Offaly management 2027

[MarkCassidy5]

Good luck to them all and fingers crossed it will be a great fit for all involved. In due course it may emerge who were actually plausible contenders and genuinely in for the job. The committee can only pick from who puts their hands up for it and we don’t really know much about that to date.

[jimbob17]

Firstly, welcome to néw management. Plenty of experience there across underage success and with Longford and Sligo. Longford have got up to Div3 and Solan would have been among main challengers to Andy Moran and McStay getting Mayo job, and hed see this as step to eventually get Mayo job.

This is a big step up from last management, who had major shortcomings and while I'd have reservations around some aspects, it's not a bad appointment at all. I think players will be in a much happier camp if reports are correct. Keane has come from McEntees Sligo backroom so you'd imagine he'd have learned lots there. Nigel has the Offaly knowledge but the only concern is that Nigel is only one announced with Offaly knowledge. Maybe more will come in through wider backroom team, but there is certainly need for more Offaly based voices within management team.

Not that I'd care really, but if you were from Longford, you'd be fairly passed with how this has played out.

[Jim Troy]

That’s not a bad appointment at all!

[Old-school]

Im not so sure on this id like for someone with better CV. Lets wait and see how it goes. But Player response should be good from the start and all look to impress. I do think this year's team was very unbalanced with lads stepping up that couldn't get on a main panel fir years, your top players not preforming at there best and players not aloud in to try out.
The jury for me on dunne is not fully convinced. Was trouble himself in the day clashing with mangers would have beef with alot of these player as still playing club football. Id love to see stack in there as a selector and a tie to the players very level headed and buckets of experience and know every player from the age of 18 to 35 plus in the county. Also do they look at bringing in a few of the talented minors from 2025 as they will be of age to play senior. Surly there is a few that needs to be developed over the next 3 year. E.g Charlie Duffy, Cian Mcnamee , Dylan Dunne, Eoin Rouse all with massive potential are they not better on a training panel than lads past it ?

[Anon444]

I’m happy enough with it until I’m given a reason to not be. Dunne has a big grasp of underage football and knows the club scene inside out. It’ll be interesting now to see the turnover in panel, I imagine their will be upwards of 10 lads not invited back in/don’t go back in.

[bracknaghboy]

That’s not a bad appointment at all!

His record with Longford over the 2 years was a 35% win rate.

P 23
W 8
D 2
L 13

For comparison Mickey Harte had a 48% win rate over his 2 years.

P 29
W 14
D 0
L 15

Crude figures yes but still worth a look.
Oddly he got Longford out of D4 this year but then "stepped down". They suffered a 21pt demolition at the hands of Westmeath in Leinster this year.
I think the committee are hoping because he has had some underage success a decade ago and has been around the likes of Andy Moran then he might be able to deliver something.
I wouldn't have considered him for the role as I'd like to have seen what he would have done with Longford in D3 first.
Anyways he needs to be given a chance and as always I'm happy to proven wrong.....and I usually am!

[Behindthegoal]

This is an extremely uninspiring appointment. If you werent on the panel last year you wouldnt have got excited or the itch today when that was announced. It anything i think lads who were on it this year could now opt out and maybe cormac egan decides to hurl? We wont get any closer to winning a tailteann under this management and if we somehow get promoted to 2 we will be bet straight back down

I have no idea how Nigel Dunne has managed to get himself here he is the chairman of the nigel dunne fan club he has mapped it out perfectly for himself independent interview after sanadbox games on new rules praised them to the hills to get more media work. Has used his job with offaly as a way to get himself onto coaching tickets its all to pally pally for me, i highly doubt Solan said in his interview get me Nigel dunne id imagine it was put on him by officials who i wont name, the fact he is now player manager of his club says it all if you have intentions of playing leave the management to somebody else wearing a tracksuit for the first half jumping around like a jack in the box then peeling it off to come on as a sub like some superhero character out of a movie to save the day need i say much more. Was a ticking time bomb as a player fell out with more managers he is nowhere near qualified enough to coach at this level Stack and kellaghan would have got sick into their dinner this evening hearing this. If you want former players with local knowledge what about Niall Mcnamee?

[Tmacmahon]

Not a spectacular appointment but a steady one. Solan has built up a really strong CV over the last 15 years, working across various counties at both underage and adult level. I think it’s a very shrewd appointment. He has always come across as a good communicator, someone who can organise and prepare a team efficiently, and I think he’s a really good fit for Offaly.
We could have gone for bigger names, but I think this is a very practical appointment, and I genuinely believe it will turn out to be a good one.
Joe Keane comes with a good reputation. He worked well with Mayo under Stephen Rochford when he was involved there, as well as successful stints in sligo and longford, so it’ll be really interesting to see how he gets on.
And Nigel Dunne is a great local appointment with a really good understanding of the game. So, overall, it looks like a strong management team. It’ll be interesting to see who else is added.
Best of luck to the management team for the year ahead.

[Doon Exile]

I’ve reached out to a few contacts who I would value their opinion, across Mayo and neighbouring Connaught counties. Very high regard for both Solan and more so Joe Keane.

Having chatted and discussed each of them, I’m very impressed with the appointment. I don’t know how anyone could criticise Nigel Dunne as part of the package - jayus is he not exactly the kind of Offaly man we’ve been advocating for?

As for the lads who walked away not being inspired to return - if they are waiting for Jack O’Connor, Jim Gavin or the like then they are useless to the county and please move on swiftly without them. I played for many a manager that I didn’t like but I always played regardless, as it was for me and my club i played first and foremost.

Best of luck to Mike Solan and his management team for 2027 and beyond.

[Anon444]

I have no idea how Nigel Dunne has managed to get himself here he is the chairman of the nigel dunne fan club he has mapped it out perfectly for himself independent interview after sanadbox games on new rules praised them to the hills to get more media work. Has used his job with offaly as a way to get himself onto coaching tickets its all to pally pally for me, i highly doubt Solan said in his interview get me Nigel dunne id imagine it was put on him by officials who i wont name, the fact he is now player manager of his club says it all if you have intentions of playing leave the management to somebody else wearing a tracksuit for the first half jumping around like a jack in the box then peeling it off to come on as a sub like some superhero character out of a movie to save the day need i say much more. Was a ticking time bomb as a player fell out with more managers he is nowhere near qualified enough to coach at this level Stack and kellaghan would have got sick into their dinner this evening hearing this. If you want former players with local knowledge what about Niall Mcnamee?
[/quote]

This is an incredibly disrespectful post to someone who has given how many years to the county in both a playing and coaching capacity. How can anyone give out about it, especially when he has had success with the 20s as a coach? Anyone who knows anyone from Shamrocks knows that the players wanted Dunne to play and have no problem with him doing so. They are going alright so what’s the issue? You talk about Niall McNamee, yet he has had no coaching experience. It’s laughable. Talk about bashing your own, after advocating for a more Offaly say on the coaching ticket too.

[Behindthegoal]

Niall McNamee has been coaching in Dublin for the last few years. He’s the best forward we’ve produced in donkeys years but we never hear about him because he doesn’t promote himself like some

[Anon444]

I don’t get where this hatred comes from? He’s a passionate Offaly man and if you think he’s in it for money or fame or whatever, I would think he could get involved with some other county given all his RTE contacts you speak of.

Fair enough to McNamee. I don’t think he’s coaching in Dublin free of charge either. Maybe in the future he’ll get involved with an Offaly team.

[Behindthegoal]

It’s not hatred I just don’t understand how he has jumped the queue based off his own self promotion that seems to be the blue print now don’t put the head down graft away like a stack or a kellaghan that won’t get you the county role

[jimbob17]

We've just gone through 3 yrs of management bashing (understandably at times), and within 3 hours of appointment, some are at it again. That is more a reflection on said posters than any coach mentioned. I'd be more than willing to give the lads involved every chance to improve things drastically.

Will be very interested to see who else joins the set up and hopefully it will include more Offaly football people than Nigel.

[Fairplayalways]

Not sure about this one, wasn't surprised to hear he left Longford, now he has Offaly job.. The bling around Mickey Harte and Declan Kelly well evaporated after this appointment.. While Duignan was at the helm it was alot if noise and big enough names associated with both codes, Ide say Sloan is as surprised as the supporters are.. Nice to see Dunne involved.. Other than that, who knows, I wouldn't say middle of the road appointment now, ide say glass quarter full as opposed to half.. A year and he will be gone ide say.. Hope ime wrong of course..