Horan: ‘When you’ve so many games so close, sometimes management can get nervous’

The eight managers face a critical week in the run-up to the weekend action.

CROKER-BOUND: Cork manager John Cleary will prepare his side for a clash with the Dubs. Pic: INPHO/Leah Scholes

This is the crunch period. For a host of contenders, the path to the All-Ireland semi-finals would involve three games in as many weeks.

This weekend's All-Ireland SFC preliminary quarter-finals is one week before the All-Ireland SFC quarter-finals. Speaking on the  Irish Examiner’s Gaelic football podcast for subscribers, former Mayo manager James Horan said the eight managers involved will be at pains to make sure they manage this week correctly.

“When you have so many games so close, sometimes management can get nervous,” he said.

“They give too much information to players, nearly to make themselves feel good. That can be one of the worst things you can do. I’d say already, if I was involved, the information has gone out to the players.

“Straight after the draw, to try give that sense that you have got a head-start on the others. A lot of the analysts would have done the work on the potential teams you would be playing. That simplified, concise information is already gone out to the players 15 minutes after the draw. They have the whole week planned out, potential sessions and what you will cover.” 

The draw sees Dublin take on Cork, Down versus Galway, Donegal face Louth and Kerry play Cavan.

“Ultimately, those games are on next Saturday and Sunday, you have very limited time. You pick one or two things you are going to improve on from your side. You look at how you can kill the opposition with one or two things.

“It is a classic coaching thing. Some coaches try to coach everything. They see a player drop a ball, they coach that. They see a player not moving enough, they shout at him about that. It’s not real coaching. Messages everywhere and nothing sinks in. Targeted messaging that is very clear to the players.

“All the players need to know is when we are meeting, we are working on this in the session. That’s all. The logistics and all can be finalised. A nice amount of information, we have something extra and away we go. The mental fatigue is worse than the physical fatigue.”