Is a manager who makes changes too much to ask?

[Lone Shark]

I know there are those of you out there who thought I was a little bit aggressive towards Kevin Kilmurray, and will no doubt remark on how ironic it is that I seem to be getting on to the same bandwagon already.

I'm not saying Pat Roe is a bad manager or the wrong manager for Offaly, I think it's too early to judge. However my big bugbear with Kevin Kilmurray was that his reacting to problems was pedestrian - a player in trouble was not enough to warrant a switch, only when a goal came from it was it time to make a change. Also, I keep going back to the same example from that horrendous day in Carlow - start of the second half, 4 points down to one of the worst teams in Ireland and every player is in the same position he started. Surely somebody somewhere is doing something wrong, or needs a different position? Basically he felt his managing duties were done once the 15 men were sent onto the pitch, with any further substitutions to be for injury only.

I thought these days were gone with a more modern manager, one who likes to make about six changes to the starting line up each week, but no. A big reason why we lost last Sunday, with all the consequences that entails, was the pure inertia from the bench to plug any of the gaps that were appearing or to do anything different to respond to the problems Roscommon caused us.

(1) Shane Sullivan - was dying out there, as he has been doing all year. The first goal came from a run through his position, albeit compounded by Slattery's rush of blood to the head, he gave away lots of possession, and yet he was still there to make another crucial error midway through the second half. Shane is a grand lad but he is very much off form, and we can't afford to have a centre back who's there in the hope that he'll return to his form of years ago. I personally wouldn't have started him, but I wouldn't say it was wrong to do so - I would say it was wrong to persist when he was proving to be a weak link.

(2) Nigel Grennan - ditto. Was really struggling to keep tabs on Heneghan, though it wasn't as obvious. Likewise Slattery was having trouble keep an eye on Cathal Cregg. Why not switch these two? Why not try Eoghan Byrne or James Keane earlier? Something?? Anything????

(3) The experiment of Scott Brady in midfield was not a complete failure - he actually dug in well in the first half and spoiled a lot of ball. In the second half he was getting eaten alive as Shaq O'Neill lorded the area. Again, no switch. McManus left on the wing, Niall Smith left on the bench, Kieran Hogan left on the bench, the whole way to the end.

(4) McManus - utterly out of the game, partially due to his position. Again, needed either relocation or replacement, preferably the former.


I understand that the art of player switching is not an exact science, so I would never blame a manager for making a change which would be different to what I'd choose. The previous night in Portlaoise Thomas Coughlan and to a lesser extent Sean Ryan had caused real problems for the Laois defence, while Ken Casey was unable to get into the game. I would have sent on either of those, or even John Reynolds before Ken, and neither would I have taken off Coughlan who to my mind was playing better than Deehan - however that's a matter of opinion. The forwards weren't getting on the ball enough, so he tried a switch, and fair play. I have no problem with this move.

But why was that all he tried, other than the fairly late switches in the backs?

In 1994 we won a hurling final against Limerick, despite Limerick blitzing us early on. Damien Quigley was running wild, so within 15 minutes the corner backs had been switched. In 1998 we won a hurling final against Kilkenny. After 20 minutes Brian McEvoy had three points and was well on top of Brian Whelahan. The switch was made early, and we all know how that finished. Even this year, in Clones, we were getting destroyed through the centre back channel as well - but with Roe absent, the switch was made after 25 minutes and things improved.

Can anyone out there please tell me the thinking behind leaving a struggling player on the field for over 75% of the match when we have named 14 subs? I really don't get it, and if I was Barry Mooney (for example) today I'd really be wondering why am I bothering.

[the bare biffo]

I know there are those of you out there who thought I was a little bit aggressive towards Kevin Kilmurray, and will no doubt remark on how ironic it is that I seem to be getting on to the same bandwagon already.

I'm saying nothing

Except that I agree with all you say LS. I know KK stepped down of his own accord, but replacing him with Pat Roe has to be judged at this stage as a step backwards from where KK left off. However championship is the ultimate arbitor, so I guess Pat has 8, maybe 10 weeks to turn this around. I think we have a better attack than we had last year, the problem at mid field has'nt changed but I think Scott Brady's first half effort may offer some hope here, he won't meet many more difficult opponents in Leinster than O'Neill. The big worry for me is at the back. The ease with which Longford and Roscommon ran through our defence for goals is a worry. With a weak midfield you can not afford to have a weak half back line as well or you will just get destroyed and there will be nothing the full back line can do about guys running through.
It was interesting that Conor Evans kept his tracksuit on, maybe he was just cold or maybe he's in poor shape. But his steel is very much needed.
Likewise Barry Mooney if he's at the races at all.

[Lone Shark]

Certainly I've no idea what shape Evans or Mooney are in, but performances in the league suggest that they'll be called on soon enough. Joe Quinn is a good footballer, but that doesn't necessarily make a good full back. You certainly couldn't call Francie Bellew a good footballer, and he's the best in the position in Ireland, except for possibly Barry Owens. The aggression is definitely missing. Slattery and Rafferty are the only lads in there that I would call hard defenders, and even then it's no good Slattery being a good defender if he has spent half the game in the other half of the field.


I agree completely that the championship will be how Roe will be judged - however he's in a unique position in that the poor performances in the league have robbed him of that second chance in the championship. If wee sneaked into 3rd or 4th, a narrow defeat to the Dubs could have been followed with a bit of a run in the qualifiers, maybe even a quarter final slot. It would have looked like a moderately successful season, whereas now if the season is to have anything going for it the semi final is do or die. Of course we're capable of winning it, but if we don't Pat Roe has nothing to argue his case with.

Still, I just can't understand how a manager, supposedly someone who is experienced at this, can watch as things are clearly not going well in several positions on the field and not at least try to fix things before the last 15 minutes? It bewildered and frustrated me with Kilmurray, and it's doing so all over again.

[Muck Savage]

LS, Agree totally. Very few games are won with a switch in the last 15 mins and up to now we've been in trouble early on.
Another thing that I would question is Fittness level, it doesn't look like they are as fit as they should be. You hear of other counties going through cruel training sessions the last few months but I haven't heard that with our lads. If you look at all the top teams now they put in a massive effort from Dec to March to get the fittness level up. I'm afraid that we're slipping in this area, I remember Tommy Lyons coming in a training the 97 squad like animals for the first two-three months then turning around and saying that they were getting fit just to start training. I fear that we're not fit enough and that was clear in the last 10 mins against Ros.

[TheManFromFerbane]

I can't really comment on how fit the team are because I don't really know but I do know one thing: If you are going well you will be the fittest man in Ireland, if things are going bad it takes that bit of grit and determination just to dig in and put in the dog work even though you couldn't kick it out of your way on that particular day.

Maybe thats what we're missing

[Lone Shark]

Some things never change.

Just watching TG4's replay of the 1979 Leinster final against the Dubs. Pat Doyle is having a nightmare at corner forward, now midway through the second half, no sign of a switch ......

[the bare biffo]

I blame Kevin Kilmurray

He should have told McGee what to do. Typical