Justin McCarthy steps down

Kerry Mike · June 05, 2008, 08:30:11 PM

TV3's Matt Cooper has the news that McCarthy has pulled out.

Is it another Cork with the players calling the shots.

zoyler · June 05, 2008, 09:54:25 PM

He did the right thing - there is an old saying in baseball - its easier to change the managerthenthe team. Mind you Justin wasn't playing last Sunday - their lack of fight was a disgrace!

nobackdoor · June 05, 2008, 10:17:23 PM

Very surprised & disappointed that Justin has been pressurised by the players to step down from the helm. It's hard not to state the obvious, but alot of these Deise players best days r behind them. It's easy to make a scape goat of Justin. I feel he should have remained on as manager until after the championship, at least then he would have some of the injured players back in the team.

Don't think Waterford will do any better with a new bainisteoir. There r resonances of Babs in '98 but I don't expect a similar result this time around. Sad to c a great bunch of players who have given so much to the game never grace Croker on the 1st Sunday in September, but sport doesn't always produce fairy tales.

Hurler on the Bitch · June 05, 2008, 10:40:04 PM

He never delivered the Holy Grail... the fact is that he brought a very good bunch of players as far as he could.. the only way is down... There is little consolation in winning the Munster Championship when Limerick beat you in the All Ireland semi-final... Perhaps there could be a role in Antrim for Justin?

?? Behind the scenes of course..

Louth Exile · June 05, 2008, 10:47:10 PM

Those players (with the notable exception of mullane) should be taking a long hard look at themselves instead of blaming the manager for their own lackings. Waterford hurling had been a wasteland since the 50's before Mc Carthy came in, three munster titles and a NHL is a good performance in the scheme of things even if they didn't reach the ultimate goal.

Parallels between the biffos in 98 are dangerous. The general public could even see that Babs had made a pigs ear of it and there was definitely a more public backing for the players that year. Bond did a great job with some very able assistance, they lit up the championship that year. I doubt if Waterford players will find the same public support for their cowardly moves towards the county board.

INDIANA · June 05, 2008, 10:51:07 PM

hope antrim beat them. it's incredible really , justin has done so much for those guys, improved them so much when a lot of them were talented lazy layabouts and this is the thanks he gets. the last soundings from a crew of players that over the hill. and good riddance too. Gutless last sunday is what they were, and he's better off been away from them.

nobackdoor · June 05, 2008, 10:51:31 PM

He never delivered the Holy Grail and now he never will. A great hurling man, let down by a fabulous bunch of players who appear to have imploded from within. There's no way he was ever going to remain at the helm, when the players turned against him. I can understand the players anger at never winning the McCarthy, but I believe their anger has been misdirected at Justin.

Time stands still for no man or team & u can smell the desperation of this move from a desperate bunch who FEAR that they will now retire with a bunch of Munster medals, but not the one that really counts. The beginning of the end for this current Deise group.

Hurler on the Bitch · June 05, 2008, 11:31:35 PM

Quote from: nobackdoor on June 05, 2008, 10:51:31 PM
He never delivered the Holy Grail and now he never will. A great hurling man, let down by a fabulous bunch of players who appear to have imploded from within. There's no way he was ever going to remain at the helm, when the players turned against him. I can understand the players anger at never winning the McCarthy, but I believe their anger has been misdirected at Justin.

Time stands still for no man or team & u can smell the desperation of this move from a desperate bunch who FEAR that they will now retire with a bunch of Munster medals, but not the one that really counts. The beginning of the end for this current Deise group.

Hold on! Did I not say that 4 posts ago? Regardless..... the backlash will be reaped by Antrim .............

Ryano · June 05, 2008, 11:54:57 PM

A bad idea to hand the players that sort of power and let them decide who manages them. They will in all likelyhood have some short term success when they meet Antrim and probably hand them a hiding. But in the long run they may come to rue their actions after just one game into their championship season. Look at Roscommon and the trouble they had with players and managers coming and going and the still lingering reputation the players have. I can't see any good coming of it for the deise and thats a crying shame. They are a team i really liked to watch play hurling over the last few years.

stephenite · June 06, 2008, 02:14:51 AM

Yeah - would agree with all of that Ryano.

I'd get the impression that some of the older players realised it was Liam or bust for them and orchestrated a heave as they didn't believe Justin was the man to help them achieve that. I can't see who else will though, they've put a savage amount of pressure on themselves to deliver regardless of who is managing the team.
I see that the players have indicated that they want the lunatic Davy Fitz to take over. Mightn't be a bad call as any manger who comes in can either do a Michael Bond, or if they get beaten by someone turn around and say, what did you expect me to do in such a short space of time.

Still, don't like to see players selecting the new manager having gotten rid of the previous one and you'd think someone on the County Board is going to tell the players to get fucked

orangeman · June 06, 2008, 09:09:09 AM

Mc Carthy took them as far as he could - they were really unlucky last year not to have gone further - last year was probsbly their pinnacle and it is sad to see player power get rid of a decent man - the main problem was that ultimately he was Cork man and was dispensable.
As someone said earlier, the players should really have a good look at themselves - they THINK they are better than they are !

Bacon · June 06, 2008, 09:47:56 AM

I'm very sorry to hear this. McCarthy is a great hurling man and a great coach. He deserved this season out of it.

Here's a statement from him:

"Today I informed the chairman of Waterford county board that I intend to step down as manager of the Waterford senior hurling team.

"I made the decision as I feel I no longer have the full support of all the players on the team. I would like to thank the county board for their cooperation, and for the support they have always given me, and I wish the players and the new management team every success in the future.

"I also want to thank the selectors and backroom team, and the great loyal supporters who have followed Waterford through thick and thin.

"Over the last seven years, Waterford has enjoyed unprecedented success on the hurling field and I am privileged to have been involved with such a great team.

"I regret that my decision to step down has come in the middle of the championship season, however, I feel it is the best course of action for everybody involved.

"I will be making no further comment at this time."

AZOffaly · June 06, 2008, 09:58:57 AM

I wouldn't have been Justin's greatest fan as a coach, especially during games, as I felt he made some strange decisions from time to time, or else was very slow to make positional or tactical changes during a game. He also never really solved the problem at full back, which has haunted Waterford several times. I felt he should have stood down after last year, but I'm sure he felt that with a few tweaks to preparation schedules etc, he'd have them right for August this year.

Having criticised him, I should also acknowledge the great work he did do with Waterford. Gerald McCarthy lay the foundations, maybe, but Justin brought them on leaps and bounds, and while the big on eluded him, and Waterford, 3 Munster titles should not be dismissed as a pittance, when you consider Kerry beat Waterford in the Munster championship back in the 90s. We have an expression in Offaly 'Ah yeah, and where's last winter's snow?' which can be summarised as 'What have you done for me lately?'. I think that's what happened here.

Despite his relatively huge success with Waterford, the players, largely, and some supporters, seemed to doubt he was the man to bring them that extra step, and they never bought into this revised approach in terms of preparation. I think the players panicked at the thought of another year slipping by, and decided to bring things to a head. Maybe they are right, maybe Justin shouldn't have been there at all this year, but he deserved better at the hands of Waterford than the cloak and dagger stuff he got at the end.

There's another saying that goes 'Be careful what you wish for, you might just get it', and now Waterford's players have gotten their wish.

orangeman · June 06, 2008, 10:10:26 AM

Quote from: AZOffaly on June 06, 2008, 09:58:57 AM
I wouldn't have been Justin's greatest fan as a coach, especially during games, as I felt he made some strange decisions from time to time, or else was very slow to make positional or tactical changes during a game. He also never really solved the problem at full back, which has haunted Waterford several times. I felt he should have stood down after last year, but I'm sure he felt that with a few tweaks to preparation schedules etc, he'd have them right for August this year.

Having criticised him, I should also acknowledge the great work he did do with Waterford. Gerald McCarthy lay the foundations, maybe, but Justin brought them on leaps and bounds, and while the big on eluded him, and Waterford, 3 Munster titles should not be dismissed as a pittance, when you consider Kerry beat Waterford in the Munster championship back in the 90s. We have an expression in Offaly 'Ah yeah, and where's last winter's snow?' which can be summarised as 'What have you done for me lately?'. I think that's what happened here.

Despite his relatively huge success with Waterford, the players, largely, and some supporters, seemed to doubt he was the man to bring them that extra step, and they never bought into this revised approach in terms of preparation. I think the players panicked at the thought of another year slipping by, and decided to bring things to a head. Maybe they are right, maybe Justin shouldn't have been there at all this year, but he deserved better at the hands of Waterford than the cloak and dagger stuff he got at the end.
There's another saying that goes 'Be careful what you wish for, you might just get it', and now Waterford's players have gotten their wish.

Well said AZ

Minder · June 06, 2008, 10:51:18 AM

It is quite similar albeit not as high profile to what happened to Jingo Mc Kernan (the current Down boss) when he was managing Antrim a few years back. There were all sorts of machinations behind the scenes to get rid of him by players and senior members of the Antrim County Board, a few players went public stating their desire that they needed Sambo and Woody to become the new managers to take us to the "next level", that "next level" is as far away if not further away than before.....