New Manager=Success

Bored-Stupid

It seems that when a county (usually poor or at the end of its reign at the top) gets a new manager, they seem to do well e.g Coyle with Meath, and Monaghan in 03, Fermanagh when Mulgrew took over, Mickey Harte with Tyrone, Joe Kernan with Armagh.

As an Armagh fanatic this interests me greatly as we are hitting the bad times (again) and could do with a bit of fortune!
On that note any idea who the next orchard boss will be?

So what are the success stories and the disaster stories of new inter-county managers?

kevmy

Success story: John Maughan with Clare and Mayo (94 and 96)
Disaster story: John Maughan with Fermanagh and Roscommon

Disaster story: Paidi in Clare, most people in Dublin, everybody in Down since they won it

Overall more disasters than successes. You will prob find that most success stories with new managers come after someone else has laid down the ground work over the previous couple of years and/or a fantastic bunch of young players coming through at the same time.

Breezer

Gonna piss everyone off by immediately talking about the Dubs! Tommy Lyons brought home a first Leinster title in 7 years when he took over and took Dublin to an All-Ireland semi-final, which they lost by a point to eventual champions Armagh. Then things went downhill rapidly.

Paul Caffrey restored morale in 2005 and went on to win 3 Leinsters in a row (so far). Dublin took eventual 2005 champions Tyrone to a replay in the quarter final but were well beaten in the second game. In 2006 they reached the semis and came within a whisker of the final, only to completely collapse and let Mayo come back from being 7 points down with 10 mins to go to win by a wonder-point scored by Ciaran McDonald. In 2007 they reached the semis (where they beat Kerry and then won the All-Ireland - at least in my head they have )

And of course there was Heffo but I'm afraid I'm too young to remember those days.

Anyway the Dubs aside Mickey Moran had a great year with Mayo last year up to a point. Initial criticism about strange 'nut' formations faded when they won Connaught and staged the above-mentioned comeback against Dublin. It returned when they were hammered in the final by Kerry, even moreso than in 2004, and Moran resigned.

Mick O'Dwyer has a history of making waves wherever he goes. He took on a struggling Kildare side at the start of the decade and delivered a Leinster title, then did the same with Laois, who are generally thought to have under-achieved in recent years. It took Louth 3 games to overcome O'Dwyer's Wicklow in the opening round of this year's Leinster championship. Louth went on to give Cork huge problems - the same Cork team who are now in this year's All Ireland final.

K-9

It took O'Dwyer two goes to get a Leinster. If I remember correctly he win a League in the early 90's but didn't win Leinster. Cane back later and the win it.

Brian McIver brought Donegal to a QF with a relatively new team. McEniff took over in 03 when nobody and I mean nobody wanted it, lost all 7 league games, lost to Fernmanagh in our worst championship performance in years, but got to a AI SF through the Qualifiers.

Mickey Harte did it in 05 as well as 03 and he's been with a lot of that panel from under age up.

What people think of first time managers could be put to the test in Donegal.

McIver is has reconsidered and is looking for one more year. Charlie Mulgrew, Jim McGuinness and Donal Reid have also officially applied.

Daysha

Justin McCarthy

If a first Munster title in 39 years on your first summer in the job isn't a success, I don't know what is.

Kojak

Its nto really true that in a managers first year, that they are immeaditly going to have success.

Look at limerick hurling for the last 5 or 6 years. A new manager would come in nearly each year, but low and behold it would turn into a pure disaster. i.e. keane, Pat Joe Whelehan and their last manager before Bennis (I can't remember his name).

Tony Considine's only year in charge of Clare could hardly have been counted a success, now could it?? Also Loughnane over galway - hardly a sparkling summer for us, now was it?

Of course there is the other side to the story. John O'Mahoney brought a 32 year famine to an end when he managed Galway to the All-Ireland in 1998. Joe Kernan, Mickey Harte and Jack O'Connor all won in their first years.

Personally, its down to how good the manager is and also the level of talent that is available to him within the county.

thirdmantackle

players often respond much better to a new voice giving them directions. could be saying the exact same thing - just they want to hear it this time

a fresh approach and players feel better about themselves and so they play better.

simple psychology