Mixed reviews on new managers as credits start to roll

GAELIC GAMES:WITH THE opening credits now running on the GAA season some managers may well be feeling the pressure already – or at least those in their first year in charge.

Sunday’s opening round of games in the various provincial competitions saw six counties with new senior football managers in position for 2012: Offaly, Wicklow, Fermanagh, Galway, Leitrim (joint managers) and Roscommon.

Of those six counties only two got off to a winning start – as three ended up losing, while one managed a draw. Such are the demands from county managers these days that losing streaks are best nipped in the bud, preferably before springtime.

In the O’Byrne Cup, new Wicklow manager Harry Murphy lost out to DCU, although Offaly’s Gerry Cooney had a nice win over Westmeath, even though he wasn’t actually there to witness it.

In the Dr McKenna Cup, Fermanagh’s Peter Canavan got off to a very impressive start, comfortably beating Armagh by eight points at home at Brewster Park.

In the Connacht FBD League, new Roscommon manager Des Newton managed to draw with GMIT, thanks to an injury-time free from John Rogers, but Leitrim’s joint managers Barney Breen and George Dugdale went down to Mayo, after a close contest. Galway’s Alan Mulholland lost out to NUIG (Mulholland did actually get off to a winning start as Galway were out last Wednesday evening, when they beat Sligo IT).

Naturally, none of these managers are reading too deeply into the result: in fact Cooney was reading of Offaly’s win on the internet in Namibia, having left earlier in the weekend on a pre-arranged trip that involves some charity work and a short holiday. (Cooney also purchased a farm in Namibia some years ago.)

In his absence Offaly selector James Stewart took charge, and will do so again for next Sunday’s quarter-final meeting with Kildare – as Cooney won’t return from Africa until later in the month: “We are only a week back training and we needed to see the lads put in a decent effort and commitment,” said Stewart. “That’s what we got, regardless of the result, but it is nice to get the result.”

Galway’s two-point defeat to NUIG was never going to bother Mulholland too much, given they’d at least beaten Sligo IT four days previous, although he admitted afterwards the desire to build a winning momentum going into the league. “Like every manager we are trying to see if we can uncover some talent,” he said. “We are all in the same boat. In these games you have got around three weeks to do it before the pressure comes on for the league.

“The object is to try and get as close to our best team out for the first round of the league. The FBD is a ground for trying out new players so we are trying to get the balance right between giving the new lads a chance here, but also we want to try and keep the victories going. This is all about momentum so I am a little disappointed we didn’t come away with a victory.”

No one expected Dublin to come out on Sunday with the same guns that blazed Kerry in last year’s All-Ireland final, and yet Pat Gilroy was quietly satisfied with the seven-point win over Carlow, especially given so many of his first-choice players were absent for various reasons.

However, it emerged yesterday that former captain David Henry has opted out for 2012, and with that effectively announced his retirement from intercounty football. Gilroy is insisting the door remains open to everyone in contention until at least the end of the month, although having failed to nail down a place last summer Henry appears intent on calling it a day. Aged 31, Henry made his senior debut for Dublin almost exactly 10 years ago, in the 2002 league, originally playing in defence, while also playing a dual role with the Dublin hurlers. He was actually Dublin captain for Gilroy’s first league match, against Tyrone in 2009, and also took over the captaincy from Paul Griffin in 2010.

Griffin, coincidentally, is only now returning to match fitness after an extended rehab from a knee injury, although Gilroy is in no hurry to name the Dublin captaincy for 2012, in succession to Bryan Cullen.

In a strange twist former Meath senior football team manager Eamonn O’Brien has joined the Monaghan management set-up in an advisory capacity. After being in charge of the Royals in 2008 and 2009, O’Brien’s services were dispensed with to be replaced by Seamus McEnaney, who had been at the Monaghan helm for six years.