Under-fire McEnaney staying

SEAMUS McENANEY will continue as Meath manager despite serious consternation about his new management team and the release of statements from his former selectors Barry Callaghan and Liam Harnan.

In a letter to the board, McEnaney explained he planned to go into the 2012 season with assistants Tom Keague, Martin McElkennon and Graham Geraghty, a proposal recommended by the board executive.

However, following statements by Callaghan and Harnan in which McEnaney had acted in “gutless and disrespectful” and “devious and cowardly” ways, a number of delegates demanded to go back to their clubs to discuss the new management team.

They countered the claim by chairman Barney Allen that an email was sent to clubs notifying them of McEnaney’s original team, which recently lost Paul Grimley as well as Callaghan and Harnan.

But after considerable debate in which it was pointed out Meath would be a “laughing stock” if they were to raise doubts about another manager following Eamonn O’Brien’s removal last year, McEnaney’s team was ratified.

On a dramatic evening, Callaghan’s statement was first read out in which he described McEnaney’s initial group in 2011 as “a charade of a management team” and stated the manager had shown him a lack of respect regarding Graham Geraghty’s recall to the panel. He also insisted McEnaney’s decision to bring back Geraghty didn’t provoke him to withdraw his services but the conditions that led up to it did.

He claimed nobody in McEnaney’s management team had seen Geraghty play for 12 months.

After being informed by the manager of Geraghty’s return, Callaghan had come to the conclusion his position was untenable.

“A relationship needed trust and respect. Mine and his had neither now. He had shown a complete lack of respect towards me as a member of the management team. I didn’t expect issues to be dealt with behind my back in such an underhand way.”

Callaghan further commented: “Seamus stated in the media that he had no regrets about dealing with other members of management in such a gutless and disrespectful way.”

He also added: “Seamus thought it was more important to commentate for RTÉ on an Ulster championship match rather than assess players who were playing championship on Sunday the 15th of May.”

In his letter to the board, Harnan stated he been forced to accept his resignation after it was documented in the media.

He also said: “It was disheartening that after discussions where selectors had been in agreement Seamus would go off on his own personal agenda and ignore the consensus of the group, even to the extent that he misinformed Paul Grimley as to decisions made.

“Further to that, he devalued the input of his colleagues. He notified us of these decisions by text or through the media or press release, which I feel was a devious and cowardly way for an inter-county manager to inform his colleague of such key decisions.”

Harnan concluded his statement by asking: “Is Seamus the best way or the only way?”

Meanwhile, former Meath manager Seán Boylan was also appointed the new director of football in the county.

Interestingly, part of his remit will include overseeing as well as making recommendations on the appointment of managers of all inter-county teams.

That will involve agreeing goals and plans with all managers and carrying out regular reviews of performance with managers to ensure the aims set are being achieved.

Chairman Allen revealed the Dunboyne man accepted the part-time position last Tuesday night.

“We asked him to advise us in picking managers and helping us in general,” said Allen.

Coaching officer Eamonn Barry expressed his confusion and amazement at the new position, claiming it would either “undermine or compromise” people already working in the coaching area within the county board.

He also suggested the coaching committee should have been consulted on the appointment.

In response to Barry, Allen explained games manager Dudley Farrell had no problem with Boylan coming on board to work with underage teams and clarified neither his nor Barry’s positions would be undermined by the development.

Meath’s current jersey sponsorship deal with Comer International has ended but the executive are expecting to hear from the company this weekend.