Below is a list of Laois Senior Football manager over the past 40 years – have I missed anyone ?
1. Tom Darcy
2. Kieran Brennan ***
3. Bobby Millar
4. Richie Connor
5. Colm Browne
6. Michael Dempsey
7. Tom Cribben
8. Colm Browne
9. Mick O'Dwyer ***
10. Liam Kearns
11. Sean Dempsey
12. Justin McNulty
13. Tomás ó Flatharta
14. Mick Lillis
15. Peter Creedon
16. John Sugrue
I've put 3 stars against Kiernan Brennan and Mick O'Dwyer for their roles in winning National League and Leinster Championship respectively.
It's difficult to rate managers of the 80s and 90s against those of 2000-2018 given how team preparation became more professional but Justin McNulty would be my 3rd favourite Laois manager.
John Sugrue have certainly made a good start but he has a huge task to emulate Kieran or Micko.
I'd have Coln Browne as third particularly in his first spell . He brought a huge level of professionism and structure to the senior set up at the time which wasn't there previously. No disrespect to O'Connor who achieved the famous win in navan
Justin McNulty results wise was good, I'd have him 3rd. That is not implying there was anything attractive about his football.
Stats will show that McNulty was a successful manager for us but jaysus it was dire to watch.
Kearns was unluck in trying to follow Micko.
Cribben was fierce hard done by.
Worst manager of them? Probably O'Flaharta.
I'd give Lillis a pass on the "prophet in his own country" thing. He never stood a chance and the players acted the f**k that year too.
Quote from: The PRO on December 05, 2018, 05:33:25 PM
Kearns was unluck in trying to follow Micko.
Cribben was fierce hard done by.
Worst manager of them? Probably O'Flaharta.
I'd give Lillis a pass on the "prophet in his own country" thing. He never stood a chance and the players acted the f**k that year too.
The players acted the f**k many a year and each manager had to deal with that before they could even get their point across. Most years we shot ourselves in the foot before we started, with the exception of one or two I feel for the mangers of Laois over the years.
Quote from: redsetanta on December 05, 2018, 03:06:16 PM
Stats will show that McNulty was a successful manager for us but jaysus it was dire to watch.
Hard to believe we were in an All-Ireland quarter final. Or was it the round before that? And ran Dublin to 3 or 4 points?
Quote from: Heshs Umpire on December 06, 2018, 12:11:32 PM
Quote from: redsetanta on December 05, 2018, 03:06:16 PM
Stats will show that McNulty was a successful manager for us but jaysus it was dire to watch.
Hard to believe we were in an All-Ireland quarter final. Or was it the round before that? And ran Dublin to 3 or 4 points?
Quarter final, Johno's own goal.
Quote from: Don Draper on December 06, 2018, 12:21:36 PM
Quote from: Heshs Umpire on December 06, 2018, 12:11:32 PM
Quote from: redsetanta on December 05, 2018, 03:06:16 PM
Stats will show that McNulty was a successful manager for us but jaysus it was dire to watch.
Hard to believe we were in an All-Ireland quarter final. Or was it the round before that? And ran Dublin to 3 or 4 points?
Quarter final, Johno's own goal.
And Cluxton taking all day to kick frees.
Quote from: Heshs Umpire on December 06, 2018, 12:37:05 PM
Quote from: Don Draper on December 06, 2018, 12:21:36 PM
Quote from: Heshs Umpire on December 06, 2018, 12:11:32 PM
Quote from: redsetanta on December 05, 2018, 03:06:16 PM
Stats will show that McNulty was a successful manager for us but jaysus it was dire to watch.
Hard to believe we were in an All-Ireland quarter final. Or was it the round before that? And ran Dublin to 3 or 4 points?
Quarter final, Johno's own goal.
And Cluxton taking all day to kick frees.
Infuriating p***k.
Quote from: Don Draper on December 06, 2018, 12:40:35 PM
Quote from: Heshs Umpire on December 06, 2018, 12:37:05 PM
Quote from: Don Draper on December 06, 2018, 12:21:36 PM
Quote from: Heshs Umpire on December 06, 2018, 12:11:32 PM
Quote from: redsetanta on December 05, 2018, 03:06:16 PM
Stats will show that McNulty was a successful manager for us but jaysus it was dire to watch.
Hard to believe we were in an All-Ireland quarter final. Or was it the round before that? And ran Dublin to 3 or 4 points?
Quarter final, Johno's own goal.
And Cluxton taking all day to kick frees.
Infuriating p***k.
Was 3 points in the end wasnt it? When you think of the gap now between pretty much Leinster and Dublin that is some going.
Obviously the top 3 or 4 counties in the country got close to them, but from "the rest" I wonder were we the last county in the championship to have a kick of a ball between us and Dublin. I do remember some good 10+ point beatings they have handed out in leinster finals to Westmeath and Meath since then.
Sickener was that it was all setup for us the following year with a reasonable draw to the final, only to get absolutely trounced by Louth in the first round of the Leinster at O'Moore Park.
As good as McNulty was his record in the Leinster championship was fairly dire.
Interesting to read how much counties are spending preparing their Inter County teams... Laois spent €750.000
https://www.msn.com/en-ie/sport/gaa/donegal-break-€1m-mark-as-price-of-success-rises/ar-BBQBTAE (https://www.msn.com/en-ie/sport/gaa/donegal-break-%E2%82%AC1m-mark-as-price-of-success-rises/ar-BBQBTAE)
Quote from: The Boy Wonder on December 05, 2018, 12:45:29 AM
Below is a list of Laois Senior Football manager over the past 40 years – have I missed anyone ?
1. Tom Darcy
2. Kieran Brennan ***
3. Bobby Millar
4. Richie Connor
5. Colm Browne
6. Michael Dempsey
7. Tom Cribben
8. Colm Browne
9. Mick O'Dwyer ***
10. Liam Kearns
11. Sean Dempsey
12. Justin McNulty
13. Tomás ó Flatharta
14. Mick Lillis
15. Peter Creedon
16. John Sugrue
I've put 3 stars against Kiernan Brennan and Mick O'Dwyer for their roles in winning National League and Leinster Championship respectively.
It's difficult to rate managers of the 80s and 90s against those of 2000-2018 given how team preparation became more professional but Justin McNulty would be my 3rd favourite Laois manager.
John Sugrue have certainly made a good start but he has a huge task to emulate Kieran or Micko.
Tom Browne- Meath, Laois, Emo & O' Dempsey's.
The profile of Team Manager really took off with Heffo and Micko in the 1970s - prior to then a county would always have had a coach/trainer and selectors but might not necessarily have had a front man.
Before 1981 the previous Leinster Final appearance by Laois was 1968. I'm curious as to who was manager/coach/trainer of that team and also the men who took charge in the years from then up to Tom Darcy's reign. Was former Laois & Meath footballer Tom Browne one of those ?