Allen rejects ‘win at all costs’ mentality

John Allen admits he doesn’t possess the “win at all costs mentality” and ruthless streak of most inter-county managers.

Despite guiding Limerick to a first Munster title in 17 years last July, Allen stepped down from the post later that summer, just two seasons after taking up the role.

It was the same spell he served as Cork boss, guiding the county to two Munster titles and an All-Ireland. Now Allen has lifted the lid on the issues he disliked most in the hot seat.

“Deep down, it comes back to this win at all costs mentality and I don’t have that,” he revealed.

“You need a certain madness to be an inter-county manager. I am not sure if I have that madness inside me.

“Letting lads off the panel, giving out a championship team and there are 18 lads who know they have a chance of making it and telling three of them they haven’t made it. Telling a player ‘you won’t actually be starting today’.

“Young fellas bursting their gut and have almost come on to play in a championship game and next thing they don’t. All that stuff I don’t like.

“Deep down I don’t believe in this win at all costs mentality.”

The St Finbarr’s man, speaking at a Liberty Insurance coaching development conference in Croke Park on Saturday, expressed complete disregard for the authoritative and dictatorial style of management, adding that he mightn’t have achieved success with either Cork or Limerick had he not advocated an environment of inclusiveness and tolerance within both camps.

“I read a lot of books in my 30s on styles of management. I read books written by people you might call new age gurus, Anthony De Mello, Deepak Chopra, Anthony Robbins and Stephen Covey. They were all promoting the same values such as goodness, inclusiveness and tolerance. These values were all way more important than winning at all costs.

“At the end of last year I got a lot of complimentary emails from players in Limerick.

“The thread coming through them all was they all liked training and the sense of fun that was there.

“It is a cut-throat business, but as Juliet Murphy said of Eamon Ryan, he ‘was ‘one of them’ rather than ‘them and us’. That is key. We need to be working together rather than a manager dictating to players.

“I was involved with Cork for two years and we won two Munster championships and an All-Ireland. I was involved with Limerick for two years and we won a Munster championship. My own style of management had those results. I am very sure that style of management does work.”