Time to get the basics right
I found myself travelling to the Meath training centre of excellence in Dunganny on cold nights in October and November to see the future of the county football team. It was there the problems facing Meath first hit me.
My former playing colleague Ollie Murphy was over Carnaross and asked a sub to go in late in the games. The young fellow decided he wouldn’t bother as it was too cold and they were too far behind. Last year eight teams elected to take part in the U21 championship which is 15-a-side. My own club, Skryne received a walk-over into the semi-finals because St Colmcilles, with an area incorporating Bettystown and some of Drogheda, could not field a team. The other clubs took part in the 13-a-side U21 A or B competitions.
Even this year at minor level Skryne lost Division 2 of the minor league to Jenkinstown Gaels, an amalgamation of two senior clubs, Blackhall Gaels and Moynalvey. My own club would feel it is one of the best in the county with a proud history and yet we only have one player on the county panel. The bottom line is that most of the clubs are not doing their stuff.
In the last eight seasons, Meath have exited the Leinster U21 FC in the first round on five occasions and did not reach a Leinster final even. So the bulk of your senior team have no medals, no big game winning experience. The U21s lost to Kildare in 2005 by 18 points, in 2006 by eight and in 2008 by 12. It’s no surprise that Meath have lost their last six matches at senior level to the same opposition.
As a physio to the 2011 team I had full access to the training, team meetings etc. Seamus McEnaney was a very committed manager who put in massive work and hours to make the team successful. The positives from the league were the discovery of wing-back Donncha Tobin (a player myself and Colm O’Rourke overlooked at U21 level), the continued improvement of U21 players Brian Menton, Paddy Gilsenan and the form of Stephen Bray was close to his All-Star year in 2007.
There were things that could have been done better, just as they could have been on many successful teams I was involved on. A number of players were taken off early in games, which in a team of delicate confidence, did not help. They were made by a manager under too much pressure to get results.
The much-criticised sweeper system for the first two victories was abandoned for the Louth match and the team conceded 1-12 in the first-half. The season went wrong after those opening two wins. The Kildare game was a high in terms of a local derby, big crowd, television coverage and a good show.
The following week against Galway didn’t rate as high in the players’ minds. They were in third gear and played accordingly. The video analysis highlighted balls being kicked away and the message before the Derry game was not to kick away so much possession. The players took it too far and stopped kicking the ball, instead opting for a safety first approach of short lateral handpasses. It played into Derry’s hands and the scores dried up. So too did the players’ confidence and it was reflected in the last two poor performances. It is difficult to see where the current level of high expectation of the team comes from when you look at the recent U21 displays, how poorly the club U21 competitions are run and how the big towns like Ratoath, Kells, Bettystown have no senior teams.
When you get unrealistic expectation, performances will fall short. Players and managers take the criticism.
I was so lucky to win games as a minor in Croke Park in front of big crowds for two seasons and come into the senior team full of established legends. But the current crop have been unsuccessful at underage level and were thrown into a struggling senior team.
Some Meath people need to accept we are going through a bad cycle and get down to their local club and do something about it.
Has there been a young Meath player over in Australia on a trial in the last few years? No, because the Australians have not deemed them to be good enough. Without a couple of superstars it is impossible to win titles. Barney Allen will step down at the end of this year after five years as county board chairman and an unbelievable 35 years’ service as an officer.
Who becomes his successor becomes the most important appointment for Meath football this year. It’s a position Colm O’Rourke is best suited for. He is a man with many fresh ideas on underage and club structures and would surely involve many of his colleagues from the successful teams of the ’80s and ’90s.
Next Wednesday’s vote will be a new low, among many recent lows sacking a manager mid-season. It will take turning around but this will not make the players better. The three-week break for club matches will be a help and with Kevin Reilly, Paddy Gilsenan and exciting newcomer Mark Collins to return from injury Meath football’s future will be in a better shape come the championship.
The team’s confidence needs to be addressed, the county needs to support all involved and the manager needs to be allowed to work in a less pressurised environment. If you feel your county board are fantastic and you and your club are doing a brilliant job producing players of inter-county standard with no weaknesses then vote to change the manager. Otherwise leave him there, have a think about the next county board chairman and get down to your club and improve your coaching.
