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was there a panel set up to find a new hurling manager? if there was they didnt do much looking around for a new manager. its as if he got it cause he won an ireland with clare and hes a garda in tullamore handy. as a player he had no skill at all, he was there soley just to dog a good hurler and stop him from playing. as people said before he has nothing worth while on his managerial c.v. , surley someone with experience could have been got. then again what else could we have expected from the county board. we have the least experienced manager ,laois,clare,antrim,cork,limerick etc all ahead of us, and if we are not careful they will pass us out on the field of play to.

IIkj

The Brewery Tap brigade (without mentioning by name) consists of the Chairman of the Supporters club, a prominent TV analyst, an intercounty referee, the current director of hurling , a not to-in-the past Offaly manager and his brother and a journalist who writes for a local newspaper... They are the ones I can think of off hand and be in no doubt whatsoever that this little gang are well connected with elements of our county board and their 'advice' on such matters as the Offaly hurling manager would count for a lot. .. Basically they like being in control and to cede power or any prominent position to someone they dont approve of is not something they would be comfortable with.
As for the Tullamore connection- you half answered my question - a GARDA in the Garda Station in Tullamore would come into contact with at least one of the above on a daily basis and like I posted earlier lets watch to see who his loacl selectors will be....
In the cold light of day the decision has been made and we all have to get on with it but it doesnt mean that its right and how the Offaly County Board have conducted this interview process and the way they have disgarded former greats and players who admittedly have their faults but are proud and passionate and willing to improve is hard to swallow for many ...
Kingscounty - great post well said!! The official panel were Pat Teehan, Eamon Phelan, Kieran McDonald, Finbar Spain, Jimmy Hogan and Jim Troy ...........

A couple of points:

Firstly: There are many ways to judge potential managers. Career as a player, career as a manager, titles won, style of tactics, personality etc. None one facet is above the rest and none are a guarantee of success. Experience in particular, is held as the holy grail of what an inter-county manager should have above all else. Overly simplistic, if that was the case Justin McCarthy would be entering into is fourth term as Limerick manager while Kieran McGeeney would still be playing Junior Football with Na Fianna. Let it not be forgotten that every great manager has to start somewhere, to be given a chance by some county to show what they can do. Which (in a round about way) leads me to....

Secondly: I, along with many others (some players included), would feel that the standard of the local Offaly candidates was, quite simply, horrendous.

Taking that into account, the search had to continue outside the county. Now, unless you're delusional, all should realise that Offaly hurling is viewed with complete indifference by the hurling world. A decade of hopeless senior results (no quarter final since 2003), coupled with seemingly annual underage hammerings leave us viewed as a no hope, 'nothing there, nothing coming' county. None from outside our borders can see the potential that is there and in truth, its hard to blame them. That, in addition to our meagre financial resources, meant that getting a big-name, experience laden outside candidate was, quite simply, never going to happen. Offaly, through no fault but its own, has long since vacated the lofty perch it held a decade ago and If you still believe otherwise - wake up. Thats what we are now and we need to know our place if we are ever going to get out of it.

So what we needed to do instead was find the lesser known but no less talented candidate. Somebody like Francis Forde or Eamon O'Se - two coaches who have never 'managed' at an inter county level and who the average GAA fan has never even heard of yet who have been brilliant if they were given the job.

So that was the kind of market we had to scour. Time will tell if we were successful.

i think we should just leave it now and let him get on with it and see how it goes i sure he will get plenty of stick if things don't go right
as we gave one of our own Joe Dooley a lot of it when he was over them.

theres not much pressure on Ollie Baker as offaly are not look at as a major power in hurling anymore so no aim for all irelands in his first year
maybe a good league run and a win over wexford if its a home game will do.

The best hurlers/players don't always make the best managers. I've seen that time and time again

Often it is the more average player who makes a good coach or manager
They've spent more time thinking about how things are done.
how to improve themselves and others
(I know I have!!)

can any one out there tell us much about the C.V of ollie baker is it just because hes living in tullamore and it is of geograpical convience

redfacedman wrote:can any one out there tell us much about the C.V of ollie baker is it just because hes living in tullamore and it is of geograpical convience

As far as i know he lives in Athlone

Since you cant believe all you hear, I was wrong about Paddy Kirwan but he was interviewed so I guess wires got crossed

Anyway, is there truth in the word that Ollie's selectors are Mick Murray (Coolderry) and Ronnie Byrne (Lusmagh)?

alltheway wrote:Since you cant believe all you hear, I was wrong about Paddy Kirwan but he was interviewed so I guess wires got crossed

Anyway, is there truth in the word that Ollie's selectors are Mick Murray (Coolderry) and Ronnie Byrne (Lusmagh)?

thats as bad as paddy kirwin been over them

Was there a big disparity between how the hurling manager has been chosen and the process in place for the football manager?
Do we know the full list of Ollie Bakers backroom team & selectors? The football entrants had to declare their full package before a decision was made, surely this is the same for the hurling?

Also best wishes to Baker in his role. A determined man on the hurling field and deserves his chance, we had a lot of local guys in for the job who have tried at different levels here with mixed success, but would not bring us on and inspire the players. He will come in with no agendas and the make up of his back room team will ultimately play a huge role in whether he can bring us on to the next level, wherever that is.

Radio3 have just tweeted to announce that Mark Corigan and Paudie Mulhare have been ratified as Ollie Baker's selectors.

Plain of the Herbs wrote:Radio3 have just tweeted to announce that Mark Corigan and Paudie Mulhare have been ratified as Ollie Baker's selectors.

The same Paudie that was part of the 90's Offaly panel?

On re-rereading, it's Paudge, not Paudie. I need new glasses. Apologies.

GreatDayForTheParish wrote:

Plain of the Herbs wrote:Radio3 have just tweeted to announce that Mark Corigan and Paudie Mulhare have been ratified as Ollie Baker's selectors.

The same Paudie that was part of the 90's Offaly panel?

GreatDayForTheParish wrote:

Plain of the Herbs wrote:Radio3 have just tweeted to announce that Mark Corigan and Paudie Mulhare have been ratified as Ollie Baker's selectors.

The same Paudie that was part of the 90's Offaly panel?

[/quote]

As in Paudge that's been there so many times before?

As in Paudge that's been there so many times before.

GreatDayForTheParish wrote:

GreatDayForTheParish wrote:

Plain of the Herbs wrote:Radio3 have just tweeted to announce that Mark Corigan and Paudie Mulhare have been ratified as Ollie Baker's selectors.

The same Paudie that was part of the 90's Offaly panel?

As in Paudge that's been there so many times before?