Under The Influence: Past students assess their old master

George Dugdale (Leitrim): "John came to Leitrim and brought a very professional approach and a determination to have us play simple, effective football. Naturally, his Championship year in 1994 is the one he will be remembered for, but the victory over Galway in Tuam the previous year - our first win there for around 40 years - gave us a huge psychological boost. Inexperience possibly cost us in the subsequent round. But in 1994, he managed to create a hugely unified atmosphere, as if the team, panel, county board and supporters were all in this together, and that paid off. His legacy in Leitrim is that he has left 25 players with Connacht medals which they perhaps thought they might never win. That year encouraged youngsters to take up the game in the county. That the success has never really been built on is not his fault. I'm not surprised to see Galway in the final now. Once John took over, they were always going to threaten."

Martin Carney (Mayo): "I spent my last two years of playing football with Mayo under John. I remember him as a very sincere man above all else. He was a hard worker, incredibly honest with the players, and just in the general way he deported himself. He invested a lot of faith in his players, never getting too technical and allowing us free reign to play, within certain parameters. He was extremely clued into mental strength and appointed a sports psychologist as far back as 1989, which was innovative for the time. Although popular, he was detached, kept himself out there and commanded terrific respect. He always manages to instil his teams with real belief, as was illustrated through his involvement with Leitrim and now Galway."

Liam Conlon (Leitrim): "He came in after PJ Carroll and left us under no illusions as to the effort he was going to give the job. I was struck by the way he got the county board, everybody, behind us, inviting them in for occasional meetings and also how he demanded a lot from his players. He was a very affable fellow but also quite intense. I'll never forget some of the nights we put in at Strandhill beach, torturous training. I was never a great one for winter training and I remember having a stand-up row with John before a Kildare League game after he dropped me. I told him then I'd be making a run for the Championship team and he gave me every opportunity to do so. He took us to a new height in 1994, but I think we literally threw away a Connacht Championship the following summer and that took the gut out of a lot of us. His departure was inevitable. I think that in the end, he showed loyalty to some players that never really returned it. But he will always be regarded with huge affection and respect among former Leitrim players."