Down Club Hurling & Football

[Johnnysboys]

So what would the criteria for next county boss be?

Successful club record?
Big name from playing days?
Success with underage county teams?
Success at senior county level?

A pulse??
Don't mind keeping a seat warm for Laverty??
No need for any expenses??

[Dubh driocht]

It's a bit of a worry alright to be managerless at this stage but things will work out.
One thought  I have is that Jim McGuinness hasn't covered himself in too much glory from this affair.
Like most people on this board I was absolutely amazed that the group charged with appointing the manager managed to keep it under wraps for so long. Both they and the McGuinness Laverty Clarke ticket successfully kept Schtum right up until the County final weekend when everyone I spoke to had heard the names in the frames. When the Irish News ran the story a few days later we were all upbeat so if it's true that McGuinness walked because the story was out, he confirmed that he really is unbelievably thin skinned.Kevin Cassidy had a point.
So while he was a successful coach he's a prickly character and if he can't handle this issue God knows what he would have been like if he had  a real crisis to deal with.

[SamFever]

It's a bit of a worry alright to be managerless at this stage but things will work out.
One thought  I have is that Jim McGuinness hasn't covered himself in too much glory from this affair.
Like most people on this board I was absolutely amazed that the group charged with appointing the manager managed to keep it under wraps for so long. Both they and the McGuinness Laverty Clarke ticket successfully kept Schtum right up until the County final weekend when everyone I spoke to had heard the names in the frames. When the Irish News ran the story a few days later we were all upbeat so if it's true that McGuinness walked because the story was out, he confirmed that he really is unbelievably thin skinned.Kevin Cassidy had a point.
So while he was a successful coach he's a prickly character and if he can't handle this issue God knows what he would have been like if he had  a real crisis to deal with.

And what point are you making?

[charlieTully]

Was in docs there. Neil Lennon was sat in the corner whispering with some prominent east down big wigs. Keep it under wraps for now. The chicken stack was class BTW.

[Caitlin]

It's a bit of a worry alright to be managerless at this stage but things will work out.
One thought  I have is that Jim McGuinness hasn't covered himself in too much glory from this affair.
Like most people on this board I was absolutely amazed that the group charged with appointing the manager managed to keep it under wraps for so long. Both they and the McGuinness Laverty Clarke ticket successfully kept Schtum right up until the County final weekend when everyone I spoke to had heard the names in the frames. When the Irish News ran the story a few days later we were all upbeat so if it's true that McGuinness walked because the story was out, he confirmed that he really is unbelievably thin skinned.Kevin Cassidy had a point.
So while he was a successful coach he's a prickly character and if he can't handle this issue God knows what he would have been like if he had  a real crisis to deal with.

And what point are you making?

I presume he is making the point that posters are having a go at the selection panel, the county board and club delegates but McGuinness has questions to answer. He has admitted talking to counties so was a gun for hire yet ran away just because people knew about it.
As a result we don't have a manager weeks before the season starts again.

[ScarvaLegend]

There is some dung spouted on here, let's wait until we see what the recruitment committee has put together before casting judgement.
Onion rings are class.

[The_big_bad_wolf]

If the rumors are correct that Gavin Devlin from Tyrone was interested in the Down job it amazes me how he didn't even get a interview.  It says a lot of our county board leadership and the selection committee which was formed.  It's 7 weeks to the National league and we have no one to lead us into our next year.  No management, no panel and no training program commenced.  It's time we got rid of these county board beaurocrats who are  steering our proud county in the wrong direction.

[Hard2Listen2]

You'll be putting yourself forward as county board rep at your club's AGM then?

[Smurfy123]

I would be amazed if Down didn't announced a manager this week

[Truth hurts]

Less than 6 weeks left to the end of the year, most club teams apart from Kilco who are tied up in Ulster will have met or plan to meet soon to organize winter conditioning training. I really am getting scared for our national league next year.

[johnnycool]

I understand the issue you guys have now is that the McGuinness ticket was as good as done - few things to be ironed out but it would have been good to go.

Jim pulled the plug on it because it was leaked before any announcement was made.

Given Jim's penchant for everything staying in house, once the leak was made, he decided Down was not for him.

Means yous are having to look at a plan B now.

This is exactly it from a not so high ranking CB official..

McGuinness was more or less over the line till someone spilled the beans, Jim then decides he can't trust the setup and then distances himself from the role.

There is no plan B, it's back to the start

[Truth hurts]

I understand the issue you guys have now is that the McGuinness ticket was as good as done - few things to be ironed out but it would have been good to go.

Jim pulled the plug on it because it was leaked before any announcement was made.

Given Jim's penchant for everything staying in house, once the leak was made, he decided Down was not for him.

Means yous are having to look at a plan B now.

Was it a county board official or someone connected to the ticket that squealed? There is someone involved in that process who wanted the process to fail, they need to be weeded out of Down GAA future.
This is exactly it from a not so high ranking CB official..

McGuinness was more or less over the line till someone spilled the beans, Jim then decides he can't trust the setup and then distances himself from the role.

There is no plan B, it's back to the start

[forevergreen]

I wouldn't say they wanted the Jim McGuinness recruitment to fail, it was more that they wanted to look like the big fella who was involved in it and making out they were in the know. Anyone who has followed or read anything around McGuinness and how he operates would know he demands a closed shop. the fact that some of the CB boys were spouting in public just highlighted that he couldn't trust them at any stage and therefore pulled the plug.
For what its worth i think he'd have been a brilliant appointment and would have been ideal to work with Laverty and Clarke with a view to keeping the 20's and Senior set up in line

[upandwin]

Should Down not follow the United model and appoint an interim manager for now who can train the team until we get a proper interim manager who can oversee things until we can get a permanent manager in...Then the second interim manager can become assistant TO the permanent manager...

The Fish supper in Doc's is best in the business...#ForCodAndUlster

[Truth hurts]

I see the u20 comp is up and running. There have a few big scores. Burren will walk the A I would imagine. St Johns looks to be motoring well in the B. Are they joined up with anyone? Castlewellan has taken the best of Loughinisland while the Ford has taken the best from Mourne. Would these clubs not have enough players from their own clubs?