O Se lays down the law in The Kingdom

KERRY coach Paidi O Se intends to take more control of team affairs this season, as they bid to celebrate the centenary of their first All Ireland football title with their 33rd championship success.

O Se pledged yesterday to "go with my instincts" amid reports that he intends to take a greater hand in the physical preparation of the Kerry team, a job which heretofore has been primarily the responsibility of John O'Keeffe.

The Kerry legend jetted out to South Africa at the weekend to join up with the players and other selectors and will sit down to explain his strategy to both while on holiday.

He may also find himself explaining to the four other selectors some of the comments in an interview in yesterday's Sunday Independent: "I discovered something this year. Whether it be football or business, from here on I'm going with my instincts. I'm not going to be dictated to, or told that I should do this or do that. That didn't happen with me (last) year. I made a mistake.

"From here on in I'm going with my instincts, whether they be right or wrong. Because at the end of the day, I'm the one that's going to take the bullet."

O Sé said that he had a number of new, inventive ideas for the team which he would discuss in South Africa with his selectors. However, he clearly does not see his strategy as a dilution of their input: "I have a very loyal group of selectors in John O'Keeffe, John O'Dwyer, Eamonn Walsh and Eddie O'Sullivan. I'm comfortable with these people, they're very loyal to me, but they don't let me get my own way all the time.

"I need people like that, because I have strong beliefs, and I get ideas into my brain that might be crazy and I need somebody to stand up to me."

O Sé described being manager of the Kerry footballers as one of the hardest jobs in Irish sport because Kingdom supporters are "the roughest type of f...ing animals you could ever deal with. And you can print that."

Kerry begin their competitive campaign with an Allianz League tie under lights away to Cork on February 1 and O'Sé added: "We'll be taking the League extremely seriously because it's a big year for Kerry and Paidi O Sé and I will be leaving no stone unturned to restore lost prestige to Kerry. Any year you don't win an All Ireland is a bad year. We didn't win it last year so it was a disastrous year. I wouldn't say there were any (plusses). I'd only be codding you if I said there were."

O Sé refused to discuss Kerry's second-half collapse in the All Ireland semi-final, but said it was an unacceptable loss for the Kingdom: "People say that we're great losers and all that. We are gracious in defeat, but deep down, Kerry people don't like to lose."

In a separate interview last week, O Sé agreed that it was "sh.. or get off the pot time" for the Kerry players and selectors, and moved to clarify his relationship with Maurice Fitzgerald, who missed last year's championship campaign.

"I'd love to have Maurice back. All the team would, but his return is a matter for himself. I have invited him back, but he's a very private person.

"There was a perception that a conflict between Maurice and myself was the stumbling block to his return. Not true. Maurice and myself have a very good relationship, there has never been a strain between us and I've never stood in the way of his return."

O Sé said Fitzgerald, along with Mick O'Dwyer and Foreign Affairs Minister Brian Cowen, were the three people whose sporting opinions he most valued.

"The Minister has a great knowledge of football," he said.