Offaly on the manager hunt again

[fearglasmor]

John McIntyre has resigned, with  alleged designs on filling Babs' seat.

Who are the likely candidates for the Offaly job or will it make any difference.
Aidan Fogarty seems to have some backers but would anyone outside the county be interested in taking on division 2 hurling.

[orangeman]

What about Babs ? Woluld Offaly hae him back or better still, would he go back ?

[dodo]

Babs ".......they're like sheep up there in Offaly"

Johnny P "If we're the sheep he's definitely not the shepherd"

[sligeach]

Babs ".......they're like sheep up there in Offaly"

Johnny P "If we're the sheep he's definitely not the shepherd"

Go on Johhny boy

[AZOffaly]

McIntyre had a lot of faults, God knows, but he has done a decent job of starting the rebuilding process, and there is a lot of decent hurlers with age on their side who can be competitive again, perhaps at a level like Limerick, Tipp, Galway and Clare. It is only in very rare cycles we get a team like the 81-85 or 94-2000 vintages. Hopefully the next manager who comes in will continue with the younger lads, and start to drill real belief into them.

Divisiion 2, deserved as it is, will not help matters, but from small acorns mighty oaks do grow.

[orangeman]

Not many Whelehans or Pilkingtons or Dooleys about now unfortunately - it takes players of this calibre to win the big prizes.

[dodo]

Is Brian Whelehan's son making any county panels in Offaly ? Have some vague recollection of him being a minor of recent vintage.

[Lone Shark]

Was on the minor team this year, and if I'm not mistaken he's minor next year as well, but he has a long way to go yet. In fairness, i feel sorry for the lad, it's not easy growing up being compared to the only modern day hurler picked on the millenium team. He's a big lad, handy enough player, but has a lot of development to do yet.

[the procastenator]

johnny mc intyre, he da man

[Pull Hard Hes No Relation]

Saw young Whelehan play this year against the Down minors in Clara during a challenge game. Handy enough hurler but very unfair to compare him to his Dad or expect similar things from him - honestly I think Offaly need to accept that it is going to be a long road back to the top table so to speak. Their acheivements from such a small "hurling" area have been fantastic and they "boxed" well above their weight in population terms for a period of almost 20 years.

When people look at the 80's and 90's I think they would say that Offaly and not Kilkenny were the top team in Leinster and possibly Ireland

All-Irelands won 1980-1999

Offaly - 4, 1981, 1985, 1994, 1998
Kilkenny - 4 1982, 1983, 1992, 1993
Wexford - 1 1996

Offaly also won nine Leinster titles in the same period as did Kilkenny - maybe the rest of us should be praying for an Offaly revival to keep them bloody Cats in check!

As I said on another threat saw Offaly V Cork this year in the park and they were brutal, maybe just a bad day but didn't look like Mc Carthy cup class to me that day -perhaps a more competitive Christy Ring is the answer to prepare teams better for the step up to the All Ireland make the Christy Ring worth winning with Antrim, Laois, Offaly etc all competing in it but then again maybe playing the top teams is the only way to improve either way the loss of Offaly as a truly top class side to me is having the biggest impact on the Leinster championship far more so than Wexford's demise.