Firstly, don't know the man from Adam. However, Flannans won the Harty Cup last year for first time in years and to my knowledge, Bugler played a huge role by all accounts. As far as I am aware, he was teaching in Kilkenny up to 2 or 3 years ago and from what I have heard, made huge impact in Flannans when he went in there and won a Harty Cup straight away.frankthetank wrote: ↑Thu Dec 31, 2020 5:46 pm He obviously really got a taste for volunteerism while making the journey from Clare to Wexford for training.
I wouldn’t agree with the previous poster’s assessment of his hurling ability but that’s neither here nor there.
On the coaching front, he was a staunchly loyal lieutenant of Davy Fitzgerald (once heard that on the way home from a league match that the Clare bus stopped at a shop. Tony Kelly went in on and bought sweets and chocolate and Bugler rang Davy about it as Davy wasn’t on the bus!) so I’d consider thats the main reason he was brought to Wexford to be quite honest.
On a factual point actually, St Flannans haven’t won an All Ireland colleges in 16 years, havent competed in one in 15 years and have only won one Harty Cup in 15 years. So how successful has his coaching career really been in Flannans as the previous poster alluded to?
A lot of that post smacks of hyperbolic fan boy BS to me.
You can be assured that Davy Fitzgerald would have his homework done on any coach he would bring with him and this was why he was brought to Wexford. He brought Paul Kinnerk into Clare seniors and gave him his opportunity. He now has replaced Bugler with Niall Corcoran who was Eddie Brennan's coach with Laois so he must have some credentials.
As a hurler, he was thought highly enough to get an All-Star in 2012 when Clare were beaten in 1st round of champ and then beaten in qualifiers (acc to Wikipedia) so he can't have been too bad. He was the pick of their backs for years and won 2 All-Stars off an average enough team (albeit winning All-Ireland in 2013) so maybe he deserves a little more credit than you afford him, especially as he is coming from a very weak senior club and often inter club.
To be honest, I first came across him when I saw him winning a Fitzgibbon with UL and he really stood out for me in a team of outstanding players. Far from fan boy BS Frank, but sure if it makes you feel better about yourself to have a cut off a lad, fair play......maybe lockdown is having an impact on the oul mood and hopefully 2021 will cheer you up a little......
As for the volunteerism element, point accepted, but I guess that is the way things are going and he is hardly the first. Was the Galway man coming down to Birr for good of his health either a few years ago? Is Ken Hogan taking Rynaghs as a volunteer? Ditto Francis Forde. Was Martin Fogarty driving to Kilcormac for good of his health? The list is endless if you want to go down that route! If a club is willing to seek a lad out from a good distance away, then he is entitled to be reimbursed with expenses. Fairly sure it was Birr that approached him and not other way around in fairness, or maybe that is me just being a hyperbolic fan boy........