Wee James Is The New Down Manager

[mournerambler]

I think its the way he found out about it thats the problem.  Certainly the article in the Irish News sounds a bit like sour grapes but there are individuals within the County set-up who are obviously informing media and other organisations - and it stinks.  The same happened when Carr / Kane were sacked.  Comments were made over on the local thread about 'certain peoples egos' - its nothing to do with ego's.  Carr & Kane were unfairly treated and so was Pete McGrath - not because they didn't get the job but the methods that were used to oust or discount them.  I just think it should have been handled better and in saying that i welcome the new appointments, i think they have their work cut out for them but i wish them luck.

Ross & DJ were appointed for a three year term which came to an end this year so I don't see how you can say they were sacked when they wern't actually in a job after the exit from the qualifiers/championship against Wicklow.

[goldenyears]

JAMES McCartan has learned very quickly that nothing can prepare anyone for the onslaught that faces the new inter-county manager.

By yesterday afternoon he had spent four-and-a-half hours on his mobile phone, and not a single minute was in relation to his job of running Tullyraine Quarry, the family business.

He was making calls and receiving them. The requests for interviews from press, radio, and television have been coming thick and fast since he was confirmed as Ross Carr's successor on Friday night.

McCartan batted all media requests away until he finally relented and spoke to The Irish News.

The past 72 hours may have been a baptism of fire, but they provided the former Down star with an idea of the difference between club and county management.

He understands that the demands of county management will put on an added strain on his working day. His wife Linda (who is pregnant), and their two sons James (5) and Cian (3) may also see slightly less of him, but the Ballinderry manager noted that his life was already

consumed by football.

"Last Sunday I had to be at a game in Slaughtneil at 11.30am in the morning. I then had to be in Warrenpoint for 3.30pm for a 125-celebration game. I then went to two Championship games in Newry."

McCartan revealed that the baby-sitting skills of his parents, James and Marie, and the leeway provided by a considerate wife, have enabled him to maintain his passion for football.

"I have a supportive wife and supportive grandparents," he said. "On Sunday, I left my children with my mum and dad at half eight in the morning.

"They have put their hands up to volunteer help whenever they can, and my wife has always said that she would never stand in the way of football – she thinks that it keeps me out of trouble," he added.

It's no surprise that McCartan's father, James, a legend of Down football, and a vociferous supporter, is willing to lend assistance to his son's management campaign.

No doubt, James snr will also provide a few opinions. But McCartan revealed that he has already sought the advice of other elder statesmen from the Mourne county.

"A lot of phone calls have already been made to people who attend a lot of football in Down. We are looking for names," he said.

McCartan's swift appointment means that he can conduct some trials before the moratorium on all training sessions takes effect in November and December.

Commenting on his plans to draw up a new county squad, the 38-year-old said: "There are one or two players out there who we think deserve a shot at it.

"But I am also fully aware of the efforts that Ross and DJ went to. Whenever they started, I think they trialled 140 players.

"They tried to cover every angle to ensure that no-one slipped through the net.

"There is always the chance that you might unearth a Peter Withnell.

We are aware that a lot of work has been done in that area. And Pete [McGrath] has enjoyed great success with the U21s during the past two years.

"The Down minors have also been doing well. The players are there. We are just hoping that they will be able to make the step up."

During the closed season, managers are only allowed to hold two meetings, and two trial games, which must not feature any of this year's Championship squad.

The ban on collective training represents a huge challenge for managers like McCartan who are embarking on their first season.

Not surprisingly, he sounded keen to make a head start by conducting trials before the closed season begins.

"My initial thinking is that I will use the rest of September to finalise our plans. We will then use the month of October to get a panel sorted out.

"Trials will be held, probably in conjunction with the league play-offs. I wouldn't be sure of the format just yet, but trials will be held," he said.

In an increasingly competitive provincial landscape, the new Down manager now faces the tough task of bringing his county to the top of a pile that includes a raft of equally ambitious teams.

It's a challenge that proved beyond both Paddy O'Rourke and Ross Carr. McCartan stressed that he was under no illusions about the enormity of the job he and his management team of Brian McIver and Paddy Tally has taken on.

"You are a Down man through and through and there is always that wee bit of hope that you can be the man who will bring that success back.

"I have seen the effort that has gone in from the previous management teams. I know that it will not just happen," he said.

[goldenyears]

DOWN'S new management team will bring a wealth of All-Ireland winning experience to the post after it was confirmed last night that James McCartan would succeed Ross Carr and bring in Paddy Tally and Brian McIver to his backroom set-up.

McCartan – twice an All-Ireland and Allstar winner with the Mourne county – has been appointed for a three-year term.

Most recently the manager of Ballinderry in Derry, he has also previously managed St Gall's in Antrim and Burren in his native county.

He has also won the Sigerson Cup with Queen's as a player (1990 & '93) and as a manager (2007).

A tenacious corner-forward in his playing days, McCartan also won All-Ireland titles at minor and school level. He was part of the Down minors who lifted the Tom Markham Cup in 1987 and he twice won the Hogan Cup with St Colman's College, Newry, in 1986 and '88.

McIver is another who has worked in a number of counties. The Tyrone native took Ballinderry to an All-Ireland club title in 2002, managed Donegal to their 2007 National League win and has also managed in Armagh with Dromintee.

He recently ruled out a return to county management when linked with the vacant Armagh job and revealed that he is looking forward to a more hands-on role in the new Down set-up.

"I said I wouldn't be returning as a manager. By and large, I'm in working with the players. That's what I see as my role and that's what I enjoy doing," he said.

McIver worked with Tally when the latter was manager of the St Mary University team. The former All-Ireland winning trainer with Tyrone was also Down trainer this year.

However, McIver admits that working with McCartan will be a new experience for him.

"This will be my first time working with James. I know his reputation as a player and the work that he has done with Queen's and various clubs. So I'm looking forward to it," he said.

Although Down managed to win promotion out of Division Three this year, their Championship challenge was brought to a sharp halt in the third round of the Qualifiers against Wicklow.

Having recovered from a first round Ulster Championship defeat to Fermanagh, they got back on track with wins over London and Laois before coming unstuck in Aughrim.

McIver admits that he still has a lot to learn about the Down players, but believes that the county has the right blend of up-and-coming young talent and senior players who are starting to reach their peak.

"I was at their game with Fermanagh in the Championship and I've seen a few of their games on TV. Hopefully, over the coming weeks, I'll learn a lot more about them," he said.

"I have no doubt that there's great talent in Down – that has been very evident from their work at minor and U21 level over the last number of seasons, along with the lads who are also now the more senior players and should be reaching the prime of the football careers."

[goldenyears]

McGrath left hurt by Down board's snub

Gaelic Games
By Paddy Hickey
17/09/09


FORMER double All-Ireland winning manager Pete McGrath has lashed out at the treatment he received from the Down County Board during their hunt for a new football manager.

Incredibly, the first that the Rostrevor man learned that he had been overlooked in favour of former Mourne star James McCartan, who played under him in the 1991 and 1994 successes, was when he picked up his newspaper last Friday morning.

''The Irish News was delivered to my house last Friday morning at eight o'clock, and I was completely gobsmacked when I saw a big heading on the back page saying 'McCartan on the brink','' explained the former Ireland International Rules manager.

''The article said that the appointment of James McCartan was going to be rubber-stamped at a county board meeting in Newry that night, and that's exactly what happened.

''That was a bolt completely out of the blue for me, because I had attended an interview for the position of team manager on Monday of last week (September 7), and I was informed then that the decision about the new team manager would not be announced for at least three weeks.

''I subsequently learned after last Friday that the announcement would have been made last Wednesday but for the fact that the county chairman (Kevin Bell) was away on holidays, and would not be returning until last Friday.''

McGrath had made no secret of his desire to succeed Ross Carr at the Mourne county helm, and he was widely seen as the front-runner for the position until McCartan got the nod.

''No one has a divine right to be chosen as a team-manager,'' said McGrath, who managed Down to All-Ireland senior success in 1991 and 1994, to an All-Ireland minor title in 1987, and to Ulster U21 titles in 2008 and 2009.

''But to say that I'm bitterly disappointed at the way that I was treated by the Down board would be a complete understatement. In fact, I'm devastated, saddened and hurt by what's happened over the last four to five days.

''It's a bit like Michael Collins being shot by his own county people in 1922.

''I thought my record of managing teams to two

All-Ireland senior titles, one All-Ireland minor title, to two Ulster titles in the last two years, and coming within 30 seconds of winning this year's All-Ireland [U21] final against Cork, would have counted for something tangible.''

Prior to the interview process, McGrath added that he feared the worst when he learned the make-up of the five-man committee.

''There was one individual (whom McGrath did not wish to name) who had tried to have me ousted from the position of county senior team-manager back in 1993, the year before we beat Dublin in the All-Ireland final,'' he pointed out.

''At the interview, this same person asked me if I thought I still had the enthusiasm, drive and passion to manage at inter-county level, after me having managed the U21 team for the past two years.

''He also asked at the interview if I thought that the Down team of the 90s had under-performed – after winning senior All-Irelands in 1991 and '94 – two of Down's entire total of five senior

All-Irelands since the start of the GAA.

''I had assembled an excellent backroom team for next year, with Paul Hardy and Liam Murphy from this year's U21 set-up, and Declan Mussen, who had been the Down trainer under Ross (Carr) for two years, joining me.''

[5 Sams]

Who was the boyo that asked Pete during the interview if he still had the hunger, drive and passion for the game ?

Wondered at that myself....this same boyo tried to oust him in 93....according to Pete.

Any guesses...you can rule out Seamus Ryan and Blayney because they wouldnt have been involved at Co Board level then. Perm one from 3..Sean og (was he there then?), Kevin Bell, Emmett Haughian (was he there then?)....nil fhios agam

[Zapatista]

I'm drinking a big beer and making a silent toast to all the wives and mothers in the GAA

[In the Onion Bag]

JAMES McCartan has learned very quickly that nothing can prepare anyone for the onslaught that faces the new inter-county manager.   
By yesterday afternoon he had spent four-and-a-half hours on his mobile phone, and not a single minute was in relation to his job of running Tullyraine Quarry, the family business.

Where can I get one of those phone batteries, mine would only last a half an hour at that rate.

[norabeag]

Who was the boyo that asked Pete during the interview if he still had the hunger, drive and passion for the game ?

Wondered at that myself....this same boyo tried to oust him in 93....according to Pete.

Any guesses...you can rule out Seamus Ryan and Blayney because they wouldnt have been involved at Co Board level then. Perm one from 3..Sean og (was he there then?), Kevin Bell, Emmett Haughian (was he there then?)....nil fhios agam

Bell was not on the ctte

[stiffler]

Is it true marty clarke is home and is in the down squad already??!

[Class of 99]

Fantastic news if True about Clarke. Hopefully him and John will both be in James squad for the NL.

[Bacon]

Clarke is home but there is no Down squad so he can't be in it.

McCartan is the right choice for Down despite the nonsense that clown In The Onion Bag is spouting on the club thread. There was no other viable candidate FFS. His back room team is excellent IMO.

[fingerbob]

Heard earlier that Clarke was back on the Collingwood first team? Dunno if thats true but obviously brilliant news if hes home.

[Cúig huaire]

Clarke was named on the VFL team at the weekend, but he didnt play.

[Cúig huaire]

The off the fence column in todays Irish News will make for interesting reading. There are a lot of letters complaining about how Pete was treated. While I agree that he wasnt treated the best and should have been notified that he did not get the job, it is time to put this matter to bed once and for all. Wee James is the Down manager now and deserves the full support of everyone in the county. Pete more than anyone should realise this and stop creating more division within the county. If he wants to go and manage Armagh then go ahead, we dont mind him taking one of the lesser counties and trying to help them out, but airing his dirty laundry is doing no one any favours.

[orangeman]

Pete has done himself no favours by bitching about geting poorly treated one week and then looking for the Armagh job the following week.



BTW James Mc Cartan must be fairly smiling this morning with the news that Clarke is coming back.