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Sideline View . . . with Martin Kiely
Over the past ten days or so a few football clubs, and many other football supporters, have made contact with me regarding the position of manager of the Limerick senior football team.
It's their belief that Mickey Ned O'Sullivan will yet again get another year to prove his worth.
If so that will be his fifth year in charge and the feeling around the county is that this man has got a very good run, but the time for change has now arrived.
The people who made contact were good solid football supporters, but are unhappy that, once again, the Football Board are doing a solo run.
Over the past few months the local championship has been one of the best for some time, yet we had no manager in charge to go and look at games and find new talent.
This is nothing new, they have always slowed the process down to suit the man in charge. but why is this allowed to happen?
At the recent meeting, which once again was poorly attended, it was decided that the Football Board would go and talk to the management team.
Management team
It was proposed and seconded, but this term 'management team' was first used by the one and only Mickey Ned O'Sullivan.
After the defeat to Meath in the All-Ireland qualifiers Mickey Ned said he would talk to his team of 12 - a bit like the last supper.
The best way to avoid taking responsibility is to dilute amongst others.
As manager O'Sullivan must take the praise when things go well, but also when it goes wrong he must be man enough to take it on the chin.
This crack of a management team of 12 is a joke.
The county is not employing 12 people, they have engaged O' Sullivan to do a job and he must be made take full responsibility for all it entails.
A priority for Limerick football
At some stage I would like to know when the priority of Limerick football for the future will be the main focus on the agenda.
Will giving O'Sullivan another year make any difference?
Winning the odd championship match will not build the sort of foundation we all want for Limerick football. We can be fooled and say that the league does not count, but look where we are for 2010, division four - will that help our young players or what state of mind will our established players be in for such games?
This year we went to Cork for the Munster final - a game we should have won had they made the changes when we had Cork on the rack.
That aside, are we any further down the road?
Tell it straight
Clubs making contact with me and hoping I will do their dirty work for them is one thing, but why didn't they go to the meeting and tell it out straight to the top table?
It's bad enough that clubs and supporters are upset, but I do know that many of the inter-county players are far from happy also.
If all these people want change why is it that the County Football Board are not listening to them?
The boys at the top table have things sorted okay, but they will take their time in rolling it out.
Richard Bowles
For one it looks like Richard Bowles will be taking over as under-21 manager and will also act as a selector with the senior team.
I played in the past against Richard - he has spent some years in Galway and is now back in Limerick.
Bowles played in goal for Limerick, he would have very little experience at this level, but that should not prevent him from taking such a post.
It looks as if Donie Buckley will also become a selector as well as trainer to the team.
There was some talk that he would go back to Kerry as Jerome Stack is set to take over the Kerry under-21 or minor team. Buckley and Stack are friends, but it appears now that he will remain in Limerick.
Two very good managers
I do know at least two very good managers that I spoke to would be very happy to take over Limerick should the Football Board have the courage to say farewell to Mickey Ned O'Sullivan.
What can Mickey Ned O'Sullivan do next year that he has not done over the past four years?
This is the right time to bring in someone new and give them their chance, but also we must think ahead and bring in someone when they still have players to work with and not have them starting with a new team and building afresh from the very start.
Running the senior football team is costing huge money and yet no money could be found when it was mentioned that some very good coaches were approached to come in with our minor football team for 2010.
Now that's some joke.
We have loads of money to spend on the manager of our senior football team and none to spend on the players of the future.
Interest of football at heart
If the people running football have the interest of football at heart they will go out and find a new manager for our senior team and also make sure that our minor and under-21 teams have the best people coaching them.
John Galvin and others will see this as Martin Kiely having another go at them, but football and its future should be the main goal for all involved and not about keeping a man who has been very well reimbursed for his time in a role that he has failed to deliver in over the past four years.
The main people in charge of football will be remembered for failing in their duty to do what's best for Limerick football.
Over the past couple of years I have seen so many games in the league and championship and I am sure we have many fine players who are not involved in our senior team.
These players need to be brought in and coached in place of guys who are just not up to it.
We had many involved this year - why was that? Why did the manager allow this happen?
The day for taking around lads from clubs for the sake of it is well and truly over, but it helps when you need to stay in office!
One of these days we will hear the news and all will carry on as before.
Senior County Board
Of course the senior County Board have the power to tell their counterparts to bring another name before them.
Indeed three on that senior board have told me they would have a real problem supporting Mickey Ned O'Sullivan for another year.
Another area of concern for the senior board is that costs have gotten out of hand - I believe that they are more than a third higher for the football as opposed to the hurling costs.
Could that be the case?
If we are going to play National League games and fail to make a real effort then we should not waste time and money playing such games - the league table does not lie and our results show that.
Gone proudly about their business
The vast majority of lads who play senior football for Limerick have gone about their business with great pride and unlike some of their hurling counterparts take their role very seriously.
We have some great men who have very little to show for their honest efforts.
The very least that they deserve is that the people in charge will provide them with a manager that can take them to the next level.
Donie Buckley is the man that has made things happen over the past two years and the players tell me that they are very happy with him as coach.
The next step is to get a good manager that will blend the group together.
The two people that I spoke to were willing to work with Buckley.
If Mickey Ned O'Sullivan had the record he has in Limerick with any other county he would have been gone long ago but not in Limerick.
For some reason it seems that O'Sullivan has the upper hand on the Limerick officials and has out-smarted them now so many times.
Would it not be as easy to pay the same for a good manager as a bad one?
Taking responsibility
Any manager of any team will tell you that he will always stress the need for players to take responsibility on the field, but it should also apply to managers.
When you fail to deliver move on and let the next man in with a new voice and new ideas.
Some people will look around and find some reasons to keep O'Sullivan, but, to be honest, I can see very few.
Mickey Ned O' Sullivan is now one of the longest holders of office in football management in Ireland, but it appears, just like our government and bankers, he will take no responsibility for his role.
Na Piarsaigh's big statement
Na Piarsaigh made a very big statement last week when they had the better of Croom in a very poor game played at the Gaelic Grounds, that aside I would have to say that Timmy O'Connor and Sean Stack have put a bit of much needed steel into the city side.
They produced some fine spells of play and they now have a real chance of making it to the final if they can be a bit more ruthless in front of goal.
Pallasgreen
For so many years I had the pleasure of playing some very tough games against Pallasgreen.
Last weekend they showed some great heart and lots of football skills to overcome St. Senan's in the county quarter-final. Pallasgreen have a great tradition and they will give a good account of themselves when they face Fr. Casey's in the semi-final.
The action in both hurling and football will reach a new level in the weeks ahead and only the teams that have the stomach for battle will survive as the heat increases.
Finally, the best of luck to our lady footballers who go in search of All-Ireland junior glory this Sunday in Croke Park.
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Wednesday 08 February 2012
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