Coffey's departure leaves Offaly back at square one

Tom Coffey's decision to rule himself out of contention for the Offaly senior football management position is a serious blow to a county set up that can ill afford any more bad news at the moment. Nobody could blame the former Rhode manager for taking the decision that he did since, in the current economic climate, any permanent job is precious and it's unreasonable to expect someone to jeopardise their livelihood for an unpaid position. However, that doesn't change the fact that the county is right back at square one, with no obvious candidates poised to take the reins and to try to resurrect the turgid carcass that is Offaly football. Perhaps even more disappointing is the fact that yet again, this looks like a setback that will be used as an excuse for the continued decline by those with the power to improve matters. The absence of certain big names, managerial uncertainty, lack of resources for support structures and a lack of a long term vision or plan have all been cited as excuses for bad results over the past few years, but after a certain amount of time, such excuses, or indeed any excuses, cease to be valid any more. It was patently obvious in this year's Leinster championship that the Offaly footballers were unable to compete with their Kildare counterparts when it came to aspects such as fitness and conditioning, and as the summer went on it also became apparent that Kildare weren't the exceptional side that many people, including this columnist, felt that they had the potential to be. If being outclassed by ordinary players from a county without any real tradition of success isn't the catalyst for players to take stock of their own approaches, then the problem runs deeper than any manager. All across Offaly right now, between current county seniors and players who have played senior club or county underage football, there are perhaps 80-100 footballers who would feel that they deserve a shot at playing senior inter-county in the next year or two. Now is the time for those players to stop using the weakness at the top of the administrative structure of the county as an excuse and to start pushing themselves to at least match the preparations of players from counties like Kildare, Dublin, Donegal and Mayo - in as much as they can do by themselves. Those players who have the opportunity to play third level football should do so and use the instruction that they get at that level, while those playing club football only should measure themselves by the very best in the county in the coming weeks and months and then see if they can't make the step up to the next grade over the winter. Leadership needed However, while the culture of excuses is a problem at playing level, some leadership from the corridors of power would be very welcome right now, too. Everybody understands that the resources aren't there to spend €25,000 a week on county teams, as Tipperary claim they are currently spending on their various panels in the Premier County. However within the restraints of whatever budget in place, now would be a good time to demonstrate that there is a real vision in the county over and beyond the simple act of getting through the most immediate crisis before moving on to firefight the next emergency. The O'Connor Park debt has to be paid, and any county trying to compete at a serious level in both football and hurling will always be stretched to compete with the big powers. However, it's not like we have to look very far for examples of what can be done. The county camogie team continues to go from strength and in a little over a week's time they will play in an All Ireland semi-final against reigning champions Wexford. That's an incredible ascent from hurling at junior level only a few years ago and while there are differences of course, there must surely be lessons that can be learned and ideas that can be shared. The fairytale run may come to an end in Nowlan Park, but no matter what happens in that fixture, the Offaly women that make up the squad are clearly one of the top five teams in the country right now, alongside the other three semi-finalists and Clare, who have also made great strides in recent years. Right now the Offaly's senior football manager's job is unappealing for a wide range of reasons. Not since Padraig Nolan's departure has anyone left the job without some damage to their reputation and it's no coincidence that out of the nine managers that have held the reins since his stewardship, not one has gone on to continue their inter-county managerial career at senior level. Paul O'Kelly has been commended for some good backroom work, particularly in Monaghan, while Pat Roe did have a (disastrous) stint in charge of the Laois under-21 team, but the Offaly county job tends to be a last port of call for most managers. Consequently, there is no point holding out for a big name here. There is no money and prospects for "advancement in the industry" are few and far between. This is going to be a serious labour of love and that will of course limit the range of options. However right now, the drive to put somebody into what is effectively the Managing Director position in Offaly football should be secondary to the drawing up and adaptation of a clear plan, laying out what can be achieved and how the county should set about doing so. The GAA people in the county, players, volunteers and supporters, need to believe that brighter days lie ahead. Then and only then should we start the search for the best person to lead that charge.