Down Club Hurling & Football

[supersub]

The horse has bolted on county managers and club managers are now doing the same. The salaries these individuals receive are obscene, and at the end of the year, very few people get to celebrate with trophies. Invest in facilities and educate your people to coach.

Not every manager who gets paid is a mercenary. There are only so many people within a club who are capable/willing to take their Senior team. What happens when this well drys up for a year or two? You have to get a manager from somewhere. So naturally external appointments are going to happen.

There are absolutely people in it for the 'CV' and the cash, no doubt - and these are the mercenaries. Gone are the days of getting a few quid expenses in some cases. Now it seems to be this is the cost take it or leave it (again in some cases).

It is not beyond the realms of possibility that some paid managers/coaches do actually care about the team they are with, the reputation they are putting on the line themselves, and the development of their own skill set etc. Maybe not all are like this, it would be naive to think so. But similarly, don't tarnish all paid men with the same brush.

[ck]

Agree with this. Most outside club managers I have come across are good men who care deeply about the team they coach. They usually bring a level of expertise that doesnt exist within the club. Also, players demand the best and they'll not settle for the man they had at underage who they just don't have faith in.

There may well be "mercenaries" in the game but usually this is just peddled by disgruntled high profile commentators who yearn for a return to 1995. It's not happening.

I expect Jarlath Burns to look at this issue and perhaps bring some transparency to it. I think the only way to control it is to standardise it ie: make payments legal and bring them out into the open. Then put conditions and caps on them.

[marty34]

The term mercenary is correct.

These stay for a year, maybe two, then clear off to another club and repeat, repeat and repeat.

If they're that good why don't they stay with their own club?

Expertise - what is that? There's only one cup to be lifted at the end of the year. One team will win it. Only one can be 'the expert'.

[skat man]

success is completely relevant to circumstances, one teams success could be surviving a league or a promotion in second place or reaching a certain point in a championship. the 1 cup logic is flawed .

the reason they dont stay within their own clubs is only 1 group of men can take a senior team and as ive said before there is a need for outside managers . they provide a service . if the need goes away then so do the "mercenaries " . like supersub said most are good men who love gaa and care about furthering the teams they go in to. most , not all

[KeyboardWman]

U20 trials next weekend but no manager announced?
Is Laverty going to continue as manager? Although I heard he was stepping down from 20s.

[Ed Hardy]

Anyone have the team lists from the u20 final on Friday night?

[supersub]

Yer hole. They don't give a rat's ass about the clubs they go into. Yes, they want them to do well when they are there ONLY because it reflects well on them as a manager. A year later when they are at the club up the road, do you really believe they give a second thought to their previous club? Frank Dawson must really care about some amount of clubs!

Thank you for more or less illustrating my point. You are tarring all paid men with the 'Dawson' brush, as you have suggested by naming an individual. However not all paid men would have even been at as many clubs as said individual for a start. Picking an extreme example is never a great gauge.

It would be a sad indictment of a manager and our game if they didn't care about the club when they are managing them! Don't think there's anything wrong with wanting to develop your skill set and reputation while trying to better a team. All within reason.

When you suggest about moving to another club up the road - I think it is illogical and naive to expect any external man to become embroidered in the fabric of a club and somehow become a diehard supporter wanting to volunteer life membership. What I am talking about is wanting to develop a playing squad they have available to them over 2,3,4 years. Have a vested interest in getting the best out of that 22 year old forward who for some reason isn't producing the goods at senior level. And in fact, a lot of the time the reason that this isn't afforded is due to the club, and not the manager. Clubs rarely give a manager 2,3,4 years in the present climate. So clubs have a lot to answer for when the 'merry go round' is mentioned. Digressing slightly, but it all counts.

It is also not logical or realistic to expect all coaches/managers to remain inside their own club 'if they are so good'. For a start, there is only one male senior football team in each club. So everyone can't manage them, and as noted, not everyone will want to either. There is also no doubt that a lot of coaches who are managing at a senior level outside their club, are involved in some capacity at juvenile level within their own club. Whether that be through their own children or otherwise.

The gung ho, back in my day attitude to external managers is ill thought out at times. At times it is 100% correct, and there are mercenaries out there no doubt as alluded to already. But there are a lot of good GAA men putting many many hours in to external clubs (and probably not getting paid for all said hours either from experience!).

[skat man]

a very well articulated post

[Hard2Listen2]

a very well articulated post

💯

[skat man]

When do they start caring about these clubs and when do they stop? The answer is: when that club starts paying them and when that club stops paying them. Then, as if by magic, they start caring about another club and another 22 year old.
The fact is that they are doing it for themselves. They want to succeed as a manager and each club is merely a vehicle for them to do so.

any manager taking any team wants to succeed as a manager even in club  , if you think they give up endless hours of there own time  and listen to abuse from parents/supporters/players just for the love of the club you are living in fantasy land.
of course they want to see the club do well but 99% of in house coaches have a vested interest,  be that a kid on the team or using the team underage or senior to further themselves for the future by gaining experience.

what would you like to see happen ? 

[Johnnysboys]

Down u20 have new management in place - don't know why county board haven't announced it. The dog on the street knows who it is.

Fair play to Paul Faloon today - a great job in the Ulster showpiece.

[Ed Hardy]

Down u20 have new management in place - don't know why county board haven't announced it. The dog on the street knows who it is.

Fair play to Paul Faloon today - a great job in the Ulster showpiece.

Who is it?

[Lotto]

Neil Coulter and Paul Mc Cartan I heard, obviously annoyed at not getting the Burren job.

Well done Paul alright, great job today.

[Hard2Listen2]

Neil Coulter and Paul Mc Cartan I heard, obviously annoyed at not getting the Burren job.

Well done Paul alright, great job today.

#burrenmafia

[Lotto]

Laverty not involved as he knows there is no chance of them even winning a game.