Another crisis in Offaly football

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The Irish Times - Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Offaly sticking by Cooney for now

GAELIC GAMES NEWS: IT’S NOT yet the Ides of March and already the knives are out for some county managers. Gerry Cooney is set to continue as Offaly football manager for the foreseeable future but only after overcoming considerable speculation he was about to step down in the wake of last Sunday’s fourth successive defeat in Division Three – with relegation staring them in the face.


Cooney met with his backroom team on Monday night following the 1-21 to 2-5 defeat to Wexford the previous day, reportedly to “consider their options”, but it emerged yesterday they have agreed to stay on, and will take charge for Sunday’s crucial fifth round game against Cavan in Breffni Park.

Whatever about his long-term future as manager Cooney has unquestionably found it difficult to settle down into his first season in charge – with key players slow to commit while others have opted out altogether. The Meath native does still have the backing of the county board, who endured a battle of their own in finding a manager in the first place – three of the original candidates either withdrew or were passed over, and Cooney was one of last appointments of the year, and thus is only in the role for four months.

To make matters worse he’s likely to be without his under-21 players for the Cavan game, who have been performing very well and face a Leinster semi-final the following Wednesday, against Louth, with every chance of making the provincial final.

Tipperary football manager John Evans is finding life equally difficult in Division Three and is under similar pressure after four successive defeats of his own. There were also reports that Evans had been asked to consider his future after last Sunday’s 4-10 to 0-14 defeat to Cavan, but he has expressed his intent on staying on, and denied any so-called dressingroom unrest.

“The players are annoyed and frustrated with themselves,” he said. “It’s certainly not down to lack of effort. This is my first time going through this as well, but it certainly doesn’t affect my attitude towards it. I still have the same enthusiasm and the same energy towards it.”

Evans guided Tipperary to two successive seasons of promotion, to Division Three and then Division Two, before being relegated back to Division Three two years ago – and unless they manage to beat Sligo in Markievicz Park on Sunday he could find himself back where he started.

His task for Sunday is also made more difficult by the absence of midfielder Brian Jones and forward Barry Grogan, who are both suspended after receiving straight red cards against Cavan last Sunday.

In hurling, the pressure is already coming on Waterford’s Michael Ryan as he too looks for their first points from Division 1A: Sunday’s trip to Semple Stadium to face Tipperary won’t make that task any easier, but at least Ryan can then look forward to the return of John Mullane and Noel Connors and possibly even Eoin Kelly.

“John (Mullane) is coming back hungrier than ever, and he’s a man for the summer and the championship,” said Connors, speaking yesterday at the launch of the new Azzurri range of GAA gear in Croke Park. “And it would be great to see Eoin (Kelly) come back, who would definitely give the young fellas a push in training.”

Connors himself hopes to be back before the end of the league but he’ll once again sit out Sunday’s game due to a lower back injury, a bulging disc, but which is responding to rest.

In Division 2A Kerry’s poor run of form has prompted manager John Meyler to axe three of the four Boyle brothers from Ballyduff for “lack of commitment”.

Gone are this year’s original captain Liam Boyle, last year’s Christy Ring Cup winning captain Mikey Boyle, and the 18-year-old youngest of the family, Pádraig, who scored three goals on his senior debut for Kerry away to Westmeath in the league opener.

Meyler is also understood to be unhappy about the three Boyle brothers playing soccer with local junior club Rattoo Rovers, including a Kerry District League Premier A game against Castleisland last week, just three days before last Sunday’s 0-20 to 1-13 defeat to Carlow – which leaves Kerry with two defeats from two game.

TYRONE (Under-21 FC v Fermanagh): D McAnenly, B Tierney, D McNally, HP McGeary, N Sludden, S Warnock, T McCann, H Óg Conlan, C Clarke, S Tierney, T Canavan, B McGarvey, D McCurry, C Mc Aliskey, R O’Neill.

[jimbob17]

heard nothing lately re the footballers, assume they are back in training and gettin in gear for cavan!! anyone know when the match is on as there are little or no reports....