The Future for Laois Football

[SCFC]

It seems that the next senior football manager will be from within Laois. If Sugrue doesn't want to go back, it's hard to see any outstanding candidate. Plenty of potentially good managers but we could find ourselves with another inter county rookie manager.
Of course, the prospect of one the many journeymen inter county managers isn't too appealing either. What's Luke Dempsey at these days?

[High Fielder]

I would hate to see talk of a new Coach taking over the conversation. It's not that important. We don't have the players at the moment to be thinking big or investing in a name. The CB will be desperate to try and prove themselves, but they shouldn't be allowed to derail the bigger issues. There are many of them, and a new Coach is low priority stuff imo

[Chrimtain]

Annus horribilis continues with a shockingly poor performance by our minor footballers against Louth.

[town1980]

All this crap about rookie managers,,,, what in yere eyes makes a super inter county manager ? Dublin have won the last 6 all Ireland’s in a row and countless leinsters so in our province who is a proven manager? Some eejits here too,,, go inside who has a small bit of passion and a bit of drive for half the money we are paying this so called not so rookie managers a fortune to do absolutely nothing more than what your rookie manager might do and he learns the trade ,,, rookie manager statement is laughable,john sugru just go and get him if his interested if not there are plenty of passionate lads in our own county that can do the same job,, get them fit playing to a plan and I still that Laois passion that only a Laois man can give ,, or sure give it to another journey man who will do the same as before him and take our€€€€€€€€€€€€€€s

[SCFC]

in our province who is a proven manager?

Jack O'Connor
Mickey Harte
John Maughan
Andy McEntee

All proven managers. Stop spouting shite.
And I mentioned Sugrue you idiot. Sugrue is a proven inter county manager.

[town1980]

And how red there respective county’s doing you plonker.?

[town1980]

Mickey hate Louth how much and so on etc lost first round my point being a local man can achieve the same result as that for less money but you don’t understand then meaning of what I’m saying eejit

[SCFC]

Mickey hate Louth how much and so on etc lost first round my point being a local man can achieve the same result as that for less money but you don’t understand then meaning of what I’m saying eejit

Cop on. You said "rookie manager statement is laughable". What does that mean? If Sugrue doesn't get the job for a second stint, we are going to wind up with a rookie inter county manager. That's not rocket science.

Would love Sugrue back but if not him, hopefully a couple of good Laois men will get the pride back into the jersey. But it's going to be a huge task and a huge step up for whoever gets it.

[town1980]

There not going to give it to just anyone I think we have enough local choices to do the job,, inter county would be easier than club because of the numbers you get consistently training you need the right person who will command the respect of the players and be very ruthless too,,,John is num 1 for me after that there is a few around I think Also involved with clubs that could do the job

[High Fielder]

In fairness to town, his point is worth taking on board. We got zero bang for our buck from Quirke, but a lot of us didn't want him anyway. Sugrue was putting foundations in place, and rather stupidly, our CB couldn't share the vision or do the extra leg work to back him. We ended up back at square one, probably with a demoralised panel and a rookie coach. At that point, and town is right here, it wouldn't have mattered if we brought in Granny Flanagan from Mountrath. We were hitting the reset button with an ageing and demoralised panel. The CB tried to cover their own arses by getting a name, and it didn't work. No surprise there. Money wasted and no reason why we couldn't have gone local.

The CB need to stop scrambling for answers and assess what's in front of them. Right now, we are uncompetitive in all grades and both codes. Serious investment and thought is needed to galvanise our underage structures, and probably a lot of help from Croke Park. If that can't be worked on, we're throwing good money after bad, and seriously wasting our time. Whatever about that, throwing money away on mercenary coaches just can't be tolerated, and in that sense, I agree with town1980

[SCFC]

In fairness to town, his point is worth taking on board. We got zero bang for our buck from Quirke, but a lot of us didn't want him anyway. Sugrue was putting foundations in place, and rather stupidly, our CB couldn't share the vision or do the extra leg work to back him. We ended up back at square one, probably with a demoralised panel and a rookie coach. At that point, and town is right here, it wouldn't have mattered if we brought in Granny Flanagan from Mountrath. We were hitting the reset button with an ageing and demoralised panel. The CB tried to cover their own arses by getting a name, and it didn't work. No surprise there. Money wasted and no reason why we couldn't have gone local.

The CB need to stop scrambling for answers and assess what's in front of them. Right now, we are uncompetitive in all grades and both codes. Serious investment and thought is needed to galvanise our underage structures, and probably a lot of help from Croke Park. If that can't be worked on, we're throwing good money after bad, and seriously wasting our time. Whatever about that, throwing money away on mercenary coaches just can't be tolerated, and in that sense, I agree with town1980

That's what I said at the top of this page. "Of course, the prospect of one the many journeymen inter county managers isn't too appealing". Then he goes off on a rant about rookie managers. Ultimately all managers are rookie inter county managers to begin with. There's not wrong with a first time manager but there are inherent risks. Sugrue is the stand out candidate really.

[High Fielder]

I hate saying this, but realistically, he'd be mad to go anywhere near it. There really is very little juice in the Senior job

[town1980]

SCFC what is this big risk your on about we employed a man who couldn’t get them fit or know set plan on how he wanted the game to be played,,, this time around we employ someone local who has a vision of the way he wants the game to be played and that is done at an interview process,,SCFC I won’t be putting you forward to interview any potential candidate 

[SCFC]

SCFC what is this big risk your on about we employed a man who couldn’t get them fit or know set plan on how he wanted the game to be played,,, this time around we employ someone local who has a vision of the way he wants the game to be played and that is done at an interview process,,SCFC I won’t be putting you forward to interview any potential candidate 

Stop misquoting me. I didn't say "big risk". I said "There's not(hing) wrong with a first time manager but there are inherent risks."
If you don't understand that appointing a first time inter county manager contains an element of risk, I honestly can't help you!

[redsetanta]

Had a conversation with someone over the weekend about the state of Laois football and particularly the manner of the defeat to Westmeath.

Are we as well off going down the route of having 15 to 20 athletes who can run for 70 minutes. That's the way football is being played. Fair enough you also need lads who can kick ball but at the moment we have no marquee players coming through, no star forwards. Donie is at the back end of his career and Evan O'Carroll has lived up to his potential.

The point being made was get the most dedicated, athletic but not necessarily the most talented footballers together and get a manager who can work them into a system.

The second half collapse against Westmeath and also Down in the relegation play off is worrying. Was it fitness or is it a mental issue? or a bit of both.

At the moment we are a 35 minute team and have looked clueless in the second half of most games when the intensity increases.