Ward wants players to have their say
September 10, 2010
Meath's Cian Ward
O'Brien was ousted as manager on Monday night, despite leading the Royals to their first Leinster title in nine years in July, and several names have since been linked to the vacancy, including former county stars Colm O'Rourke and Graham Geraghty, and former Westmeath boss Tomas O Flatharta.
"I would certainly say the county board should at the very least consult with the players or a representative of the players," Ward told the Irish Examiner.
"As I understand it the county board forms a committee to interview the candidates, well you would certainly hope then that the people doing the interviewing are able to ask the right questions. If you went for a job as a journalist would you expect to be interviewed by somebody who has never done the job themselves?
"I certainly feel that we need somebody on the interview board who is aware of what is required in terms of up to date coaching methods at county level, and exactly what is needed in regards to preparing teams."
Ward insisted he was not suggesting the Meath panel should decide the identity of the next Meath boss, merely that the players should be consulted before a final decision is made.
"I am not suggesting for one second that the players should be allowed to pick the new manager, but certainly at the very least we should be consulted before a decision is made, after all we are the ones who have to work with the guy,'' he said.
"I definitely think that either a players representative or even a player from the recent past who knows exactly what it takes to succeed at county level these days should be involved in the interview process. I mean stories do the rounds of how certain managers operate, and whoever the new guy is the squad would far prefer to be looking forward to working with him than dreading the thoughts of it."
The Wolfe Tones clubman feels Meath shouldn't confine their search for a new manager to within the county.
"To be honest personally I'd hope it would be a Meath man, but if he comes from outside the county so be it, so long as he is the right man for the position, that's why the interview process is the key to everything.
"I was at the hurling final last Sunday and just before the start Tipperary's starting 15 went into a huddle. As they did so Liam Sheedy went into a similar huddle with the substitutes, it was so obvious that the whole squad was what mattered to him and everyone seen the result of that by the end of the game.
"He is a passionate Tipp man with a huge love for his county and it showed, on the other side of that coin though is the fact that Kieran McGeeney has brought the same type of squad unity and passion to Kildare even though he is from Armagh.
"I just hope the process doesn't drag on we need to have somebody in place soon enough to start preparing for next season. The days are gone when you can just appoint a lad and expect the players to get on with it." Tweet
