Offaly selection committee confirmed - Thoughts?

[True Red]

Taken from Hoganstand

Offaly selection committee confirmed
26 July 2011

The Offaly county board has finalised the committees that will recommend the county's next hurling and football managers.

The men charged with the task of finding Joe Dooley's successor as hurling boss are Finbarr Spain (Birr), Jim Troy (Lusmagh), Ciaran McDonald (Brosna Gaels) and Eamon Phelan (Killavilla).

While Tom Cribbin has asked for more time to consider his future as football manager after three years at the helm, the county board had nevertheless proceeded with appointing a selection committee that consists of Laz Molloy, Mick Casey (both St. Brigid's), Gerard Noonan (Rhode) and Jim Kelly (Ballycumber).

Both committees will be completed by county chairman Pat Teehan, secretary Martin Boland and one other county board official whose identity will be revealed shortly.

[Lone Shark]

Nothing against the individuals named there, but that is a serious geographical bias on the football side. Seeing as one of the leading candidates is likely to be from the same parish, surely it would have been better to spread things around a little? After all if Tom Coffey gets the job now, he'll be seen as having had a lot of help from the committee, even if he turns out to be the best candidate regardless. Not ideal.

[GreatDayForTheParish]

The hurling committee is horrendous. As if the list of managerial candidates wasn't bad enough now we have this. Watch disaster unfold.

[Bord na Mona man]

I suggest we need to appoint a committee who are in charge of appointing the committee who will recommend the new manager.

Who should we put on this committee though?

Maybe the best thing to do is to appoint a committee who will select this committee...

[Bord na Mona man]

Anyway so long as they pick the right person in the end it doesn't matter how they got there.

What sort of selection criteria should they lean towards.
a - A person with progressive views on coaching, tactics and preparation.
b - A great servant to the county in his day, has the medals to prove it and been given the Offaly job would be a fitting tribute for past services - Was shown the road in any of his previous stints in management, but what harm.

[Kevin]

The hurling committee is horrendous. As if the list of managerial candidates wasn't bad enough now we have this. Watch disaster unfold.

Who are the potential candidates at this stage? Just wondering.

[Certainly Gerry]

The Offaly county board has finalised the committees that will recommend the county's next hurling and football managers.

The men charged with the task of finding Joe Dooley's successor as hurling boss are Finbarr Spain (Birr), Jim Troy (Lusmagh), Ciaran McDonald (Brosna Gaels) and Eamon Phelan (Killavilla).

While Tom Cribbin has asked for more time to consider his future as football manager after three years at the helm, the county board had nevertheless proceeded with appointing a selection committee that consists of Laz Molloy, Mick Casey (both St. Brigid's), Gerard Noonan (Rhode) and Jim Kelly (Ballycumber).

Disastrous committees! Ideally I would like to see Ken Hogan as the hurling manager and any amount of money given to Kieran McGeeney for the football job! Realistically that's not going to happen so Stephen Darby should be awarded the job. In any other county a manager who has led a club team to so much success would have been given the job long ago.

[Certainly Gerry]

What sort of selection criteria should they lean towards.
a - A person with progressive views on coaching, tactics and preparation.
b - A great servant to the county in his day, has the medals to prove it and been given the Offaly job would be a fitting tribute for past services

I assume you know the answer to you question already BNM man. The fact that Wexford beat Offaly by double figures this year proves that a managers playing history counts for very little. Jason Ryan, a Waterford man, has led Wexford to be one of the top teams in Leinster. He didn't win an All-Ireland or play to any seriously high level but he has the respect of the Wexford players because he knows what he is doing. The key ingredient, as far as I can see, along with the progressive views on coaching, tactics and preparation is respect from the players. You could have a 2 or 3 time All-Ireland winner over a team but after a couple of weeks of training a panel of players could see that the man isn't up to the job. I'm not sure how they do it but the likes of Ryan seem to be able to command that respect.

[Certainly Gerry]

Finally, without getting into too much detail could someone please post up some information regarding the Committee members GAA history and maybe give some of us a better idea as to why they have been appointed to these very important positions?

P.S. I'm clearly not looking for a detailed history on Jim Troy, Mick Casey or Laz Molloy who have served Offaly with distinction, but in relation to the other members I wouldn't be too familiar with them.

[Bord na Mona man]

I know that Ciaran McDonald is originally from Wexford and moved to Ballycumber in the late 90s.
He would have been fairly active in getting his shoulder behind the Brosna Gaels wheel.
He's a brother of Niall McDonald who was a stalwart on the Wexford teams of the late 80s and early 90s.

I'd have talked to him about hurling and he seems very clued in. Maybe coming from the outside gives him a broader perspective and less dogmatic desire to go back to the formula that won Offaly All Irelands back in the 80s.

[Bord na Mona man]

What sort of selection criteria should they lean towards.
a - A person with progressive views on coaching, tactics and preparation.
b - A great servant to the county in his day, has the medals to prove it and been given the Offaly job would be a fitting tribute for past services

I assume you know the answer to you question already BNM man.

Yeah, I know it's common sense (well to most of us anyway). However whenever solutions to any strategic crisis in Offaly are being discussed, some punters start roaring "ask the men with the medals". It makes you wonder...

[Over The Black Spot]

Anyone who comes on here and whinges about these committees is talking absolute sh1t. The intention to form these committees was made known to all clubs and printed in the local papers prior to nominations being submitted and was then voted on by the clubs, who would have been acting on instruction of their club committees. The process was open to anyone who wanted to approach their club seeking a nomination to do so.

As regards questioning the credentials of the committees selected, anyone involved in the club game in Offaly (which I'm sure any genuine gaa follower is) will tell you who the men selected are.

This is a prime example of lads preferring to sit on their arses giving out about what others have done rather than doing anything about it themselves.

[Bord na Mona man]

As regards questioning the credentials of the committees selected, anyone involved in the club game in Offaly (which I'm sure any genuine gaa follower is) will tell you who the men selected are.

Thinly veiled: 'Hey everybody, look at me, I'm involved in the club game in Offaly!'.

[old yellar]

Ciaran is an excellent man to get involved in the process. V solid and v objective, Good hurling man. Possibly unlucky just to have got 1 year - as far as i am aware, as a selector with the minors, as he s a man who could have lead them. Anyhow, best of luck with it!

[Over The Black Spot]

As regards questioning the credentials of the committees selected, anyone involved in the club game in Offaly (which I'm sure any genuine gaa follower is) will tell you who the men selected are.

Thinly veiled: 'Hey everybody, look at me, I'm involved in the club game in Offaly!'.

Not thinly veiled as anything BnM but I would assume that anyone who supports the county teams and attends county games also actively supports their club and would have a fairly good knowledge of most people involved with other clubs.

For those that don't know the hurling committee, Kieran McDonald is a Wexford man living in Ballycumber. He is heavily involved in Brosna Gaels and has served with Offaly underage teams up the grades over the last few years. His son Ciaran made his senior debut against Cork this year. Eamon Phelan is from a hurling-mad Killavilla family who have been instrumental in keeping that club going on meagre resources over the years and one of the faces you will see at Offaly games, no matter where its played or what the weather. Finbarr Spain served as a selector with Padjoe during the good times in Birr hurling and has been a club official and county board delegate for the club for as long as I can remember. Jim Troy we all know I assume.

They've been democratically selected through the clubs and I wish them the best of luck in their hunt for new blood.