O'Shea ratified as Kerry manager

Mid Mon · November 30, 2006, 09:11:14 AM

"Delegates at a meeting of the Kerry county board have ratified Pat O'Shea as the new Kerry senior football manager.

The Dr Crokes clubman's term of office will be just a year for now because of O'Shea's position as Games Manager of the Munster Council.

The new management team will not be named until next week, with the names being ratified at the county convention."

RTÉ Sport.

full back · November 30, 2006, 09:44:15 AM

Is Pat much cheaper than Paidi?

amallon · November 30, 2006, 09:45:58 AM

I hope I'm not letting myself in for a load of slagging here, but I haven't heard of Pat O'Shea. Is he a relation of Jack? How many all ireland has he won as a player etc...

lynchbhoy · November 30, 2006, 09:49:04 AM

Pat O'Shea was a small wispy corner forward who won an all Ireland medal with Dr. Crokes in the mid 90's (I think it was) when they beat Thomas Davis on St. Patricks day.

A good scoretaker but not the toughest of men, Pat is a football fanatic.

A few years ago he also co-wrote a GAA book on training drills/skills if I am not mistaken.

I was his corner forward understudy in college!

OkeyDoke · November 30, 2006, 09:59:36 AM

Pat Spillane was on Today FM on Tues saying what Pat O Shea was an excellent trainer/coach - one of the best in the country he reckons. I noticed that Spillane did'nt mention anything about his managerial skills.
It just seemed that he kept ranting on about his coaching skills in an effort to avoid talking about his management skills, thats just my take on it

lynchbhoy · November 30, 2006, 10:33:11 AM

the thought did cross my mind also, Pat would not have much managerial experience

but Kerry never give the job to any duds !

Kerry Mike · November 30, 2006, 10:51:51 AM

Well done and best wishes to Pat O'Shea in 2007. Will be interesting to see who he brings into the backroom setup over the next week. It will be a fresh start for all including the players and a big challange to all, the last 2 managers have produced 2 AI's each, so the pressure will be on Pat and Co to produce the goods..

Jack O'Connor brought in Pat Flanagan who worked wonders on the physical training side of the Kerry team over the last 3 seasons so it will be a big ask to improve on that.

Pat O'Shea will be his own man though and has plenty of years experience with managing Dr Crokes and has also managed Kerry U21 a few years ago. A well respected coach he has been a full time Munster Council coach for the last few years and will combine both roles for the first year but I expect him to be Kerry manager for at least 2 years.

He will have to remould his whole back line with both full back and centre back needing new faces after the retirement of Seamus Moynihan and Mike McCarthy. A few other players like Darragh O'Se and Mike Frank Russell have yet to decide on next season and the rumour is that Declan O'Sullivan is taking a year out to go travelling while Diarmuid Murphy has a long term back injury. So his main tasks will be to fill those voids and get Kerry motivated for an aassault on retaining Sam.

Lets hope he gets the time and respect from the Animals to do his job to the best of his ability.

AZOffaly · November 30, 2006, 10:56:28 AM

Look for a few lads making themselves 'unavailable' this year. If you thought the ructions last year were bad!!

KM - That rumour about Dec is probably going to turn out to be true.

Onlooker · November 30, 2006, 11:27:19 AM

Pat O'Shea was manager of the Dr. Croke's team that beat Nemo Rangers in the semi-final of the Munster Club Championship in Cork last Sunday. No other Kerry team has ever beaten Nemo in the Club Championship. That was no mean achievement by Croke's, who won by 2-10 to 0-10. Maybe this lad had something more to offer than some of us thought.

Kerry Mike · November 30, 2006, 01:06:48 PM

QuotePat O'Shea was manager of the Dr. Croke's team that beat Nemo Rangers in the semi-final of the Munster Club Championship in Cork last Sunday. No other Kerry team has ever beaten Nemo in the Club Championship. That was no mean achievement by Croke's, who won by 2-10 to 0-10. Maybe this lad had something more to offer than some of us thought.

He did, it called The Gooch and Eoin Brosnan Show!!

full back · November 30, 2006, 01:33:06 PM

Well done to Dr Crokes indeed, but are they even the county champions. So the Kerry version of the back door is alive and kicking.
So praise is due for last weeks result-but lets put it into context

youbetterbelieveit · November 30, 2006, 02:39:53 PM

its a bit funny for him to only get the one year, he must have specifically asked for it.

Kerry Mike · November 30, 2006, 03:04:18 PM

Quotebut are they even the county champions

No Crokes have lost the last 2 SFC finals to South Kerry. But South Kerry are a Divisional team and cannot play in the Munster and AI Club. The ruling deprives the likes of Maurice Fitzgerald playing on Paddy's day.
But the likes of UCD can take part ach sin sceal eile.
Maurice by the way is still in a neck brace after his concussion in the recent SFC final. It might possibly be his last game ever. Lets hope he makes a full recovery

In previous years it was the Club Champions or a club Team who had won the SFC that represented Kerry in Munster Club but this year it was the last club team left in the SFC, hense Dr Crokes this year.

If they get out of Munster they will be hard stopped and have AI pedigree winning the AI in 1992 when a certain Colm Cooper was the mascot probably aged about 10, a few of his brother were playing, there was a row in the Croke Park tunnel beforehand as some GAA suit did not want Cooper running out on the field with the team but the Crokes players said if he does not go with us nobody goes out. Cooper got his way and scored a few goals during the warm up.

They also have Kieran O'Leary and Kieran Cremin from the senior Kerry panel, and Ambrose (Og) O'Donavan also plays in midfield with them, a big strong ruther like his old fellow.