This article is from page 87 of the 2007-08-07 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 87 JPG
NINE months after doing a solo run on the appointment of a Clare foot- ball manager, the county board has come full circle and enlisted the help of the clubs in finding the right man for the job.
When the Clare delegation trav- elled to Paidi O Sé’s pub in Ventry late last November, they did so under the cover of darkness. Only a select group of board members knew of the impending approach, prompting an- ger among certain delegates.
“I think it was very, very under- hand the way it was done,’ said Ber- nard Hanrahan, Clarecastle delegate of O Sé’s appointment at December’s GAA convention.
Hanrahan’s remarks were knocked back by chairman Michael McDon- agh at the time, but this week the chairman confirmed that the board are two weeks away from receiving final correspondence from the Clare clubs, in relation to who the next man in charge should be.
‘“We’ve made contact with the clubs and we’re waiting for them to get back to us,’ he said. “Once that’s done, it’s a case of drawing up a shortlist over the following ten days or so.”
That the clubs of Clare have a say in the process may ensure that an
exhaustive search will have been un- dertaken, but it’s not guaranteed that success will follow.
While O Sé’s tenure as manager ended without many high points, the board were lauded by most in the winter for going after and securing a big name to help propel Clare up the football ladder.
It didn’t happen and as a result, the search is on for a Clareman to lead the county team from bottom-rung football next season.
“We’re anxious to get the right peo- ple in as soon as possible, but we’re not going to rush anything,’ added McDonagh. “The most important thing is we get the right men to do the job.”
Next Tuesday’s meeting of the board promises to be another action filled event. Besides the expected debate on the next man to fill the football manager’s shoes, talk will also turn to the position of hurling manager following Clare’s departure from the championship against Limerick.
It’s an open secret by now that a certain section of the board wished to remove Tony Considine, despite his two-year appointment. If this fac- tion gets it way, the board could be looking at an unprecedented four in- ter-county appointments in less than one year.