County Manager Merry go round

[Syferus]

Pete McGrath is confirmed as Fermanagh manager for 2018

Good get for Fermanagh. He'd be in demand in more than a few counties. He's not done a whole lot wrong in his time in charge.

[Il Bomber Destro]

Will the Derry minor manager get the senior gig now?

He's done some impressive work of late.

Hard to assess Barton, two fairly uninspiring league campaigns and feeble Ulster Championship displays but they seemed galvanised in the qualifiers and played with a bit of spirit that Derry teams don't always do. Considering the amount of withdrawals in Derry this year, I'm not sure if he could have done much more.

For me, Derry have the players to win Ulsters, players like McKinless, McBride, Johnstone, McGoldrick, Holly, Emmett Bradley etc are all quality players and if they had a full playing hand then I think you'd see them probably be as good as anyone else in Ulster now, bar Tyrone.

[manfromdelmonte]

you'd wonder at Pat Flanagan

offaly have definitely improved under him
apparently the county board didn't give him much bsvking in terms of equipment and there are expenses due to management and other backroom staff. when that is going on its never going to work out well

[Rossfan]

Seems Pat first heard of his sacking was when his wife saw it on Twitter or Facebook!!!
Some  way to treat anone.....

[Syferus]

Seems Pat first heard of his sacking was when his wife saw it on Twitter or Facebook!!!
Some  way to treat anone.....

Almost as bad as he treated Sligo. What goes around comes a-fúckin-round.

Offaly are some joke, but surely to God that wasn't news to Pat?

[twohands!!!]

http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/pat-flanagan-learned-of-offaly-axe-from-wife-454284.html

Pat Flanagan learned of Offaly axe from wife
   
Friday, July 07, 2017 Jackie Cahill
Pat Flanagan has revealed that it was his wife who informed him that he had been axed as Offaly senior football team manager on Tuesday evening.

At a county board meeting, Flanagan was ousted after a recommendation brought forward by the top table was passed.

Breaking his silence on the matter, Flanagan claims that a promise of €4,000 for gym equipment last November wasn’t followed through, and that he was informed in February that the money wouldn’t be forthcoming.

He also revealed that having requested a video analysis programme, a team doctor and GPS tracking systems, and been told that they would be in place before the start of the Allianz League campaign, none were delivered. Flanagan alleges, too, that there’s an ongoing issue with expenses due to management and strength and conditioning coach David Hare.

Flanagan believes his efforts to progress Offaly football were hampered behind the scenes during his three-year tenure.

“It was extremely disappointing that my wife found out on social media, and informed me on Tuesday night, of the decision. It’s been an honour and privilege to get the opportunity to manage my own county.

“As a person who captained Offaly at U-14, minor and U-21, it was a pleasure to do that and work with those young Offaly men who are a credit to themselves, their families and their county.

“I’m disappointed that I wasn’t more persuasive in some of the things that I tried to achieve with the county board.”

Flanagan, who’d previously managed Westmeath and Sligo, explained how he wanted a high-profile figure, with a proven record of success, present alongside him to review his first season at the helm in 2015.

He said: “I requested that someone of the calibre of Sean Boylan or Tommy Lyons would be part of that meeting to assess what I’d achieved in my first year, and to make recommendations for the coming year.

“We didn’t get that opportunity and they (county board) brought on a local man, (former player) Vinny Claffey.

“I wanted somebody that had achieved as a manager in the Leinster championship, and learn from him, to give Offaly the best opportunity possible of moving forward.”

Flanagan also says that his suggestion to run weekend forums to oversee the development of teams at all grades was also not acted upon.

He added that shortly before going on a two-week holiday in 2015, he was asked to draw up short and long-term plans relating to his vision for the future of Offaly football.

Having worked diligently on that during his break, Flanagan said: “The reaction of then secretary Tommy Byrne was one of ‘shock horror’, and ‘do you want to come in and run the county board?’ That plan hasn’t seen the light of day since.”

And detailing the series of events that led to what was effectively his sacking as team manager, Flanagan said: “I got a phone call on Monday evening from Tommy Byrne, the chairman, and he said to me that following a meeting of the new committee, it was recommended that my name wouldn’t be put forward, and that would be going to the (county board) meeting the following day.

“He said that I could make a statement and put it in the paper the next day, explaining that I wasn’t going forward and they would back me fully.

“I rang him back on Tuesday, an hour before the county board meeting, and said I wasn’t resigning.

“I asked for a meeting with club delegates, which wasn’t offered to me either. He said he’d ring me back later. I haven’t heard anything since.”

Flanagan concluded by thanking the previous Offaly county board chairman, Padraig Boland, for giving him the chance to manage the team, having been nominated for the position by Tullamore’s Fergal McKeon.

He also thanked groundsman Liam Corcoran, who looks after the team’s Walsh Island training base, as well as media and “genuine” team supporters and paid tribute to his backroom team and selectors James Stewart, Declan Farrell and Pat Daly, along with Hare and his team.

When contacted last night, Offaly county board chairman Tommy Byrne responded: “It’s common knowledge what happened on Tuesday night. “It came before a full county board meeting and was dealt with there.”

When asked about Flanagan’s claims on requests for gym equipment and other matters, Byrne said: “I’m not really going to get into stuff like that, he’s the ex-manager.

“I’m not getting into a tit-for-tat, that’s going nowhere.”

[FermGael]

Pete McGrath has informed the County Chairperson Greg Kelly today that he is resigning from his position of FermanaghSenior Manager.

Just been released by Fermanagh county board.

[Syferus]

Pete McGrath has informed the County Chairperson Greg Kelly today that he is resigning from his position of FermanaghSenior Manager.

Just been released by Fermanagh county board.

What the hell happened, Ferm?

[Blowitupref]

Pete McGrath has informed the County Chairperson Greg Kelly today that he is resigning from his position of FermanaghSenior Manager.

Just been released by Fermanagh county board.

I presume he was told a lot of the players that didn't make themselves available for selection in 2017 won't in 2018 either? or Maybe he has eyes on the Derry job?

[FermGael]

Seems to have lost some of the dressing room from initial reports.

[Syferus]

There's going to some scramble for McGrath by a lot of counties..

[FermGael]

I would think so.

[Syferus]

I would think so.

Are you disappointed he's gone? It would appear from the outside he did a lot to bring Fermanagh up a level. I know I'll never forget that comeback in Brewster in 2015..

[FermGael]

Pete did a great job with Fermanagh.
We lost alot of men when Canavan left and it was very much doom and gloom.
He blooded alot of younger players that had been left kicking their heals in that first year
and learned alot himself about the demands of modern football.
Year 2 was the pinnacle. Promotion to division 2 , and the run to the quarter final.
Year 3 was not a bad year either when you think we stayed in division 2 and were beaten by Donegal and Mayo in championship.
Year 4 could have been better but he lost a lot of men to retirement and injury.
The year fell apart after the Derry game. We should  have won that game and stayed up.
Instead we conceded a silly goal and got relegated.
It's strange when you consider where Down are now.
If we had of won that Derry game then it could have gave the panel the confidence to push on.
Instead we had a timid enough championship. We should have prefromed better against Armagh.

Pete has left the Fermanagh team in a better place than when he got the job.
He has developed a number of players and his enthusiasm for the game has rubbed off on them
Whoever gets him next will be lucky.

[sid waddell]

Pete McGrath taking charge of Louth for next year would seem a very logical move.