Brendan Hackett

[shark]

As to a replacement, if Dessie Snr doesnt take it, whats the status of Ray Smyth? I was at a coaching course a while ago and he was the coaches assesor but ended up getting involved and I thought he was excellent..

He has just taken over Mullingar Shamrocks.  You would have seen his youngest son, Lorcan, make quite an impression in the Leinster U21 final after coming on at half time.  Another son, John, has been on the Westmeath team for the past 5 years or so generally at centre-forward.
Don't think he would leave Shamrocks, he has been angling for that job for years.

I knew John was his son alright and assumed Lorcan was too - whats the feeling about him coaching-wise in Westmeath??

Generally that he is a very good coach and more so an extremely good motivator.  Tactics wise on the sideline, I don't really know. Some people would question his temperment, he is seen as a bit 'mad'.  His record is better than decent.  2 SFC with The Downs in '03 and '05 when they hadn't won one in 25 years, and with no county players at the time.  He brought St.Oliver Plunketts to a Leinster junior hurling title in '01, beating Emeralds from Kilkenny in the final, which was a first for any Westmeath club in either code.  He has done well at clubs where they are the perceived underdog and has had little pressure.  Different challenge for him now at Shamrocks who have won 4 out of the last 6 u21s, the most recent with him as coach.

Thats a good record so - is he also an officer of the County Board?

Whats the feeling on Dessie snr so? I've met him on a few occasions and he's a decent enough sort, but I got the impression he'd make Tommy Lyons blush ego-wise??

I dont think he has anything to do with the county board.  He does coaching clinics alright but I don't think under the county board's remit.
Dessie senior seems to be a very likable type of fella.  True to say he probably does think a lot of himself and outside of 1 Longford SFC I don't think he has won a whole lot.  But he would probably be popular among the players.  Not sure is he training anyone this year.  Think he was with Shamrocks (Offaly) last year.

[shark]

Board meeting has just finished in Cusack Park.  Hackett is still in place.  Have that from someone who was there.  Players to meet with him tomorro evening.

[heffo]

As to a replacement, if Dessie Snr doesnt take it, whats the status of Ray Smyth? I was at a coaching course a while ago and he was the coaches assesor but ended up getting involved and I thought he was excellent..

He has just taken over Mullingar Shamrocks.  You would have seen his youngest son, Lorcan, make quite an impression in the Leinster U21 final after coming on at half time.  Another son, John, has been on the Westmeath team for the past 5 years or so generally at centre-forward.
Don't think he would leave Shamrocks, he has been angling for that job for years.

I knew John was his son alright and assumed Lorcan was too - whats the feeling about him coaching-wise in Westmeath??

Generally that he is a very good coach and more so an extremely good motivator.  Tactics wise on the sideline, I don't really know. Some people would question his temperment, he is seen as a bit 'mad'.  His record is better than decent.  2 SFC with The Downs in '03 and '05 when they hadn't won one in 25 years, and with no county players at the time.  He brought St.Oliver Plunketts to a Leinster junior hurling title in '01, beating Emeralds from Kilkenny in the final, which was a first for any Westmeath club in either code.  He has done well at clubs where they are the perceived underdog and has had little pressure.  Different challenge for him now at Shamrocks who have won 4 out of the last 6 u21s, the most recent with him as coach.

Thats a good record so - is he also an officer of the County Board?

Whats the feeling on Dessie snr so? I've met him on a few occasions and he's a decent enough sort, but I got the impression he'd make Tommy Lyons blush ego-wise??

I dont think he has anything to do with the county board.  He does coaching clinics alright but I don't think under the county board's remit.
Dessie senior seems to be a very likable type of fella.  True to say he probably does think a lot of himself and outside of 1 Longford SFC I don't think he has won a whole lot.  But he would probably be popular among the players.  Not sure is he training anyone this year.  Think he was with Shamrocks (Offaly) last year.

I think he's with 80's kingpins Clanna Gael this year - all immaterial if Hackett still in place though.

I had it from two very reliable sources he was gone..

[Croí na hÉireann]

Christ - I'll have to convene a meeting of the Westmeath Belfast Supporters Club and fomally give a response tomorrow.

I read his interview in the Tribune 3 weeks ago and felt bad. He seemed to have a strategy and in fairness I looked at what he said and thought - He said alot of truths. He did get us to the Leinster U-21. The Seniors do need a complete rehaul. The league was always going to be tough and we did play well against Meath & Kildare. He illustated how he was ahead of the game in the 80's and maybe could be proved right

Best of luck to the man. I thank him for what he did anyway. I think Dolan snr should now get it. Let him have his say and get on with it

Can't agree with that MH, I read that Tribune article as well and was none the wiser at the end of it. Contrast that with the article with Joe Kernan in the same paper (Galway weren't going well at the time) where he explained that they were training to peak in July and how he was planning the year. Hacketts interview was just waffle.

The U21s are the best group we've had since the team of 99 and while I wouldn't say that they'd have got to the Leinster Final on their own I think the backup management at that level was miles better than the seniors. And still players weren't played in their right positions. Bad calls on the sideline cost us in the final I believe.

I was at the league game against Eastmeath and both teams were rubbish. In saying that they should have been home and hosed at half time except their shooting was atrocious and they took their foot off the pedal. Couldn't make the Kildare game but I believe Kildare were equally as bad and we still couldn't beat them.

I can't see anyway out for Hackett, even if he clears out his backroom team and gets some decent men in there, there's not gonna be much trust/belief from the panel. He'll be gone by the end of the summer, might as well get out now. Decent article in the Indo this morning...

http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-football/hackett-wrong-man-to-steady-westmeath-ship-2140372.html

Hackett wrong man to steady Westmeath ship



Westmeath manager Brendan Hackett, (left) and selector Mattie Fox make their way past local fans at half-time during the O'Byrne Cup game against DCU

By Colm Keys

Friday April 16 2010

On the face of it, Brendan Hackett was always facing an unenviable task when he accepted a return to inter-county management last September so long after his previous engagement in Offaly.

Westmeath were already in free fall from the dizzy heights of Division 1 of the National Football League, to where they had gained promotion courtesy of their Division 2 title success in 2008.

After seven straight league defeats in the top flight and two heavy reversals to Dublin and Meath in last year's championship, Tomas O Flaharta didn't waste time in getting out of town on a wet night in Mullingar when they went crashing out of the qualifiers.

Westmeath were a beaten docket, and picking up the pieces, as Hackett has since found out, wouldn't be easy.

Like the national economy they had further to fall before their decline would 'bottom out'. Even now, no one is sure if Division 3 is where they will find a level they are comfortable at.

Coming away from Thurles last Sunday, where progressive Tipperary inflicted Westmeath's 14th consecutive league defeat, two of their more hardened supporters wondered aloud together as to the teams they could possibly beat, given their current predicament, in the qualifiers.

Longford maybe? Leitrim? Clare? Carlow? Maybe four was pushing it, they told themselves. That's a measure of the gradient of their decline, a decline that was inevitable regardless of the sideline stewardship.

Westmeath have simply punched above their weight for too long. These circumstances, and others such as the departure of Dessie Dolan and Denis Glennon, have mitigated against Hackett during his reign.

Add in the premature retirement of John Keane, flagged before Hackett's appointment, and it amounts to an exodus that even fundamentally stronger counties than Westmeath could not easily overcome.

But from the outset, there were very few -- both within Westmeath and outside the county -- who were convinced that he would be a success. It just didn't seem the right fit.

He had been out of mainstream football for a long time and his association had been more with athletics -- where he had been chief executive of Athletics Ireland until January 2008 -- and sports psychology.

At a press conference to unveil him (where he often referred to himself in the third person), Hackett outlined a vision of his role that would be more than just manager of a senior team. He would be a director of football; all things to as many teams as possible. It looked innovative.

No doubt the Westmeath officials who approved him were taken by his glowing CV and the 'extras' he could bring to his party. Hackett had a contacts book that made impressive reading.

Olympic gold medal boxing hero Michael Carruth was enlisted as a masseur but was to provide assistance to aspects of training, Olympic canoeist Eoin Rheinisch was also brought on board and Longford man Mattie Fox, successful in the music business through his association with Christy Moore and the Three Tenors among others, brought that background into the mix.

Along with the well-respected former referee and county secretary Paddy Collins and former player Michael 'Spike' Fagan, who are selectors, the team was complete. But it has provoked much debate within Westmeath as to whether it was all too much for a burgeoning squad. Was it what they needed at that stage of their development?

There was still a lot of experienced players around who were still important to the set up. Boxers, canoeists, band managers and sports psychologists was quite an eclectic mix for 'old dogs' like them to embrace.

And it's the 'old dogs', it seems, who have risen up to bite hardest. Within the Westmeath squad there would be quite a few happy to just get on with the job at hand.

In the background for the last six months has been the absence of Dessie Dolan jnr, irked at the manner in which his father Dessie snr, was not just overlooked for the job -- but wasn't even granted the courtesy of an interview.

Westmeath had taken a decision in the wake of O Flaharta's departure to pursue a candidate from outside the county boundaries, given the relative success of Paidi O Se and O Flaharta.

The analogy of Banquo's ghost may not be appropriate in this case for Hackett. He, after all, came to Westmeath with a blank canvas oblivious to political machinations over Dolan. However, the analogy fits for the Westmeath officials who were so determined to get Hackett on board at the expense of a local man.

Quite why it was decided at a Westmeath Football Board meeting to look 'outside' the county for a replacement for O Flaharta was never quite fully explained.

Even if there were good candidates within, they weren't to be entertained. That was the clear message and one which seemed to hit home forcefully to the Dolans.

A county like Westmeath could not afford to be without Dolan and this has hung like a millstone over the county since last September, regardless of the overtures about progress and building to the future. Dolan, even at 31 years old, is still one of the best forwards in the province. He's a figurehead and a leader and his absence has clearly told.

Inevitably in all of these heaves, there is an unwillingness on the players' behalf to accept their responsibility for such a poor run of form. Like many, they haven't been able to remove their scepticism and embrace what Hackett has to offer.

The success in reaching the Leinster U-21 final -- he fulfilled management duties here too -- perhaps insulated him from an earlier heave. But performances have been little better than results have suggested.

The defeats to Armagh, Donegal and Down were heavy, Tipperary felt like the last straw for many.

Colm Keys
Irish Independent

[paddypastit]

Total outsider here lads and tbh out of football other than as a casual fan after 20 years at the bcoalface in club, colleges and county level - hence only the occasional visit on here. However I was drawn to have a look at this as I know Brendan Hackett.

It seems from a distance to be a classic case of a team not being willing to accept that what was (recently) good enough is no longer relevant.  I've not seen any matches or can't comment particularly on the man's ability to manage a football team, and in fairness the comments here are measured and fair in tone, but I went back to that Tribune article that was referred just to see what it said. Most of it is about his prior career but I've extracted the bits about Westmeath specifically as some seemed to think that was evidence of all that was wrong with this regime

The Westmeath manager's is determined to prove that his job is more about changing attitudes and long-term gains than it is about instant results. One step at a time: Brendan Hackett's Westmeath have endured a difficult start to their league campaign, including a heavy defeat to Armagh

We meet on Friday morning in Dublin and Hackett is one relieved man. As Westmeath manager, the most important result of his three months in charge has not long since arrived. Having defended the dismal start the seniors have made to this league – losing all four games in Division Two while being taken for 1-16 by Donegal, 0-24 by Laois and 2-19 by Armagh – on the basis of rebuilding, he took the county's under-21s to a Leinster final on Wednesday as they got the better of Laois. Little acorns and all of that.

The vast majority of knowledgeable football people know what we are doing and realise that'll take time. But it's the case in every county that you have a few people who like the sound of their own voice. The under-21s have been a relief because the talent is there and it's about nurturing it in the right way. I knew the seniors were going to struggle because a team has just broken up but I've been around long enough not to panic... "[article goes on about his early career and involvement in other sports]

"I had the energy to get back into football and went for interviews with Longford and Offaly but knew I wasn't going to get them. Then an approach came from Westmeath. It was ideal from the point of view they are a county that always look at the longer term and give people time and now I want to coach the coaches in Westmeath because lifestyle has changed almost to the detriment of skill in football. You had a generation of kids that just didn't practise spontaneously.

"Players in the noughties were not instinctive. They were manufactured, made. I've come through a generation of coaches that have done the drills and I think we need to step back from that a little and change the players we are producing. Of course with the senior team here now, that window of opportunity is long gone. But I knew what I was getting into and knew a lot of the old team would be going. The likes of John Keane and Fergal Wilson and Derek Heavin and David O'Shaughnessy."

Dessie Dolan too, you mention, suggesting his absence may have had something to do with his father not getting the job now possessed by Hackett? "That was a situation that had very little to do with me and I've tried to talk. There was little else I could do."

As for Dennis Glennon's defection? "Look, Dennis made his own choice. No one forced him to go or told him to stay. He said he wasn't happy and opted out. His call."

And as for the future of Westmeath? "People need to realise this will take time. If I take the sport of athletics as an example, it's interesting that European athletes are not now peaking until their late 20s due to lifestyle compared to Africans who will peak eight years earlier. I dealt with so many athletes that had to learn patience and it's the same in Westmeath now. My aim at this moment is to turn Westmeath into a consistent force in Leinster within three years."

Despite all he's been through, that will be Hackett's greatest challenge. He's crossed frontiers and broken boundaries, but now he needs to bring an entire county with him.

OK, as I say, I know him but I've not met him in a few years and that all seems pretty wise stuff to me and no matter who goes in there, I suspect that if they are honest they will find truth in much of what he says.  While a manager persevering in the face of implacable opposition in a dressingroom is pointless and will eventually end in tears anyway, equally giving the dressing room what it wants is generally not a progressive strategy.

FWIW, IMO Westmeath will be looking for a new manager before lunchtime tomorrow - they should choose carefully, and be careful what they wish for.

[armaghniac]

FWIW, IMO Westmeath will be looking for a new manager before lunchtime tomorrow - they should choose carefully, and be careful what they wish for.

Confirmed on RTE sport that Hackett and his backroom team have resigned.

[put-it-up]

Shock Exit as County manager retires before start of Championship

After late-night developments during crisis talks involving players and the under pressure Westmeath Manager Brendan Hackett he stepped down after only seven months as manager.

The players met up before training in St Loman's in Mullingar, and then they met Hackett straight afterwards where they told of their unhappiness with the season so far where Westmeath lost there seven matches he was under pressure from the outset as it became clear that Dessie Dolan was not coming back after his own father, Dessie Snr, was not even granted an in ...

http://www.sportsnewsireland.com/2010/04/15/shock-exit-as-county-manager-retires-before-start-of-championship/

Is that headline a c**k-up or has Brendan thrown in the towel for good?

[Eoghan Mag]

Could give the job to Martin McCabe, brother of the famous Cavan McCabe. He had several of the Westmeath panel on his team when he managed Garrycastle. He is no longer Garrycastle manager and as far as I know is only coaching junior sides at the minute. He'd be worth a shot.

[irunthev]

So what are the thoughts on Pat Flanagan's short-term appointment?

[AZOffaly]

He's a good manager at club level. It'll be interesting to see how he does. I think he might be far more effective if he had them since October, but sure c'est la vie.

[Croí na hÉireann]

So what are the thoughts on Pat Flanagan's short-term appointment?

An obvious choice and after the county board's last gamble they were always gonna play it safe on this one. According to the Times:

"Athlone GAA club nominated Dessie Senior but this was not accepted by the board. "It was felt his name can only be considered when the full process takes place to confirm a permanent manager after the 2010 championship," said county PRO Pat Reilly."

Jaysus, what kind of stubborn idiots have we got in place in the county board, if there's a possibility to get the right man in now who'll take on the role for the next couple of years then it's worth taking a few extra days over the appointment and getting someone in to take training. Now we've got a situation where Flanagan may or may not be there next year, that uncertainty will breed uncertainty on the pitch. That mealy mouth comment about Dolan only being considered after the championship is only designed to get Junior back on board, I'd be very surprised if he doesn't tell them to fcuk off again.

Regarding Flanagan, well he's won championships with Clara and Tyrrellspass but he was on the line with O'Flaherta last year. Any comments I've seen from him in the media regarding an upcoming match have left a lot to be desired, he needs to be cuter in that respect. There's no expectation on him whatsoever so he's in a win, win situation. We're on the easy side of the draw, Jaysus if the county board hadn't made such a balls of it we could have been looking at a Leinster Final...

[Maroon Heaven]

Our county boards are tw@ts again....

Dessie Dnr will be considered on a full time basis after the 2010 championship. He wasn't even called in to be interviewed when Hackett got it and now when he wants it again they tell him - "Thanks Dessie, sure we'll see you after 2010 is out - If Pat here does a good job, we'll interview you and meet with ya, but Pat will get it anyway - Here is More egg for your face"

[Croí na hÉireann]

Good interview with Flanagan from the Westmeath Independent http://www.westmeathindependent.ie/sport/gaa/articles/2010/12/08/4002125-westmeath-manager-targets-league-promotion-and-leinster-u21-title/

Wish Flan, Healy, Heavin and (probably for definite this time) John Keane well in their retirements from inter-county football. They give us some great days out and fantastic commitment over the years. Hope to see them in Cusack Park cheering on the next brigade in the not too distant future.

Good to have Brendan Murtagh and Conor Jordan join Greville in the dual ranks, they need to be thrown in from the first game in the O'Byrne Cup to give them as much game time as possible to get up to scratch. Greville last year improved from game to game, was one of very few to do themselves justice in the championship and he was outstanding for his club Killucan in the championship. He won the Player of The Championship award was the top scorer in the championship with 4-32 and won five man of the match awards in Killucan's run to the semi-final. If Murtagh and Jordan can develop in the same vein they'll be some addition


Q: Pat, we all know you are an Offaly man, but you have very strong Westmeath roots.

Pat Flanagan: Yes, my parents were from Westmeath, my father from Rochfortbridge and my mother from Delvin. Indeed, I have five sisters and two brothers and every one of them was born in Westmeath bar me.

Q: You were also asked by Tomás " Flatharta to become a senior selector for Westmeath in 2009.

PF: That's right. Obviously, it wasn't the most successful campaign. We lost all our league matches. We got over Wicklow in the championship, but I think the worst day in my life was when Dublin hammered us in the semi-final.

Q: Having said that, when Tomás left you were probably hopeful of taking over as manager.

PF: I was after working my way up from the time I was at Clara, after winning eight championships in various grades. The way I am, I try to do the best I can and the best I can would have been to move on to inter-county level. Yes, I did put my name forward and I was extremely disappointed not to get it, to be totally honest. However, that was the decision of the County Board at the time and you have to accept these things. You move on and I came back and took over Clara and we won the senior championship, which was some consolation for not getting the Westmeath job.

Q: But after Brendan Hackett's brief reign, you were happy to take over on a temporary basis for the 2010 championship.

PF: Yes, the opportunity arose and I definitely saw it as a good chance both for myself and for Westmeath to progress. The stats would have said otherwise, but I had great belief in the players, even at that stage. I thought that we could turn things round. We did to a certain degree by beating Wicklow, but unfortunately we struggled against Louth due to a combination of a lot of things on the day, and the lead-up to it. The biggest single issue on the day was a lack of confidence, I think.

Q: As we all know, Louth were robbed in the final. So, as it transpired, maybe Westmeath could have actually won the Leinster title this year?

PF: We would have gained an awful lot of confidence from the Louth game had we won, particularly not playing as well as we could have. We got very close, despite a couple of decisions on the day which didn't help us. If we had got over Louth, we would have put up a very good fight and possibly won that game against Meath.

Q: You've brought in two new selectors, Tom Darcy and Larry Giles, both very well respected former Westmeath players.

PF: What I wanted to do was get people involved who were totally involved with football all their lives and also who would hold the respect of people, especially modern players. Tom and Larry fit into that category. I would have known Tom from playing in challenge games in Offaly and he worked in Clara for a while also. Obviously, Larry played for Westmeath for a number of years also. I wanted a guy like Tom who could do defensive coaching, and Larry who can work with the forwards. It's not just selectors I was after, but guys who could coach as well in those areas.

Q: And Trevor Smullen is coming in to do the physical training.

PF: Yes, Trevor played with Longford for 11 years, so he has a good degree of knowledge in the inter-county scene and he is a fitness instructor as well. He has a very good background and showed a huge willingness to join the team. I know Trevor well as we work together in the Community Training Centre in Mullingar. He has developed programmes for the guys for gyms and I think everybody is very happy with them.

Q: We are now in the middle of the two-month period when collective training is banned. What are your thoughts on that particular ban?

PF: It's difficult to understand what it's all about, to be honest. You have a number of guys who are in college and are training and playing away as normal. You also have the Garrycastle lads who only finished last week and obviously they would have been training up to then. The idea of this burnout thing probably needs to be revisited and see if there is a different means that can be applied, because certainly it doesn't make a whole pile of sense that you could have maybe 50 per cent of your panel training with colleges and the other 50 not meant to do anything.

Q: How do you envisage the O'Byrne Cup?

PF: Well, it's an opportunity to see players. There are a number of players playing with their colleges in the tournament, but it's a chance to see other guys and how they will perform. I spoke to Larry, Tom and Trevor and we went with a panel that we thought was good enough, adding players from last year, rather than going and having trial games. In my opinion, it is very difficult for a guy to show himself in a trial game. Basically what we did is we drew up a panel from the year gone by and we've added fellows to that.

Q: As you know, the backbone of the side in recent years are all over 30. Have any players formally retired?

PF: Well, Martin Flanagan and Damien Healy told me that they would be finishing after we lost to Derry in the Qualifiers. Both were tremendous servants. Damien was travelling from Galway and Martin was working night shifts. John Keane has serious knee problems and is finding it difficult to sleep by times with pains in his knees and he has decided to opt out also. Derek Heavin is still recovering from the serious injury he picked up against Louth and we will have to see if it is possible for him to come back.

Q: Westmeath have a very poor underage record for a decade now, certainly at minor level. Can we expect to see new talent emerging at senior level?

PF: Westmeath is a small county with limited resources but the under-21 team reached this year's Leinster final and the semi-final a year earlier, which a lot of people seem to forget, losing both narrowly to Dublin. You would imagine that a number of those guys would be coming through. Also, Brendan Murtagh, who is better known as a hurler, has joined the panel and will be a major benefit to it. He is a big man and is very interested in training. The likes of Andrew Whitney and Simon Quinn, those guys could make an impact too.

Q: Does being in Division 3 give you a chance to experiment little more than if Westmeath was in Division 1 or 2?

PF: I believe you need to have a nucleus of senior players and introduce guys gradually. If you put six or seven lads in at the one time, it can destroy some players. A lot of the young lads we have can develop playing with the more seasoned players. We will certainly be introducing some new faces from time to time. The likes of Frank Boyle and Denis Glennon are young but have been around for a good while and players can learn from them. People are saying that we have to build a new team, but we have to build a new team, in my opinion, by giving them the opportunity to growing with seasoned players.

Q: Is your target to get promoted in 2011?

PF: Absolutely. But our first game is away to Louth, who traditionally start the league very quickly. Then home to Cavan and away to Tipperary. They are certainly not easy games. While I would expect us to come out of Division Three, if we don't take the right approach, we could easily find ourselves at the bottom of that league, as there are a number of good teams there.

Q: Are Westmeath supporters being a little unrealistic, expecting to dine at football's top table while the county is clearly in a transition period?

PF: Yes I would advocate caution, but I think we don't think big enough in a smaller county, if I can call it that, like Westmeath. If you don't set out your stall to do and achieve, what happens is there a lack of belief. And if there is a lack of belief, people won't strive to push themselves that extra little bit that makes all the difference between winning and losing. If we just decide in Westmeath that we are just going to consolidate our place, suddenly you find yourself at the base. It has to be our aim to get out of Division Three and to be successful. I honestly believe that a number of the smaller counties fear the likes of Dublin and, because of that, they are already giving away ten per cent of an opportunity.

Q: The championship draw has been reasonably kind for 2011, as draws go. Surely that will give lads an incentive to put in that bit extra?

PF: Yes, it was quite a good draw and everyone in Westmeath will see that, but people in Offaly and Wexford will see it the very same way. They will see a route to the Leinster final and see a huge opportunity there. For now, we need to batten down the hatches and focus totally on the league and get ourselves into a situation where we win matches and bring the confidence levels back up. When we do the likes of that, we can look at the championship. It may be only six months away, but it's a lifetime away where Westmeath are at the moment, for the simple reason that we have lost 14 games in-a-row in the league. It's very difficult to build confidence in a team if you're doing that. We have to set our stall out to win as many games as possible in the league and then let our momentum carry us into the championship. I've seen these guys in Westmeath; they will train and they will put in the effort, provided they see the opportunity to succeed.

Q: You are going to manage the U-21 team as well. How do you feel about that dual role, particularly with the U-21 championship starting so early in the year?

PF: The fact that we are going through a transition period in Westmeath, it is vital for me to be involved with the U-21s. It is an opportunity for me to promote those guys and build the type of football we want to build. I think Westmeath should seriously look at developing a football strategy at minor, U-21 and senior level. They should all play the same type of football so that there's a natural progression from one to the other. It's going to be difficult enough to build a team that can compete at the highest level and, to do that, I think it's vital that I should work with the U-21s. I can understand how they work and they can understand how I work. That way, in a few years those guys will be walking on to a senior team and they are not going to a different game-plan, to different ideas.

Q: Next year's U-21 team should be very competitive as many players are under-age again. Maybe Westmeath can even go all the way in Leinster?

PF: The way I think, I would be expecting to win the Leinster U-21 championship, but I would have to express a bit of concern as the U-21 competition is a very strange one. You have got a lot of guys who played last year but you also a lot of lads who are committed to college work. Because maybe they are in their final year, they are finding it difficult to give the same commitment as before. This is a problem with that age group. Add to that the fact that we are playing Laois in Portlaoise in the first round. There's going to be nothing easy about that. Having said that, the guys themselves are really buoyed up after this year and there is an expectation that they can achieve. There is a certain sense of self-belief and when you have that, there is an awful lot you can work with.

Q: Will you have the use of dual players such as Paul Greville? Can they be accommodated by both Kevin Martin and yourself?

PF: In a perfect world, I suppose footballers would be footballers and hurlers would be hurlers. Paul, Brendan and Conor Jordan have all expressed a desire to play both. Obviously, we'll have to watch their work rate in training and look after them a little bit more. We can certainly do with all the players we can get and I suppose that applies to the hurling also. Yes, it's a small bit of a disadvantage that they will be hurling as well but, for me, the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages.

Q: There was resentment in certain quarters prior to the championship this year when you recalled a number of lads who had not played in the league. Have you laid down the law for 2011 that this will not be the case and that players, who are not around for the grind in the winter and spring, will not be walking back onto the team come the summer?

PF: I am delighted to have the opportunity to clarify that, as a lot of people have asked me is it going to the same thing next year. Basically, this year gone by when I was asked to come in, I had six weeks to get a team ready, having lost all our league matches. So I felt at the time that we needed experience to try and get us across the line. I went to guys who are all very, very good footballers and still are. It's very disappointing to hear comments about 'bringing back the old guys'. The likes of John Keane, Dessie Dolan and Derek Heavin, those guys are not old in relative terms. Injury has caused them problems but those guys were superb players for Westmeath. It wasn't just a matter of bringing back somebody for the sake of it, they were brought back to try and provide experience. I have been given a two-year term, so basically it's up to me to use that two-year term to provide a team for Westmeath that can compete at the highest level. If some guys have gone past it, we will make room for younger guys coming through. It is a transition period and a team has to be built. It's a completely different situation from the term I spent in charge earlier this summer.

Q: So overall, are you optimistic for 2011?

PF: Absolutely. There has been a lot of groundwork going on with the backroom staff. I think that people in Westmeath should have a sense of belief that these lads can achieve. I've already said to the players, I don't want competitors, I want people who can win. Maybe we think too low and too small in Westmeath. Let's push the boat out, give ourselves every opportunity to progress and show our players that there is an opportunity to succeed.

[Dinny Breen]

So lads back to Brendan Hackett.

Looks like Brendan Hackett is taking over the Kildare u16 development squad and will taking them through to minor, what has Brendan been doing with himself since the Westmeath fiasco and is it a good appointment?

[Donnellys Hollow]

Brendan Hackett announced tonight as the Kildare minor manager for next year.