Great players not always the answer as manager hunt begins

The news that the Offaly county board are already beginning the process of putting in place senior football and hurling management teams for 2012 was very much to be welcomed during the week - since whoever takes the reins in both codes will surely be very eager to take in the business end of proceedings in the senior and intermediate championships which are currently ongoing in the county. Seven-man interview committees were put in place in order to find both the football and hurling bosses for next season. While interview committees of that size are perhaps a little unwieldy and awkward for the purpose of really examining the credentials of those who would be willing to put themselves forward, the individuals who will fill those seven berths have proven themselves as long-standing servants of Offaly GAA, and should be able to conduct the process in an efficient and effective manner. Rumour and speculation is rife all across the county as to who will take on the respective managerial mantles. However, the two committees are in an unenviable position as they are bound to disappoint some people, regardless of who gets selected. There will be those who would advocate that Offaly should spend money that the county simply doesn't have in order to secure high profile managers who have proven their worth on the inter-county scene previously. However, that's a risky game at the best of times, while the old adage that you should only bet with money you can afford to lose seems apt. The art of selling county board development draw and county board lotto tickets is difficult enough at the moment without a general perception emerging that all monies raised are simply going into the pocket of an individual taking on the job for all the wrong reasons. In some instances, private benefactors step forward to cover such additional costs, however that scenario is highly unlikely at the moment. Secondly, there are managerial candidates who have proven their worth on the field of play, and there are managerial candidates who have proven their worth on the sideline. In Offaly there has been a worrying trend in recent years of siding with the former category at the expense of the latter, a tactic that simply hasn't borne fruit. Offaly can ill afford to give out "rewards" to those players who have served the county on the field of play until those individuals prove their worth either on the club or underage scene - or ideally, in Sigerson or Fitzgibbon competition. Of course, any candidate with medals in their pocket is more likely to command the respect of the next generation; however, there is also a risk that unless those individuals have developed their knowledge since their playing days, they could be perceived by the players to be applying outdated techniques. The skills required to improve and develop an inter-county team resemble those required in business more and more with each passing year. Project management, human resource and personal development, strategic planning and reacting to unfolding situations are all vital tools in the armoury of any county manager, while their ability to take points or shut down an opponent when playing themselves is no longer relevant. Indeed, it has become even less so now that most managers bring in their own specialist coach as part of the overall package. All of these things have made the playing history of a managerial candidate less and less relevant, yet there will still be those who believe that anyone who hasn't won All-Star awards/Celtic crosses of their own simply won't know what they are talking about. The bar stool analysts are also in danger of concentrating too much on the head guy, without paying sufficient attention to the calibre of individuals that will work with them. The dressing room dynamic is a fragile thing, and one ill-chosen selector or coach can really upset team harmony. Everyone who has ever played low level football or hurling has sat in a dressing room before a game and listened to one selector telling them one thing followed by another one telling them something completely contradictory, but while such extreme examples are unlikely to crop up on the county scene, management teams need to be able to bring different points of view while at the same time present a coherent and well thought out front. No two people will have the same idea as to their perfect player - one selector might lean towards the hard-working ball winner as their ideal centre-forward, another might prefer a mercurial playmaker. If the management team doesn't work out all these kinks before beginning their work, they simply won't be able to work together in the long run. Similarly, the physical trainer must be able to prepare players with the team game-plan in mind, the coach must focus on the skills that are going to be most heavily used in that game-plan, and every member of the coaching staff must learn to use what can be a very limited window of training and playing time to maximum effect. With the exception of Rhode last weekend, the eleven counties in action in the Offaly SFC averaged ten scores each, and this weekend the bookmakers are predicting six clear-cut victories in the senior hurling championship. Both under-21 county sides lost in a comprehensive and hugely disappointing fashion this year and there have been no underage provincial titles won in either code for over a decade, despite a couple of near misses from the minor footballers. Creating success in Offaly in the near future will not be easy - it is more crucial than ever that the committees charged with finding the county managers for next year and beyond do their job well, and give the players and supporters every chance of silverware sooner rather than later.