This article is from page 68 of the 2011-09-13 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 68 JPG
A LATE October dateline has been put in place for the appointment of a new senior hurling manager, despite moves from the floor of last Thursday’s meeting of the Clare County Board to appoint David Fitzgerald to the position with immediate affect.
Moves to fast-track Fitzgerald’s appointment, only two days after he officially stepped down as Waterford manager, were knocked on the head by county board chairman, Michael O’Neill, who outlined a lengthy process by which Ger O’Loughlin’s successor will be appointed.
“I certainly haven’t spoken to David Fitzgerald about it,” said O’Neill in revealing the county board blueprint for putting a new manager in place. The blueprint will include a nomination process that’s open to the clubs, interviews by a special county board appointed committee and a final selection that will be put before a full meeting of Clare GAA for ratification.
“Between now and the 23rd of September we want all nominations for the county senior hurling management,” said O’Neill. “We will finalise it then and I will put a committee in place to interview the candidates and then come back to the county board.
“I can tell you that the chairman of the county board will be the chairman of the committee. I will be selecting the committee. It will be a combination of ex-players and officials,” the chairman added.
“I concur with what you’re doing,” said Newmarket-on-Fergus delegate Michael Clancy. “I sat down this evening and set out what I would like to see happening. In Clare senior hurling from 1932 to 1998 we won four Munster senior championships and two All-Irelands. From 1998 to 2010, a duck.
“The quality has to be in our underage structures with under age and minor producing a nucleus for a team capable of delivering. What do we do? We do up a development plan; we nurture, coach and develop these young fellas and they will deliver the silverware.
“Who does that? A manager of course. A mature, tactical, people person. The support team is critical to this guy. The county board ultimately makes the decision. Appoint a committee, ask the clubs to supply nominations, with clubs consulting the hurling people in their parish and coming back in two weeks.
“The committee screening the nominations and making a recommendation in four weeks and then the manager will be in place by 20 October 20, 2011,” he added.
“That is exactly what’s going to happen,” said Michael O’Neill.