Fergal Lynch: Long term managers seem to be a thing of the past

Are GAA clubs in Meath following the cancel culture that's becoming all too familiar in the English Premier League or is there a deeper rooted problem when it comes to perseverance with managers who don't deliver instant success?

There used to be a time in the GAA when the longest serving member of a club, or the village's most famous son, took charge of the local team based on their past history with the club and the reputation that proceeded them.

In many aspects of the GAA that still remains, but when it comes to appointing managers, especially to those clubs who often have loftier expectations than the playing resources at their feet, it appears to be a cutthroat business.

As well as getting dark, at the end of the day the stark reality of the championship situation in Meath is that only three clubs can have that ultimate success in football - and we are focusing on football for this week's column because the managerial merry-go-round in Meath is in danger of becoming like a scary ride at Tayto Park.

Over half the football clubs in the county have changed their manager for the start of the new season with 28 of the clubs appointing new bosses, while two others are still to be confirmed and there is a doubt also over Moylagh's affiliation.

And of those 28 new appointments only nine have been appointed from within their own club and the reluctance to go down that line is often twofold.

Firstly some committees believe that players don't often appreciate their own. There can be the perception that cliques develop and then the propaganda that the manager is showing favouritism to a life-long friend or former team mate over a disgruntled corner-forward tends to grow legs.

The idea that some players need an 'outside' voice is nonsense. If a player is committed to learning, doing their best for the club and has even a modicum of self-respect they will get in line behind whoever is in charge and run through a brick wall for their team mates.

The other factor in the propensity to go outside the club for a manager is often that those inside the club don't want the job because either: A, they are expected to do it for nothing and/or; B, they can pick up handsome 'expenses' by offering their services elsewhere.

Of the 16 senior clubs that will contest the 2022 Meath SFC ELEVEN of them will start the campaign with new men in charge. That is a remarkable statistic that only five of the now senior clubs in the county have retained their senior manager - did they ALL expect to win the Keegan Cup last year?

Of the five who remain at the helm, two are championship winning managers (Micheal McDermott with Wolfe Tones and Kevin Reilly with Trim) and one won the Feis Cup and has a proven championship pedigree with his own club (Colm O'Rourke with Simonstown).

The other two managers to hold onto their jobs are Donaghmore/Ashbourne's Mick Deegan and Moynalvey's John Donoghue.

Of the 11 new appointees only Summerhill's new man in charge Conor Gillespie has come from within the club.

Many of the managers who vacated their posts following the 2021 championships hadn't been in those positions for too long and some had only done one year.

Moving on is a natural progression of any team and constantly trying to evolve and improve cannot be faulted, but the search for perfection is drawing unnecessary demands and pressures on managers and those expectations from outside the while lines are often very realistic.

Of the 11 senior teams that have changed manager, only four of the clubs seriously harboured realistic title winning ambitions (you can argue amongst yourselves who those four are).

Some of the other teams changed managers because the current 'project' didn't work out or the natural life cycle of the manager's role had run its course.

Others filled manager positions as stop-gap measures and are now looking at the next step, but it is vital for teams not to get frustrated with coaches who don't bring instant success.

Most managers in place now are bright, promising young coaches with great ideas and ambitious plans for the future. Clubs need to be patient with those new men in charge, they need to be given the support and recourses necessary to get the best out of their teams.

If that best is winning a championship then great, if consolidation in their grade is the ultimate aim then that's fair too. Other managers have a remit to develop younger players and that also has its place.

However, what we want to avoid is another scenario next November where 25 or 30 clubs are once again on the look out for new managers.

Of the 28 changes of manager this year, I reckon only one manager has moved to another club within the county, so by my reckoning 27 lads are just chomping at the bit, waiting on the sideline to pounce on the first managerial opportunity that might be presented to them by an impatient and unrealistic committee who are just itchy to pull the trigger.