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Cribbin ponders future
20 July 2010


Tom Cribbin will decide in the coming weeks if he wants to continue as Offaly football manager.

The Clane native's first full season in charge ended with last Saturday's narrow All-Ireland qualifier loss to Down in Tullamore. He took charge of the team midway through last season following Richie Connor's removal as manager and was appointed to the post on a full-time basis last summer.

"I've certain ideas about all these young players and how this thing's going to be developed," he said.

"If I'm going to manage them, I'm going to be taking them a certain way and I need that 100 per cent backing and they need to buy into it - but the county board have been good to me.

"This is a building process; there was a lot of thing wrong and it wasn't all the county board's fault. I think the supporters came out the last two weeks and they'll get encouragement."

(taken from HS)

I hope he stays!! He would be very good at developing the young players coming through. Thanks to Tom Cribbin for persevering through some dark times this year to finish with good championship performances.

Spare us from county board cretins mouthing off at the next meeting. Surely we can manage our affairs better than that!

True Cribbin has brought in a few younger players and this year has been good in that they got 4 championship games. However, a bit like our current hurling manager Cribbin lacks any sort of tactical knowledge or positioinal sense. He is prone to making countless changes for the sake of it when things are going against his team. I get the feeling that 4 games into next years league he still won't have a clue what his best team is or where lads best positions are. We need a manager that can get us out of div 3 next year and give the lads a platform for the championship. Cribbins talks about "taking it to another level" but he isn't the man to do it. I'd like to see Jason Ryan over Offaly next year.

I'd like to see Jason Ryan over Offaly next year.

Remember what happened the last time we appointed a manager who had a good track record with the Wexford footballers!!

Its tricky because while Cribbin hasn't done a fantastic job, you could easily argue that from where he started he's done as good a job as anyone could really have done. We don't have a massive pick of players that are fit for county football, so I reckon the panel will remain much the same as this years panel. He has been unlucky that Thomas Deehan & Niall Smith weren't available this year, as Smith would have been a great option either at midfield or half forward line.

I'm not sure though how much further he can take this team...there's a serious few months of gym work required for alot of those lads, because we still are getting out muscled by every team we come up against!!!

I would have thought Stephen Darby would have being the man to step in to Cribbins shoes after the great work he did with Rhode seniors a few years back, but I think if he was interested in doing that he would have taken the Offaly Minors or U21's for a year or 2 before hand, to give him some insight as to what young Offaly players were out there and also what other counties had coming through.

If Cribbin goes, we need an experienced manager who knows the Offaly football scene very well...no point getting a guy who doesn't know whose out there!!

If his heart was in it, I'd get Tommy Lyons, but probably knowing the county board they'll probably ask Nuala Carey to do it!!!

I agree with some of what untouchable has said. Cribben hasnt had alot to work with in that not all of the best 20 footballers in the county made themselves available to the county. Smith has been a loss in that he can catch a ball, his ego is bigger than his footballing ability though it would appear. He has this attitude that he can do what he likes and the management should still be delighted just to have him.

Deehan is a good scoring forward at club level and would be a decent county panelist. Theres no question he offers more than some of the current panel. Hes another guy with a big ego and anytime ive seen him play for club or county he's as cowardly as hell when its put up to him. The truth is yes untouchable is right these two are better than alot thats in there but they have serious attitude problems which Cribben is totally right to not accept.

Now as regards this weights training myth that for a team to be successfull they should camp out in the gym over the winter. Absolute rubbish. For starters every county player on that panel has been in the gym, in some circumstances I see the gym as an easy way out for some instead of improving their aerobic and anaerobic fitness, agility, kicking under pressure etc etc. We dont have 6 foot something players, you wont manufacture that in gyms. If anybody had any brains regarding this, you would work to your strenghts to gain a competitive advantage. We have smaller more mobile players, what should be the core thing to work on, perfecting the footballing skills and speed and quickness of how we move the ball under pressure. All the current crop are doing more than enough gym work as much as any other county I can assure you, we just dont have players 6 foot, 15 stone and able to move at a decent pace and kick a ball.
We do have some very skillfull tidy players. Get them playing as a team, weed out the pretenders to county football, and work to our strenghts.

Long John wrote:I agree with some of what untouchable has said. Cribben hasnt had alot to work with in that not all of the best 20 footballers in the county made themselves available to the county. Smith has been a loss in that he can catch a ball, his ego is bigger than his footballing ability though it would appear. He has this attitude that he can do what he likes and the management should still be delighted just to have him.

Deehan is a good scoring forward at club level and would be a decent county panelist. Theres no question he offers more than some of the current panel. Hes another guy with a big ego and anytime ive seen him play for club or county he's as cowardly as hell when its put up to him. The truth is yes untouchable is right these two are better than alot thats in there but they have serious attitude problems which Cribben is totally right to not accept.

Now as regards this weights training myth that for a team to be successfull they should camp out in the gym over the winter. Absolute rubbish. For starters every county player on that panel has been in the gym, in some circumstances I see the gym as an easy way out for some instead of improving their aerobic and anaerobic fitness, agility, kicking under pressure etc etc. We dont have 6 foot something players, you wont manufacture that in gyms. If anybody had any brains regarding this, you would work to your strenghts to gain a competitive advantage. We have smaller more mobile players, what should be the core thing to work on, perfecting the footballing skills and speed and quickness of how we move the ball under pressure. All the current crop are doing more than enough gym work as much as any other county I can assure you, we just dont have players 6 foot, 15 stone and able to move at a decent pace and kick a ball.
We do have some very skillfull tidy players. Get them playing as a team, weed out the pretenders to county football, and work to our strenghts.

Long John would you give Cribbin another year? If so, why?

Would I give him another year?

In all honesty no, I think Darby has been the man for the job for a long time. Finbarr Cullen and Phil Reilly as selectors.

I have questioned alot of Cribbens selection decisions, maybe ive been very harsh by times as I dont know if he actually believes some of these lads are county standard or its the only players showing an interest in pulling on an Offaly jersey.

So in short no I dont think his selections of teams and panels has been up to scratch but he genuinely seems interested in the job and trying to build. Realistically theirs nobody interested in the job.

Would you Bracknaghboy?

I'd keep Cribbin on. He has done a good job considering the way the team was when he took over. 17 months ago, Offaly looked certainties for Division 4.
Constantly changing managers breaks any momentum the team may have. Offaly now have a relatively young team which should get better in the next few years.

I wouldn't go begging the likes of Deehan and Smith to play either. It doesn't send out a good message to others on the panel who are putting in the hard graft 100% of the time. The Offaly jersey shouldn't be something that's cheaply earned.

No, I think thats its time for both managers to go, neither will bring us any further up the ladder, neither have any tactical awareness, team selections have been strange and its seems by pure chance, injuries, sending offs that we end up with a team that should really should have started.

I think its now time that Stephen Darby gets his shot at the footballers, he still knows Offaly football inside out, so why not (if he wants it) and that a big 'if'.

As for the hurlers, who's out their? to bring up to the next level and to reach at least an All Ireland Semi. The hurlers are their.

I think its a hard one to call. He seems like a decent bloke, who in fairness had not a lot of time in the first year to get to know the scene. Has has done a lot for the players and I think would be popular amongst them. He would now be in a good position to go and chat guys that he wants in there for 2011. The players themselves have seen how a little more application can deliver results, and may in time realise they may not be that far off the mark.
After the Clare game I would have said "go", and would have been more amazed if he decided to stay. But after the last 2 weeks I think it may be a time for a little patience as I think he may have learned a lot about managing over the last few weeks.

Give him another shot, but see what the plan is regarding the younger guys that he spoke about? I know the man aint in it for the money!

hi lads, just wanted to say BNM that i think your spot on, yes Cribben has been tactically suspect at times but hes still new to the management game (as far as i know)and is still learning.

On the positive side he has got the team playing with pride and commitment again, results are improving and the crowd are starting to get behind the team again.

As far as Smith and Deehan are concerned if the think their the ducks nuts leave them where they are they're not worth the hassle.

Just on a side note i am reading a book at the moment on the offaly side of 82 and that game with kerry ( You know the one i mean).

It seems that despite the progress that Eugine Magee was making with the side in the years leading up to that famous win both the county board and the fans did not trust Magee because he was an outsider gettin in the way of the locals and as one offaly delegate at the time put it, "sure what would a Longford man know about winning"

Perfect Offaly logic if ever there was any

Heres a very interesting article on Cribbin from 10 years ago when he was hauled in front of a Laois county board meeting to explain himself:

http://archives.tcm.ie/laoisnationalist ... ry7983.asp

Cribben steps down at football meeting

THE 19-month reign of Tom Cribbin as manager of the Laois senior football team ended on Thursday 22nd June after an hour-long meeting between the Clane man, his selectors and a full meeting of Laois Football Board at O’Moore Park Portlaoise.

It ended weeks of speculation and days of intense activity when after a 45-minute question and answer session Tom announced to a packed meeting that he was resigning. “I am stepping down as manager. In the circumstances I don’t think it would be wise to continue. Ye haven’t confidence in me”

The announcement came as a bolt out of the blue after Tom and his three selectors had asked permission to attend the meeting and answer any questions that club delegates and officers had for them and to explain their managership of the senior football team.

Listening to the four members of the management team talk for almost an hour there was no indication that their tenure would end in such a fashion.

The executive of the Football board had the decided the previous week that they would be recommending the reappointment of Tom Cribbin as manager under a number of different conditions and at a meeting of the full County Board on Monday night chairman Tom O’Loughlin had announced that their recommendation would be put before a meeting of his subsidiary board first.

It certainly drew the crowds with huge anticipation and speculation as to the eventual outcome as delegates gathered on a fine summers evening.

At the outset chairman O’Loughlin announced that the management team had requested permission to attend and that they were now present. He outlined that his executive had met with them and had a frank and open discussion on what had happened and the expectations and that they as an executive had made certain recommendations.

Having been welcomed Tom Cribbin said he felt that out of courtesy he should come and answer any questions that the delegates had “a lot of ye have questions and I will answer and do the right thing. I will answer as honestly and fairly as I can”

First in to bat was Timahoe’s Pascal McEvoy “why had you backs playing forwards and forwards playing backs”

The best we had
Tom Cribbin “We felt we had a problem at full-back. We tried three or four different players and Tom Kelly proved to be the best. People said that Eamon Delaney was the best in the county, well maybe at club level but not county. Tom Kelly was the best we had”

“We played Derek Conroy up front as we were led to believe he played most of his underage football there. He proved very successful in challenge games there.

Kevin Fitzpatrick had a superb championship at centre back last year and nobody criticised me then. The forwards were all young, 21/22 and some had personal problems”

At this point Michael Fennelly of O’Dempseys interjected “it is wrong that the Football Board have invited the manager and his selectors here tonight”

Tom O’Loughlin “people are asking questions and it is fair to bring them in”

Mark Kavanagh (selector) “we asked to come here. We have no forum to answer, only what we read in the papers. We think we owe you an explanation, not what you read in the papers”

Sean Ramsbottom “I was one of the people who spoke out. You made hames of picking the team. I cannot accept your assessment. Derek Conroy was the best half-back on Laois team for sometime. How men in their normal senses could pick him in the forwards beats me. Tom Kelly was one of the best underage forwards. There are plenty of backs in the county and he could have starred in the forwards. I thought it was most irregular to play David Sweeney at centre back. I cannot see how it was justified playing those players in those positions”

Tom Cribbin “we had a lot of changes from the team last year. In the league we played more players than any other county. I did not see Declan Rooney realistically playing both codes and I asked him to chose, and he chose hurling”

“Paudge Conway was injured and although fit to play he had only played 15 minutes of football since January. That was two off the full back line gone. Then Aiden Fennelly had exams was sick and then had a bit of an injury. We did not think he was fit to play a full game”

“At centre back Kevin (Fitzpatrick) was playing great football last year but had problems early this year. We played David Sweeney there against Tipperary and we thought he was adequate and that we might have found a centre back and then he was outstanding in three games against Sligo, Roscommon and Galway”

Competitive football
“We tried 70 players in competitive football. We lost Beano and Martin Delaney is in America and we hadn’t got Larry Keenan who could be one of the best in the country”

“I was critical of the under management last year. I was wrong. I got caught up in a bit of a struggle. They would not release players. I owe Gabriel an apology. He was doing what was best for his team. “We have an abundance in attack, up front”

Sean Ramsbottom “ I can’t accept that we have an abundance up front. We are badly lacking in forwards”

Tom Cribbin “two forwards got 48 of 62 scores when Laois won the All- Ireland minor championship. We were also missing Ian Fitzgerald who told me before the Longford match that he wouldn’t be available for the first round”

Michael Lawlor (Portarlington) “what I cant understand is that everybody saw Dessie Dolan going onto Eamon Delaney. The first person on Dessie Dolan should have been Joe Higgins. Ye sat on yer backsides and looked at it”.

Brian Delaney(selector) “who played on Dessie Dolan last year?”

Michael Lawlor “it doesn’t matter”

Mark Kavanagh (selector) “last year Eamon Delaney kicked the stuffing out of Dessie. He got a point from the left and then one from the right. If we took Eamon Delaney off him we though we might have destroyed his confidence”

Michael Lawlor “ye were doing a bad job”

John Whelan (Emo) “you spoke of the under 21s last year. What happened this year? They went backwards”

Tom Cribbin “We had two scoring forwards, one was injured and the other was off form”

Laurence Phelan (Rathdowney) “why was Beano played a week before the under 21. What was your attitude to the under 21s”

Tom Cribbin “we played three or four under 21 players against Carlow in the league. In 18 months we had 240 training nights. I missed only two of those and that was when I was off doing a sponsorship deal with Tony Walsh and Dick Miller”.

Laurence Phelan “nobody is questioning your dedication. Just questioning your ability to do the job”

Frank Keane (The Heath) “it was pitiful to see the demise of the minor team of three years ago. They looked a tired and weary team. How many training sessions did they have”?

Tom Cribbin went on to detail the training programme “never any more than four times a week”

Frank Keane “they had no method. No approach play. No forward play at all in front of goal. At senior level the very least we expected was a league final but nothing changed before the championship. It was dismal”

Larry Doone “I saw the demise of the team as far back as the Carlow game. I want to ask the question on the reimbursment of players for training”

Tom Cribbin “three players were not working and it was affecting their football. They got £70 to 80 a week and that included £5 each for travelling, the gym and food. I paid it out of my own pocket. Some players blew it out that they were getting big money. Some we got jobs but they just did not want to work. It was there mental state I was trying to get right”

Larry Doone “you are not going to win Leinster titles with that kind of attitude”

Pat O’Connell “after five minutes it was like looking at a first round league game in November. They only played for five minutes after George Doyle came in. We won at Croke Park at minor level playing championship football. There was no team spirit. No attitude”

Denis Lalor (selector) “it is hard to put your finger on why we played so poorly. We thought we were going well in challenge games. It didn’t happen in the championship”

Pat O’Connell “we shouldn’t have let Westmeath beat us in the O’Byrne Cup. You must win those games”

Plenty of dual players
Pat Carroll “St.Manmans feel it was unfair to put the gun to Declan Rooney’s head. There are plenty of dual players. Declan would have give the commitment. It was harsh, not fair”

Chairman O’Loughlin then called the question and answer session to a halt and asked the management to sum up.

Brian Delaney “I was selector with the minor and under 21 teams. Beano scored 2-26. We would have won no All-Ireland without him. He lifted the minor team on numerous occasions”

“This team played the best football against Dublin that I saw for years. This year certain players did not want to do what they were told. They did not do themselves justice. I agree that they should be fresh”

Many things behind scenes
“You win and you lose and you have to take it. Since 1946 we have been loosing. Martin Delaney, Larry Keenan and Ian Fitzgerald won the Leinster under 21 title for us, none of them were available this year. “I don’t think it is Tom’s fault. He did so many things behind the scenes for players”.

Mark Kavanagh “I said 18 months ago that I did not care from what club any player came from. I am a teacher and I try to see good in people. We tried to go to the very limit for players. The mistake I made was I thought I could get these lads around. I was wrong”. Tom Cribbin has shown me what honour and decency you can get in a man. He is straight down the middle. The communication between us and ye has not been there. Whoever comes in should bring in a code of conduct. Players turning up late for championship games, getting them out of bed in the mornings, it is not on. You are putting band-aid over problems. We did our best. If it is not good enough?”

J.J. Conway “Would ye have discarded 4 or 5 players that were causing problems. Problem players?”

Tom Cribbin “players arriving late did have a serious affect. If we had ran them, maybe. During year 5 or 6 players should have gone. If I had discarded 5 or 6 of the cowboys, I might have got rid of others as well”

Summing up Tom said there were few things that he was not happy with “last years football was the type I wanted to play. I thought that I was getting unfair publicity from the press, and one in particular because I had the balls to ask him to leave a dressing room. I thought it unfair that an executive member of the county board should apply for the job (manager), when there wasn’t a vacancy. It wasn’t proper.

“Looking back on the league we won seven matches. It might not have been pretty, but... Against Longford we played dire, then switched on and played delightful football”.

Then the outgoing manager dropped a ‘clanger’ “I am stepping down as manager. Ye haven’t confidence in me. Negativity is out there. In the circumstances I don’t think it would be wise to continue. I was born and reared in Laois. My grandfather played for Laois. I have pride in the Laois jersey.

“I have heard rumours the amount of money I am being paid. Money has nothing got to do with it. If you heard what I came out with you would laugh”.

Extended thanks
Chairman O’Loughlin thanked the management team for coming and for having a frank and open discussion “it was not easy. It is not a bed of roses” On behalf of the Football Board he extended his thanks for the work the four men had put in “the organisation brought was superb”

County chairman Dick Miller paid glowing tributes to Tom Cribbin “I brought Tom here. I liked him for his strength and honesty. He showed that his heart is in Laois football. I am delighted to have known him as a friend”

Thanking Tom and his selectors “I wish ye every success in whatever ye go to do”

After their departure to a rousing round of applause, it was outlined that the county executive would meet on this Tuesday night to set in motion a procedure to appoint a replacement management.

Hmmm... i have to admit this is interesting.

To me this throws up more questions about Tom than answers.

For example why does he get ultra defensive when questined about his tactics?

Does he feel insecure about county board politics?

Can he handle the other side of management that is the county board.

I suppose you can take two points of view here.

I have heard on numerous occaisions that the lads on the succesful Laois minor sides ethier got burned out or adopted an arrogant attitude to football by thinking they'd one everything and had had enought of football.

The board having seen underage success over a period of time would have set their sights to unreasonable levels and would have scutinized the management in charge with a lot more intensity than would normaly be the case.

On the other hand knowing that the players were involved in Colleges and u-21 games of the county and the expectation level on the players from the Laois public, did Cribben feel that he was unable to keep the players interested in senior football for the county and if there were bad eggs in the dressing room, why did'nt he get rid of them to begin with.

Were these players so highly thought of by the board and the public that by getting rid of them would he be putting his position in an untenable situation?

This is just me museing by the way, don't take it as inside information or anything

I think the last thing we should do is get rid of Tom Cribbin. Why get rid of the manager when the team is showing great signs of improvement, when young players with huge potential are being successfully integrated into the team and when the guts of a settled panel has been achieved?

What struck me most about the performance against Down was that Offaly played with a collective purpose. For that the manager has to take a good deal of credit. They also showed great commitment and motivation. I believe Cribbin deserves praise for helping to instil these characteristics into the players. For the first time ever Offaly gave the qualifers a right go. Cribbin has gathered together players who really want to play for Offaly. Nobody exemplifies this more than Anton Sullivan who was disconsolate after the game having played his heart out.

I think it's unhelpful to be bringing up stuff that happened 10 years ago. Surely all of us would do things differently - and better - now than we did a decade ago!

Its critical that the County Board stops the madness of the last several years, constantly replacing managers, many of whom were showing signs of real progress. What did that achieve only total disruption and going back to square one?