This article is from page 73 of the 2007-08-21 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 73 JPG
MUCH like his brief tenure in charge, Tony Considine’s dismissal as Clare manager was charged, fraught with tension and at times extraordinary.
A heated debate that ran for almost two and a half hours culminated in clubs overwhelmingly voting in fa- vor of a motion put forward by the Executive to change the management team. 45 voted for Considine to be sacked and only six voted against.
After the business of appointing a five-man committee to lead the search for Paidi O Sé’s successor as Clare senior football manager, County Board Chairman Michael McDonagh dropped the bomb that many were expecting.
“I am making a proposal that we change the senior management team for next year” said McDonagh.
“I have to accept mistakes were made,’ he said before stating “he wouldn’t recommend this job to his worst enemy’.
The executive, said McDonagh, were all in agreement that Tony Con- sidine was no longer the right man to lead Clare hurling. A few key reasons emerged for this.
The fact that sponsor Pat O’ Donnell and County Secretary Pat Fitzgerald were asked, along with others not directly involved with the team, to leave the Clare dressing room before a match in Meelick, was one.
The circumstances surrounding the withdrawals of physical fitness coach Dave Mahedy, goalkeeper David Fit- zgerald and selector Ger Ward.
It was revealed that another selec- tor, Pat O’Connor, told McDonagh that he would not be taking part in the county set up.
And then there was Considine’s close friendship with Ger Loughn- anne, a man viewed by many in the room as the de facto spokesperson for the Clare team.
Kilmurry Ibrickane delegate TJ O’Loughlin, who seconded the Board’s motion, raised Loughnanne’s
comments when he unfavorably com- pared club delegates to “mushrooms” and “village idiots”. *“Tony Considine only listens to what Ger Loughnanne tells him” said O’Loughlin. Loughn- anne’s words were clearly unhelpful KOM SNR (ONCE
The mercury burst the glass when the row over the availability of play- ers for club fixtures was aired.
Inflammatory newspaper com- ments by selector Tim Crowe where he robustly challenged anyone who couldn’t stand the heat to get out of the kitchen, were mentioned by Clarecastle’s Paschal Russell, raising the temperature further.
As the debate swayed back and forth and McDonagh vowed this would be one of the last speeches he would ever make, there was barely a mention of the team’s performances on the pitch.
It was as if personal grudges out- weighed any analysis of how Clare under Considine actually played.
In the middle of this, fighting a
losing battle was selector Ciaran O’Neill. With Tony Considine and Tim Crowe both away on holidays it fell to O’Neill to put forward the management’s side. He appealed for the trio to be allowed the opportunity to have their say. McDonagh chal- lenged him to do it on the night, but O’ Neill, declined saying it would not be right to talk without Considine or Seem tion
His appeal won support from some quarters. Kilmaley delegate Eugene McMahon said everyone should have the right of reply.
Noel Welsh said, “it is a very seri- ous matter to terminate someone’s contract, maybe we should hold back and allow a little breathing room”’.
Dan O’Connor from Doora Bare- field and Tony O’Connell from Wolfe Tones also advocated the right of re- ply. A proposal for delegates to re- convene at a special meeting to hear from Considine, Crowe and O’Neill was also shot down. As was a motion for clubs to consult with their mem-
bers before casting their vote.
Considine clearly didn’t help his own cause. He was evasive with the board and the media and refused to entertain accusations that the res- ignations of selectors and the with- drawal of players were impacting on the team’s preparation.
The ill-fated closed doors friendly in Thurles also caused unnecessary tensions between board and manage- ment.
But still, as stormy as it might have been, Considine should have been given the right of reply.
He was sacked without getting an Opportunity to explain or defend himself. By Friday, three days after the event, he had not been officially informed that he was no longer the manager of the Clare senior hurling team.
No matter what way you cut it, that’s just wrong. There was a lot of talk on the night about not repeating the mis- takes of the past year, but the board haven’t made the best of starts.