Down Club Hurling & Football

[TakeTheMark]

What date does the Down sfc begin?

25th August

[rosskarr]

McCartan has gone!

[Ed Hardy]

McCartan has gone!

Don't blame James one bit for stepping down. Who's next for the job?  And can they get the best players out playing for Down. Hope they get the appointment sorted soon, so new man has full championship to see who he wants involved.

[snoopdog]

McCartan has gone!

Don't blame James one bit for stepping down. Who's next for the job?  And can they get the best players out playing for Down. Hope they get the appointment sorted soon, so new man has full championship to see who he wants involved.

Realistically who would want it . I'd say it will be an outside man. Banty maybe

[Hard2Listen2]

James gone after one season.

Truth Hurts keep your phone on you.

Could be the East Down man in the set up!

[downtothecore]

If it were my choice it would be conor lavery and Marty clarke to suceed james... if they would take it....

[SHEEDY]

Apart from Laverty and Marty Clarke is there any other realistic names from within the county? If not those 2, an outside person would be the most likely. Whoever it is I hope all the players get on board.

[Johnnysboys]

Time for some of the Kilcoo know it alls to step up to the mantle now. Give it to Laverty surely - can't wait til see who would join him in a back room setup!! He wud definitely get ALL the Kilcoo players on board who are willing to play county and are fit for it - so that's 4 maximum.

[ck]

McCartan did the right thing. He couldn't get a backroom team and the players didn't want him anyway. Time for a clean sweep and full rebuild.
Staying in Div 3 will be no easy task for Laverty & Co.

[Mourne Red]

Bar I think he's working in UL.. Cian O'Neill would be my choice to go for it, I thought he done well with Kildare and then he was in the background team for Galway this year.. Could have a point too prove.

[Baile an tuaigh]

Down boys playing well in Chicago. Barry O Hagan has scored 4  21 in 3 games the stand out player. Three kilcoo boys playing really well Ryan Johnston, Dylan Ward and Caolim Docherty. From what I can see they should be playing County.

[snoopdog]

Bar I think he's working in UL.. Cian O'Neill would be my choice to go for it, I thought he done well with Kildare and then he was in the background team for Galway this year.. Could have a point too prove.

Why would he leave Galway. A team capable of winning Sam with a few tweaks. He is better as a  coach like Paddy Tally. But Tally should've got more time. Wee James hadn't a chance . We need someone like Gallagher at Derry who gets the players to all fall in behind him. Those who don't want to play forget about them work with those hungry to play for the county. Laverty and Clarke are going well at U20 I'd say they're happy to stay there. But if they got senior it's not a 3 yr job they need 5 years at least to start something .

[Mourne Red]

Bar I think he's working in UL.. Cian O'Neill would be my choice to go for it, I thought he done well with Kildare and then he was in the background team for Galway this year.. Could have a point too prove.

Why would he leave Galway. A team capable of winning Sam with a few tweaks. He is better as a  coach like Paddy Tally. But Tally should've got more time. Wee James hadn't a chance . We need someone like Gallagher at Derry who gets the players to all fall in behind him. Those who don't want to play forget about them work with those hungry to play for the county. Laverty and Clarke are going well at U20 I'd say they're happy to stay there. But if they got senior it's not a 3 yr job they need 5 years at least to start something .

Ohh I fully agree we need someone like Gallagher who will take no shit but there isn't many of his elk around as far as I know??.. Back to O'Neill only thing I can think for him to leave would be the travelling, I'm not sure where he is living why I would even approach him just to see if somewhere closer to home would be of interest too him.

Malachy O'Rourke is another name I wouldn't mind us going for although depends how Glen go in Derry if he'll want to change.

[Truth hurts]

We need a headmaster to control these boys

[Truth hurts]

Jason Sherlock could be Monaghan's next manager Picture: Seamus Loughran.

DOWN are on the look-out for a new manager following James McCartan's decision to step down last night after one year in charge.

In a statement, the Down County Board thanked McCartan and his backroom staff, including Aidan O'Rourke and Ronan McMahon, for their service since taking charge last November.

"James McCartan will always be regarded as an iconic figure of Down football," read the statement.

"He has given outstanding service to his county as a player and manager, and we wish him well."

The double All-Ireland winning forward stepped into the breach after county officials missed out on trying to land former Donegal manager Jim McGuinness.

Down officials will now embark on yet another managerial search.

Conor Laverty, Benny Coulter, Marty Clarke, Steven Poacher would be regarded as the new generation of coaches emerging in the county, but the big question is whether any of them would feel they'd have the tools to turn the job into a success.

Clarke and Poacher are currently managing Mayobridge, while Coulter has moved to Rostrover. There were rumours linking the latter to the Down minor post while Kilcoo's Conor Laverty, another highly-rated coach, is making gains with Down's U20s but may feel the timing is not right to step into the senior post.

The experienced Ross Carr is currently with north Belfast club Ardoyne Kickham's and it remains to be seen if the split season would tempt him back to the role he held back in the mid-to-late 'Noughties'.

McCartan's year in charge was a tumultuous one. Player departures, poor results and disciplinary issues summed up 2022 for the Down footballers, while Caolan Mooney later weighed in with some stinging criticism of the set-up.

Despite Mooney's acerbic assessment it was generally accepted McCartan taking on the job at such short notice was a generous act on his part but chances of success were always limited.

It was no surprise the Mournemen were relegated to Division Three of the National Football League before being swept aside by Monaghan in the Ulster Championship.

McCartan had threatened to walk out on the eve of the Monaghan game after some players breached an agreed curfew while on a training weekend in Dublin.

Down's season finished in a first round Tailteann Cup defeat to Cavan.

In his first spell in charge, McCartan guided his native county to the 2010 All-Ireland final and generally raised standards for the next four seasons in charge.

Since then, Jim McCorry, Eamonn Burns (RIP) and Paddy Tally have all held the post.

Down's club championship begins at the end of August.

Meanwhile, Jason Sherlock is expected to be installed as Monaghan senior football manager next week with former team-mate Kevin Nolan understood to be in line to assist him.

Monaghan officials are keen to find Seamus McEnaney's successor before the start of the club championship which gets underway next month.

Sherlock comes with tremendous pedigree having starred for the Dublin footballers and won an All-Ireland title in his first season in 1995.

After his inter-county retirement in 2013, he became later part of Jim Gavin's backroom team and was also joint manager of the Dublin minor team in 2017.

The Monaghan post is a daunting assignment for the next manager. And if Sherlock accepts the offer, he will probably have to oversee a rebuilding job.

Darren and Kieran Hughes, Karl O'Connell and Conor McManus are in the twilight of their inter-county careers but there are no indications that any of these Monaghan stalwarts are considering retirement at this stage.

Nolan, who played alongside Sherlock for the Sky Blues in the 'Noughties', has been playing his football for Monaghan club Cremartin in recent years and would know the local scene well, which would be of huge benefit to the new manager.

Meanwhile, Colm O'Rourke has taken the plunge and accepted the role of Meath senior football manager and will be assisted by former Meath footballers Stephen Bray and Barry Callaghan.