan Kelly was immensely successful but he wasn't known for encouraging dual players to commit equally to both codes.

Now it's entirely possible that he operated as he did under the instruction of the St. Loman's executive, and that he would have no problem with living within the delicate balance that is ensuring both football and hurling are given equal chance to thrive in Ferbane/Belmont. However one thing is for sure - if the day comes when either side starts pulling too hard, the whole thing will come crumbling down. In a world where players are forced to choose, both clubs will lose out badly and will cease to be championship contenders almost instantly.

In 2022, Ferbane lost a county semi-final on penalties to the eventual champions. Belmont lost a county semi-final by a single point to the eventual champions, having conceded two goals in stoppage time. A radical overhaul is not what's needed in either club.

It is a very relevant point in fairness Lone Shark. Ferbane is probably unique currently in Offaly in that they have equal chance of winning senior hurling and football titles. They could easily have made both finals this year. While Kelly has had success, has he facilitated hurling within that framework in a way that was supportive of duals that wanted to play hurling? I don't have the answer re St Lomans (likes of Luke Loughlin being one) but I know that at u20 level in 2021, lads had to choose one or the other and the u20 footballers lost out on couple of lads who chose hurling who would have been easily good enough to start in football.

At the end of the day it is Ferbane's call but I do feel that Ferbane will win no senior football title if likes of Oisin Kelly, David Nally or Leon Fox (to name just a few) who will always select hurling over football, are forced to choose.

Managing a strong dual club requires huge capacity to comply and work with other managers in other codes. The question is, will the best interests of the players be facilitated in best interests of both codes by both managers. That is the question that both Belmont and Ferbane need to be conscious of when appointing people over their senior teams.

[Behindthegoal]

Ferbane have been in 3 finals in the last 6 years winning 1 and technically weren’t even beaten in two semi finals as they were both draws after extra time losing out on penalties. There’s a massive culture of football in Ferbane 3rd in the overall roll of honour. Their footballers have grown up winning county titles at all levels they have genuine belief they can win at senior. Realistically the championship is between Rhode Tullamore and Ferbane and if you end up avoiding Rhode / tullamore in a semi you only have to beat them once to win the county title. There’s too many teams that can win the hurling compared to the football

Belmont have no track record at underage level all their teams are competing in the B. They’ve never even been in a senior hurling final before in the history of the club very hard to make a case for them winning it against a Kk Rynaghs birr etc if they did eventually get there. They’ve lost 3 semi-finals by 1 point and the other by 2 points. A bit like Mayo in football there has to be something more than just not being good enough at hurling to this you always feel something is about to go wrong when they are coming down the stretch in big games

[Lone Shark]

I was an active member of the Ferbane club executive at the time when there was a serious transition in the top table, and there was recognition in both ends of the parish that the pulling and dragging between managers was holding both clubs back, and that the way to change it had to start with ensuring both executives were populated by people that started from a point of respecting that the club at the other end of the parish had just as much right to pursue their ambitions. Since then, all the main people involved have (to my knowledge) been people who are acutely aware that both clubs need an ecosystem where dual players are facilitated to the maximum extent possible. It's workable because playing numbers are high, and so you can still run a decent football training session on a hurling week, and vice versa.

It has also worked because of very rigid agreements between the clubs that extend far beyond the issue of access to players. Things are discussed and thrashed out before they become a problem, as opposed to handled on a crisis basis once it crops up - and as someone who now lives in a parish where the same co-operation absolutely does not exist, I can assure you, Ferbane/Belmont are doing things the right way.

The psychological aspect raised by Behindthegoal above might be a real thing, or it might not. I wasn't able to attend this year's semi-final against Shinrone, I was working at a game in Roscommon, but I was there for other semi-final defeats to K-K and to Rynagh's, and I don't know that I'd agree that it was anything more than a tight game, where luck didn't fall their way.

Anyway, some people could argue the same about Ferbane - certainly there was an element of self-inflicted about the loss to Rhode, in that they were in an excellent position at half-time, and again right at the death, when failing to take care of possession deep in stoppage time cost the win.

It doesn't matter. If someone from Belmont said to me, a Ferbane man, that Ferbane were never going to win one because Tullamore look poised to dominate for the next decade and the right thing to do was focus on hurling, then I know what my reaction would be - and I'd fully expect to get the same reaction back if I said something similar to someone from Belmont. By any measure, what is happening right now, works, and it would be a hugely retrograde step if either club was to appoint a manager that went against that ethos.

[Offalyblueboy]

Any updates lads. Have to be all filled by now surely. Rumour mill is busy.

Mc nulty surely be back in with rhode once he’s available to them
Durrow - believed to be Tommy carr
Never heard anything from cappincur but surely all senior a teams done

Few others I heard confirmed
Raheens with ginger Stewart
Croghan - Laz Molloy
Ballinagar - Ronan Murphy

Let’s see who is confirmed

[Onionbag]

Tommy Carr due to be announced shortly.

Great appointment

[Anonymous1]

Ferbane have appointed Ger Rafferty as manager, it’d be fair to say he wasn’t their first choice and there’s not a great deal of optimism around this appointment.

[Onionbag]

Any word on Ferbane btw

[SearingDrive]

Ferbane have appointed Ger Rafferty as manager, it’d be fair to say he wasn’t their first choice and there’s not a great deal of optimism around this appointment.

Ferbane must regret not taking out Rhode in the semi finals, when they had the upper hand. Who would have been Ferbane’s preference as SF manager for next year?

[Anonymous1]

Ferbane have appointed Ger Rafferty as manager, it’d be fair to say he wasn’t their first choice and there’s not a great deal of optimism around this appointment.

Ferbane must regret not taking out Rhode in the semi finals, when they had the upper hand. Who would have been Ferbane’s preference as SF manager for next year?

Absolutely, there’s no reason they should’ve lost that game and so the manager correctly paid the price with his job. Ferbane’s preference was Declan Kelly and discussions were held with him but ultimately Ferbane’s status as a senior dual club was too big of a stumbling block for him.

[jimbob17]

No idea what went on in Ferbane football last year, but moving on a manager who got them to penalties with co champions in a semi final might not be the wisest move. They were obviously so close to the mark last year, both in hurling and football and it seems both managers are gone?