Billy Lee goes with the flow as Limerick look to progress

Billy Lee wasn’t supposed to succeed John Brudair as Limerick football manager. Not in the beginning, anyway.

Brudair stepped down at the end of August and it was a week or two later when Lee was contacted by football board chairman John Cregan. The latter didn’t have it in his head that he wanted the Newcastle West man as manager, rather he wanted him on the six-person committee who would be charged with finding Brudair’s replacement.

Lee agreed, although a family holiday in Lanzarote meant he was absent for their first meeting. The committee convened for a second time on September 22 at the Woodlands Hotel in Adare. Lee showed face on this occasion but was told that a conflict of interest had arisen.

“We went on holidays from September 14 to the 21,” Lee recalls, “and the first meeting was held during that time. I showed at the second meeting and that is when it was put to me by John Cregan that my name had been put into the mix as the potential new manager. At that point, the rules of engagement are that you have to go off the committee.”

Had he considered it?

He’d every right to given the apprenticeship he’d served: Lee had previously managed the county U21s, not to mention the six-year spell as a selector during Liam Kearns’ tenure in the early Noughties.

“I don’t ever plan a path, be it with regard to my personal or sporting life. I don’t have those kind of dreams or set those kind of targets. I take every challenge as it presents itself. I obviously hadn’t considered putting myself forward as manager, otherwise I wouldn’t have joined the committee in the first place. There was a reason. My own young lad, Jamie, is around the scene. I wanted to give him space so I felt that was the approach I’d take. Subsequent events changed that, of course.

“I didn’t mention it to my young lad that my name had been put in the mix. It spoke about it with my brothers and my wife — a couple of friends also. After discussion there, I felt I should allow my name go forward and that I was willing to go through the process of meetings and interviews.” In early November, Lee was handed the reins.

“I’m humbled that people think I’m capable of stepping into this role. It is a great honour. Very few people in life get such opportunities. I’m not a man who plans things out. It just happened and I went with it.”

Since then, he’s put together a fairly decent backroom team. There’s Paudie Kissane (coach), former Limerick footballer Barry Fitzpatrick (S&C coach), Ricky Ronayne (selector) and former Limerick dual player Brian Begley (selector).

“When I was playing, the manager was nearly the youngest member of those on the sideline. Now, he is nearly the oldest and surrounds himself with vibrant young lads who can touch and feel what is going on with the players.

“Paudie, Brian and Barry have all played inter-county. They all have previous management experience at county and college level. Their knowledge is massive and they are the people you need around you. From what I’ve seen so far, Paudie is very capable. People are enjoying the training we’re doing at the moment. He’s travelling a long distance from Cork. Yet, he is always there. He’s hugely committed to the cause. He wants to help the lads progress.”

With a McGrath Cup group containing Clare and Waterford, a first final appearance in this pre-season competition since 2008 is by no means out of the question.

After that, securing promotion from Division 4 and achieving a first Munster SFC victory since 2012 are among their primary targets.

“If you take the 2016 championship, it is hard to argue with the view that Limerick are fifth in Munster.Clare were in an All-Ireland quarter-final and Tipperary were in the All-Ireland semi-final. That is the way it is, but we’d like to think we can catch up with the Clares and Tipperarys of this world. Limerick football is in a phase of transition. Some of the lads from the mid to late Noughties have retired. Pa Ranahan has retired, Paudie Browne is out of the country.

“Whether he comes back or not, we don’t know. We have one or two other senior players carrying knocks so we don’t know where they sit at the moment. We won’t have too many players north of 25.

“A lot of work has been done in the last few years at U21 level. We were a bit unlucky in losing to Kerry last year in the U21.

“There is a lot of work being done in bringing these lads through. We want to help them further develop. There is definitely a transitionary phase, but we can’t be in transition forever.”