Outgoing Offaly football boss Pat Roe will remain in the hot seat for at least another season after deciding to stay put.
After discussions with county board officials, Roe agreed to a further one year term and was duly re-appointed.
The former Wexford manager gave a commitment to bring the county out of Division 4 of the NFL after seeing the Faithful County relegated there under his watch.
I hope he has come in with a plan
1) Training/Gym plan to start next week for 35 players
2) Gets to a lot of the club C'ship games left
3) Has a settled 35 lads by November time frame that he will be training with. The door open to other players if they appear over the winter and Spring months.
4) Goes all out to win every league game by at least 10 pts, no mercy.
This is just a start. County board has to be on his side also.
4) Goes all out to win every league game by at least 10 pts, no mercy.
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I think this is key. If we are beating them by 10 we should let loose the young ones to tear into it right to the final whistle. I'm not into embarrassing anyone, but we need hot competition for places. I know this is not typically 'The Offaly Way' (beating the life out of the minnows), but perhaps it should be. Does Kilkenny apologize for beating the life out of anyone in hurling?
After the first 2 weeks those teams we haven't played should be thinking something like...'Christ don't lay down against Offaly, they'll never stop even if they are 20 points up' or 'F*ck I hope the game gets called off on account of the rain, can't be bothered to go out there to get embarrassed'.
You're right guys, in this horrible Div 4 next spring we must do what was done when Tommy Lyons took over in 96 and hammer all the dirt that we are stuck with in this rotten league. The only way we will get confidence back is by winning games, even games against the thrash we are in with.
I was actually glad that Pat Roe is staying on for a second year because I have no doubt that Mr Roe is a very proud man and there is no way that he would want to leave things after this nightmare of a year. Surely to God he has learned alot of lessons after the last eight or nine months and there is no doubt whatsoever that there is going to be major changes for 2008.
I remember on july 7th this year in Aughrim when the final whistle blew in what I can only describe as the worst ever performance from an Offaly team that I have ever witnessed in my 35 years watching Offaly teams in all grades in football and hurling, the look of disgust on the manager's face after so many of the team that night let himself, the supporters and most of all themselves down in an attitude that I thought I would never see in an Offaly team. The only way from here is up and changing a manager again is not the answer. There are going to be some players from this year's panel walking the plank and will not be wearing the tri-colour next year[We all have a good idea who they are] and Pat Roe is the man to get us off the scrapheap whether people like it or not.
The word is last years u21 panal are too be brought in for two months training prior to christmas and the select few then blended with the older players who stay.
My understanding is that Roe tended his resignation, the county board rejected it and he agreed to stay on subject to getting promotion from division four.
To my mind this is all wrong. If he wants to do the job and has a clear plan as to how to go about it, I'd be very happy to let him have another crack, but this gives the impression that he'd really rather not be there. i can't see him having a great season if that's his attitude throughout the winter months.
Incidentally, I was chatting to a journalist from up that part of the world who reckoned that one of the biggest influences on Monaghan this year was Paul O'Kelly who went up and took a few sessions with them. His verdict was that several of the lads reckoned they learned more in those few sessions than they had done all last year. He's now involved with Johnstownbridge intermediates in Kildare, who have gone from just avoiding relegation last year to sweeping all before them under O'Kelly.
If I was asked where it all went wrong over the last few years, I have to confess I wouldn't have to think too hard.
Well that sickens my hole, if that is the way he's coming in then the tone is set all wrong from the word go. I'm pissed
I picked up the Offaly this evening and saw the gym cost's for the players last year, rotten. How can you expect 30 lads to spend 6 months in a gym come to 1K? It basically means that probably 5 or 6 lads were in the Gym and then we wonder why we're bouncing off Dubs when we go play them. I'm 100% convinced that we have the players in the county to win a Leinster but the right approach has to start today with about 40 lads in a gym 3 nights a week until Christmas. From Sept on meet for a couple of hours on the weekend for a few practice games. From November on hard training until the start of the league and then Hammer the bejazus out of all before them to show how pissed and proud a county we are. There are 30 players in the county that will do this, maybe not the 30 best, but 30 committed and willing to get this county it Football name back. This county never had a fear of winning, that's what I think is there now. It's like O'Rourke said last week about Derry, they played like they never believed they could win. Getting close was good enough.
If it's one thing the nutron diet did was worked the heads of some lads back in '97.
Was this some kind of soft resignation or resignation with conditions? I mean what the hell?
How this was met with anything other than something along the lines of:
We're sorry to hear of your decision, but we respect your wishes. Thank you very much for your considerable time, energy and commitment to Offaly football. Is there any way we can be of service to you now that you are no longer part of our set up? If there is in the future, please ,let us know. On behalf of Offaly we wish you the very best in the future. Do you need a lift home...
Kevin
Your right in everything you said up to the point of offering a lift home, we've no time for quitters. He's basically quit and the players will see this also so what type of driving force will he be.
Ya need someone like John Maughan to come in and have them pushing cars up hills in the winter, no BS anymore.
If its true that Roe will stay on next year subject to getting out of div 4, then there is absolutley no way it should be allowed to happen. Im pretty certain this soap opera would not go on in any other county in Ireland. We just seem to be a laughing stock year after year concerning our county teams and the management merry go round and If Roe is going into the new year with a half hearted effort with an ecsape clause to abandon ship and leave us in the lurch 5 or 6 weeks before the championship starts next year, then us supporters who travel all over the country to follow the lads are just wasting our time and money.
A bit surprised at the almost hysterical "quitter" reaction to the fact that Pat Roe offered his resignation.
The county board, even if they wanted to, did not have the option of sacking Roe. Given the performance of the footballers this year Roe did what any honourable and self respecting man would do and offered to fall on his own sword. If the man genuinely wanted to walk he would have done so. My view is that the county board did the only sensible thing they could, and rather than go looking for another new manager set Roe the task of righting the wrongs he did this year. Obviously a repeat performance wont be acceptable.
