Eamonn O’Brien was a victim of circumstance in Meath, caught in the crossfire of political strife. And until the situation changes, Meath could struggle to attract a top manager.
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The heave against Eamonn O’Brien in Meath seems to have owed plenty to the fall-out from the Leinster final against Louth, and the decision not to offer Louth a replay when most people seemed to see that as the preferred course of action.
But I’ve a feeling there’s more to it than that, and O’Brien is a victim of circumstance as much as anything else. There has been a lot of discontent in Meath between the clubs and the management committee of the County Board. Without being extremely familiar with the Meath scene, there does appear to be a lot of internal politics at play and O’Brien was unlucky to be caught in the crossfire.
I’ve heard former players express their dissatisfaction in the past with the way the County Board operates, and looking at it from afar – the way Eamonn Barry was treated a few years ago, the way in which the County Board appointed O’Brien in the first place after an internal squabble over Luke Dempsey – the whole thing looks to be fairly shabby.
When players are the ones who instigate a heave, people are very quick to point the finger and criticise, but there isn’t much difference in a heave from the clubs, which has now happened in quick succession in Meath and Monaghan, where Seamus McEnaney was ousted.
There’s no doubt that Meath have made progress under Eamonn O’Brien over the past two years. Granted, the performance in the Leinster final against Louth was below par and they came up short against Kildare in the All-Ireland quarter-finals, but you couldn’t dispute the fact that Meath have been on an upward curve.
It’s been a gradual process – it’s not as if Meath have been producing brilliant minor and U21 teams over the last few years, so it’s needed a lot of rebuilding, and that takes time. But they have been making progress. When they dismantled Dublin in Leinster early in the summer, many commentators were saying that they had the best forward line in the country and people were talking them up as serious All-Ireland contenders.
Gerry McEntee is very well respected on the Dublin side of the county boundary but would he want the Meath job? I’m not so sure.
It proved to be too early for that, but they were on the right track and the way it is now, they’re right back to square one. One of the most disappointing aspects of it is that there was no consultation with the players, and at the end of the day it’s the players who are affected the most.
So the Meath County Board now has a job on its hands to find a new manager. Given the structures in place, I doubt there will be too many interested parties from outside the county. Top managers will be looking at the way in which Eamonn Barry and Eamonn O’Brien have been ousted and they won’t be too keen on allowing their name to go forward if they’re not going to be sure of support from the top.
In any case, appointing from outside is not Meath’s style. There should be plenty of people in the county who are capable of doing a job with the right backing. Foremost among them would be former players and the top candidates on that front appear to be Gerry McEntee and Colm O’Rourke, both of whom have the experience and the profile to take the team on.
Gerry McEntee has had success on the Dublin scene with St Brigid’s. He won a Dublin championship a few years ago and Brigid’s, who were relegated last year, look to be heading back to Division 1 this time around with him back involved in some capacity. He’s very well respected on this side of the county boundary but would either he or O’Rourke want the Meath job as it stands? I’m not so sure.
On the face of it, it should be a good job for somebody. They have a good group of players, many of whom are quite young. They need to unearth at least one midfielder and a couple of defenders but they have potential. However, the structures will have to change if they’re to get somebody of top quality to take over.
Looking at it on a wider scale, the ways in which managers are appointed need to be addressed, across the board.  One of the key issues is concerns about payments to managers, and that’s something I know GAA Director-General Paraic Duffy is looking at very closely.
I’m a traditionalist, and I’d prefer each county to appoint someone from within, someone who can use a genuine passion for the county to deliver success. That’s the way it’s always been done in Dublin, and in other traditionally strong counties such as Cork, Kerry and Meath.
It’s understandable for a perceived weaker county to want to bring in an outsider with a proven track record to try to benefit from his experience and inspire their players to greater results. However, there are rumours of some managers getting serious payments, and definitely when you see a big-name outsider being appointed in a smaller county, they’re not doing it for the good of their health.
County empires
It would be better if there was some sort of nationwide template laid down by Croke Park, with an allowance for individual representation from former players, current players, the County Board and the clubs. That would at least ensure that the interests of all parties are being catered for, instead of the status quo which leaves a lot of room for grievance, whether from the clubs or the players.
The way things are, there are too many inconsistencies from county to county. The biggest problem of all, though, is that all County Boards rule their own little empires, and until that changes these issues are going to resurface again and again.
Check back at JOE’s GAA HQ on Wednesday for Ciaran Whelan’s verdict on next weekend’s All-Ireland football final between Cork and Down
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