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[Justin McNulty, Dominic Corrigan and Paddy O'Rourke]

http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-football/carr-to-drive-meath-1472089.html


Carr has been the favourite for the Cavan job since last week when it was strongly speculated that he had been offered it. This was denied by Cavan officials yesterday.

Cavan County Board met last night and delegates were informed that their search is now down to three potential candidates.

Cavan employed the services of SportsTracker to recruit a manager and Peter McGrath, the former Down manager, helped with the interview process.

Justin McNulty, Dominic Corrigan and Paddy O'Rourke are also thought to be under consideration for the role.

See your point Hollow Man.
I think its the whole Media profile of the man that drives me nuts.

Some teams are easier to manage than others .When I look at other sports I think of the American basketball team of 1992. The infamous dream team. As management goes there wasn't really much to do here - it was just a matter of telling the lads to go out and do their best. I'd liken this to some of Paidi's sucess espeically his allIreland wins with Kerry. Its not every GAA team in the country that had at the time the likes of the talent of Maurice Fitz, MF Russell , Seamus Moynihan etc to draw on. I probably could have managed the 1997 Kerry team fairly well from my PC here.

That "last 5%" is harder to get than the first "95%" in my opinion. To make that final breakthrough, to cross the line - that's the sign of a great manager.

I think the Wexford analogy is relevant. Your point about winning an All Ireland out of Leinster in the id 90s is invalid. '96 was when Clare were at their peak and Limerick were still brilliant (Limerick threw away the 94 All Ireland). So Wexford had to first get out of Leinster (no mean feat with that amazing Offaly team, and Kilkenny there, plus 30 years of failure on their shoulders), and then beat Galway.

Meanwhile, Limerick got a handy semi against Antrim. Wexford had a tough route, beating teams that had contested the previous two All Ireland finals. Having won nothing for 30 years, losing countless provincial and league finals in the process, I doubt it was an inevitability that they would win an All Ireland.

Surely if it was Cavan would have won more than one Ulster SFC in 40 odd years, "bang the door often often" and so on...

I'm not saying for a second that we should get Paidi, in his current incarnation, in as manager. We saw from his tenure in Clare that he probably has lost the hunger at this stage, but there's still no denying that he was a great manager.

And if we are being pedantic here, you will find that McHugh was in his second year in the job when the 96 team reached the All Ireland final. Was it "luck" on his part to happen upon such a fine bunch, or was he the reason, or a good part of it, that they reached our second national final in 50 odd years?

PS: Keogan has the Cavan job as long as he wants it in my opinion, sad as it sounds. Having bought his way in (rumour has it), he will stay as long as he feels like it.

I'm not convinced that Paidi had lost anything when he got to Clare - he brought along his 5% of "Mojo" but that alone is not what a manager should bring.

In Westmeath it was his side kick Tomas O'Fleaharta that done all the hard graft and Luke Dempsey in previous years before him. Westmeath had some fantastic minor teams from about 1992 onwards. They were unlucky not to pick up more than one minor allireland back then bar their 1995 one. Good Meath teams robbed them on a few occasions after replays in the leinster minor champioship from 1992 onwards. So the foundations were definitely there to start with. Paidi is the high profile media star so he got all the accolades.

Mchugh brought the 5% Mojo to cavan but he also done his fair share of the 95% donkey work. I think Mchugh could have probably seen the potential that was there in Cavan at the time before he took the job.  In 92 when he won his allireland medal wasn't it Cavan that came closed to beating Donegal that year in Breffnie Park? I have always thought that the Cavan team around that time (90-94) would have benifited alot from a back door competition as ulster was so strong at the time.

[impressively, with Westmeath,]

as regards options please don't anybody mention Paidi, he's the current man minus the brains, plus the All Ireland medals and on a par on the "other" stuff

Unlike the current man, who has never managed even a club team, Paidi has done the business with Kerry, and even more impressively, with Westmeath, whose famine was even worse than ours (ie they'd never won ANYTHING). He was a disaster for Clare though.

Trying to work out Keogan's managerial record in the championship (minor and senior). As far as I know, with the minors they lost in the first round to Down in his first year and then beat Antrim and lost a replay to Down the second year.

With the seniors, they lost a replay to Down, then lost to Mayo in the first year, then beat Antrim and lost to Armagh this year.

With the Under 21s we've lost the first round to years in a row.

So excluding the worst team in the province and one of the worst in Ireland, Antrim, Keogan's championship record as a manager reads:

PLAYED 9
WON    0
LOST    7
DREW   2

Pathetic.

Paidi was blessed and in the right place at the right time for westmeath. Luke Dempsey deserved and should have been the man who got Westmeath to the Leinster title. Instead Paidi like some type of Cuckoo swooped into the nest. Damien O'Reilly should have finished him off in 1997 when he charged onto the field.

["Every one of the Armagh team will have an All-Ireland medal, whether it's the real thing or whether it's an U-21 medal.]

"Every one of the Armagh team will have an All-Ireland medal, whether it's the real thing or whether it's an U-21 medal.

That wouldn't be true. off the top of my head - McKinney, mallon, Toner, Martin O'Rourke and Miceal o'rourke of the reported starting 15 wouldn't have an all ireland medal?

Don't be playing it down now Uladh. Donal is right, your coming down to KBP with Medals flowing out of your pockets. We'll let you in at the turnstyles with them or even better you can cash them in at the Imperial Bar later on.

["I think we can win titles in the next few years. There are a lot of quality players coming through. Our whole half-forward line the last day against Antrim was under 21 years of age."]

Meanwhile, Cavan manager Donal Keogan is upbeat about his team's prospects after a first championship win for three years against Antrim in Casement Park.

Keogan believes that "success is imminent" in Cavan because of growing reservoir of young talent that now exists in the county.

"The breakthrough is imminent in Cavan football. There are so many quality footballers coming through and I've given more young players an opportunity this year," he said.

"It is a very young team. We have two minors from last year -- Rory Dunne at full-back and Barry Dunne at wing-back who are both 18 -- on the team the last day who performed well.

"I think we can win titles in the next few years. There are a lot of quality players coming through. Our whole half-forward line the last day against Antrim was under 21 years of age."

Keogan admits, however, that he may not see this success in his time as manager.

"The pressure is never off you when you are manager of the Cavan team," he explained.

"Everyone wants success like turning on a tap or switching on a light but it doesn't work like that. I'm here preaching that it is going to take time but I know that I haven't got time. But we need a result on Sunday and I'm hopeful we'll get it."

Keogan, who reports a clean bill of health and will select from a full strength squad, feels Sunday will benefit Cavan football in future years.

"Every one of the Armagh team will have an All-Ireland medal, whether it's the real thing or whether it's an U-21 medal. But Sunday's game for our lads will stand them in good stead in the future. The experience they will gain before a huge crowd in Breffni Park will be invaluable."

...

Some of this sounds like a Post match Moral victory interview 

Mr Pain...
Re the fantasy team ... can I drive the Team bus or carry the bucket and sponge.  My attendance at training would be like my posting - sporadic!

Thats nice... make the OAP's stand in the terrace. Most OAP's need a seat to watch two championship match's on a hot day.
The saint John's ambulance men might be the busiest men in casement next sunday - stretchering OAP's out of the terrace!

Not to mention people fainting with boredom!

I hope there is room on the stretcher for management career's. It might be needed at 4:50pm.

Thats nice... make the OAP's stand in the terrace. Most OAP's need a seat to watch two championship match's on a hot day.
The saint John's ambulance men might be the busiest men in casement next sunday - stretchering OAP's out of the terrace!

Mr Pain,
I felt the pain of having to listen to the match on the way back to Dublin on Northern sound. I now know the complete history of the McKenna cup competition, the names of just about everyone that is in Lisdarn at present and the bishop of clogher at some point in time when the McKenna cup started out. Also I can break the good news that iniskeen are thinking about challenging Maghera McFinns in a reinactment of some match that happened before 1888. Quality information. As for the match I think Cavan won.
CavanCola

I see the "Johnny-come-lately" Lads on bebo have stolen the campagin started on gaaboard.com to reintroduce the "nectar of the gods". I'm personally not impressed.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/7118861.stm

Campaign to bring back Cavan Cola 

The cola's popularity soon spread throughout Ireland
Fans of an Irish soft drink have launched a campaign to get it back onto shop shelves.
Cavan Cola became a cult favourite during the 1980s and was stocked in stores across Ireland before being withdrawn.

However, the drive to resurrect it has been given impetus with a new online campaign.

Cavan Cola first hit the shelves in County Cavan in 1984 and its popularity soon spread throughout Ireland.


The dark cola had a frothy burnt brown head when poured and had a distinctive taste which apparently set it apart from similar drinks.

'Defines refreshment'


In the mid-1990s, owners Cavan Mineral Water began phasing out the drink, and by 2001 it had disappeared from most shops.

Hundreds of people have now backed the 'Bring Back Cavan Cola' campaign.

It is being spearheaded by Don Leahy on the social networking site Bebo.


T-shirts have been made backing the campaign

He said: "Cavan Cola is a forgotten symbol of what Cavan stood for - Cavan Cola defines refreshment, coolness and vintage Cavan culture.

"It has been sorely missed. No more Cavan children should have to grow up not being able to drink Cavan Cola from the brown bottle with a bag of Tayto (crisps)."

The drink is also featured on online encyclopedia Wikipedia and T-shirts have been made backing the campaign.

How many times have cavan been in the Preliminary round of the ulster Championship in the last 10 years?

Thought that years ago that a bunch of teams had to go into a draw to see if they would be in the prelim round. (Teams that hadn't being in the prelim round for some time?). This way every team took turns to play the "Extra match" at some point.

Just seems like we are out in the middle of May travelling to Belfast on a yearly basis now?

What sort of team do UCD have this year Skyblue?

Any idea when the QF matchs will be played?

Anyone see any players who would be worth a go with county for next season?

John McCabe from Muntirconnaught. Was fantastic against Templeport. Great attitude - never quits. Probably won't get a call up becuase he's from a low profile Junior club - Cavan's loss.

Found this archive on that match..... clears up a few things on the 1999 match.

Cavan out to prove draw was no fluke
by Mark Gallagher
BY the time Dermot McCabe raced into the square to meet Raymond Cunningham's cross last Sunday, that famous Derry spirit was destroyed.
As his fist rose to direct the ball into the net, it appeared an incredible, if controversial, championship comeback had been completed. The muscular Cavan captain using his shock of red curls as target in full-forward appeared to have ended the reign of Derry in Ulster.
"In the heat of battle, you have no real indication of time," the bulky targetman said. "We knew when Ronan had scored the penalty, it was coming very close to full time. I knew it was close, but couldn't tell how close. And there was still only a point in it at that stage, so were really thinking of victory. We only realised time was up when we were told Tohill's free was the last kick of the game, which of course it wasn't. But there you go, a draw was probably a fair result in the end."
Cavan turned the match on its head in the last five minutes. Using the bizarre penalty decision to their advantage, they found the net twice in 90 seconds, something they never looked like doing throughout the match.
"I'd disagree with that. There was a spell in the first ten minutes of the second half where scores came from all over the park. We got five or six points in a row and we were really on fire. We were finding it difficult to threaten their goal, but once the penalty went it, it panicked them a little bit and luckily, I was able to take advantage of that."
McCabe shares his manager's belief that his team were extremely fortunate last Sunday. With Joe Brolly telling anyone who will listen that Cavan's continued presence in the championship is an Ulster council conspiracy, McCabe believes there is a deeper reason.
"We were lucky, very lucky. We got out of jail three times. But, we never gave up either, even when Derry were pulling further and further away. We always came back and we deserved a draw and a chance to fight another day. And, we almost won it in the end."
Not only has the venue changed for the replay, So too has the official. After the farcical final five minutes on Sunday, Mick McGrath has been set aside, Paddy Russell coming into his place. Sigh of relief heard from Derry, but what do Cavan make of the decision?
"I haven't heard anything about it," McCabe answers. "But, it really shouldn't affect the game one way or other. I suppose the Derry players have been complaining about some of the decisions, particularly the penalty decision. In that sort of atmosphere, there would be an awful lot of pressure for the same referee again. Personally, I don't care who referees the game on Sunday, it will have little effect on us."
In Derry, they are looking ahead to Sunday with just a little dread. Brolly is still unfit, Ronan Rocks is suspended and a hurling game is entrapping some squad members on Saturday. Cavan, meanwhile, suffer no injury doubts and are primed for the replay, having almost snatched victory in Belfast.
"We would like to think that maybe their spirits are broken a small bit from Sunday, but it is another game, back to square one and when you go into any championship game, you still have to have that will to win," McCabe said.
"And I'm sure Derry will have it as much as us on Sunday. What happened in Casement is history now. We can't allow the fact Derry might have some problems because of the sending-off and the hurling game to come into our minds for this game. We have to just concentrate on our preparations."
For the captain himself, it has been another week to dispel any lingering fitness doubts. McCabe sustained an injury ten weeks ago in a club game. Although the injury did not rule him out of the team, he was shuffled between midfield and full-forward until his sharpness returned.
"There are still slight problems from the injury and I had been playing midfield a bit because of that. It is wherever Val decides to play me. I was originally selected for midfield, but he decided to move me forward before the game last Sunday. I don't really care where I play, as long as I am playing."
This Sunday, McCabe's loping gait and curly red mop will lead Cavan around Breffni Park for the first time in the cauldron of championship football. An honour which he himself ensured with a precise punched goal in Casement Park. The chance of playing championship football in Breffni is a rare experience for this young Cavan side. McCabe hopes this will benefit the team on Sunday.
"Overall, I think this team has only played one championship game at Breffni Park, and it will a great experience for some of the younger lads. But in the championship, I don't know how much of an advantage a home venue is. Derry will be coming down determined to put last Sunday behind them, and playing at Breffni will fire them up as much as us."


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