John Allen steps down as manager of Limerick hurlers

John Allen has stepped down as manager of the Limerick hurlers. The decision came last night when he told the players and informed the county board.

The news will be disappointing for Limerick, who this year won a first Munster title in 17 years, beating All-Ireland finalists Cork in the final in July before losing to Clare in the All-Ireland semi-final.

Allen’s two years had featured steady improvement and although the failure to secure promotion to the top division of the league was an irritation, championship displays registered great improvement culminating in this year’s achievement.

The committee of Damien Quigley, Paudie Fitzmaurice and Jim Woulfe, who handled Allen’s appointment, may well be pressed into action again to search out a successor to build on the achievements of the past two years.

Amongst the speculation on a successor, the name of Liam Sheedy who led Tipperary to the 2010 All-Ireland title has been mentioned but the process of selection is only getting under way.