Don't think there can be any doubt . MOD and co have completed their term. As normal this will be now up for review. MOD has stated his case..he wants to continue. I am surprised as i expected him to go. However, when normal procedures are followed soon ,i think he will be out of a job. That will not cure the problem. It seems we may change the ship's captain when the ship is holed below the water line . Meath football is in CRISES .Underage,coaching,resources.etc.
The 3 men Boylan,MC Entee and O Rourke i assume will have a major input in selecting the next manager i hope as well as dealing with our current situation overall. Club delegates will of course think only about the future of Meath football,and nothing else..We will probably lose KEVIN AND STEPHEN through age and injury maybe. Two great servants to Meath. I hope we find some new men for next year.The problem is major and long standing. We have to deal with it NOW .It is clearly up to the CB in consultation with the 3 wise men to act NOW. Cannot see any value in waiting any longer.

nobull456 (Meath) - Posts: 1227 - 12/07/2015 19:33:57    1752020

Does anyone get the impression that everything is eerily quiet after the game? MOD or the players not giving any media interviews etc. At the start of the year there was a lot of interviews in the papers etc but now just nothing. Meath football really is lost at the minute. Need someone to rescue us and fast.

Jimin10 (Meath) - Posts: 783 - 12/07/2015 19:46:37    1752029

Jimie 10 ONLY 1 day has gone of course...I have a fear that the silence will continue and drag on with no value to anybody. I do expect the CB to be pro active in these circumstances,and use the 3 wise men as a very valuable resource.

nobull456 (Meath) - Posts: 1227 - 12/07/2015 19:58:25    1752048

I would instruct the 3 wise men to be ones seeking out replacements.

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 19449 - 12/07/2015 20:41:39    1752093

When they do talk to the media, you know what will happen. There will be lots of praise for a largely youthful squad (and evolving team) that are developing/improving/learning/maturing with each year that passes ... great lads that have worked very hard all season and tried their best, how close we were to promotion, that management are very proud of. Then the excuses about long-term injuries to certain players, maybe even the odd refereeing decision, anything to deflect attention away from management's shortcomings.

GlasagusOr (Meath) - Posts: 1348 - 12/07/2015 20:45:33    1752100

Glasagus or Ah i dont think that would be wise on their part,and they would suffer a big loss of confidence with the supporters. No, they will have to bite the bullet now, and no more of that bull, it simply wont wash . I think present CB are genuine enough, but then i suppose that remains to be proven now!

nobull456 (Meath) - Posts: 1227 - 12/07/2015 21:01:01    1752124

Meath, Down and Roscommon's performance in the championship/qualifiers really puts this years NFL2 into context.

GlasagusOr (Meath) - Posts: 1348 - 12/07/2015 21:25:50    1752145

Ziggy, all the chairman said, it was a disappointing defeat and hopefully we can bounce back against Tyrone.. Nothing about what will happen if we lose.. The nxt CB meeting won't take place till around the 10th of August and delegates will be told then if MOD is staying on and if not nominations for team manager will be sent out to clubs.. The problem with this is that when nominations come back from clubs it will be around Sept time and then CB will have to interview candidates and hopefully by Oct meeting delegates will get to elect new manager.. By that time Meath Championships will be over and new manager won't get to take in games and look at players.

CheCastro (Meath) - Posts: 13 - 12/07/2015 21:40:02    1752171

5 managers in 10 years lads, and with the exception of a couple of good performances under EOB and Coyle, the level has been more-or-less the same. Does that not tell you something? I'm really not sure there's much point in getting rid of yet another manager and starting from scratch all over again. Seems as though I'm in minority though?

SmallHouse (Meath) - Posts: 291 - 13/07/2015 09:19:04    1752232

Smallhouse

Different players,we have the best panel now that we have had in the last 10 years.

ziggy32001 (Meath) - Posts: 8354 - 13/07/2015 09:49:02    1752265

From todays Irish Independent, interesting words from Donal Keoghan.......


Mick O'Dowd confirmed his interest in staying on as Meath manager after his three-year term drew to a disappointing close in Omagh, as Tyrone guaranteed themselves another 70 minutes of football, and very little else.
There was no stirring response from the Royals to their shattering second-half collapse against Westmeath in the Leinster semi-final when they travelled up to Healy Park on Saturday.
Instead, a second round qualifier between two teams lacking in confidence descended into mediocrity with both sets of players looking like they were afraid to lose more than they wanted to win.
Afterwards, O'Dowd admitted he "wouldn't want to walk away" from a group of players who have endured far too many managerial changes as it is.
"In the past, that instability has hampered Meath's progress but it's up to the clubs in Meath to decide that," he said.
"This Meath team is doing all it can, in the context of having its most influential players sitting on the bench for the last two seasons.
"I don't think people who are so quick to criticise the team actually understand that. If they looked at any other county and took their most influential player out of their team…and that's what Conor Gillespie is for us.
"Maybe I haven't stated that publicly because it's so hard for him himself for the last couple of seasons."
Gillespie's knee problems have been one of many Meath injuries that O'Dowd has had to deal with. Even on Saturday, Kevin Reilly was unable to start, though he came off the bench to kick two late points, and Eamonn Wallace limped off after just 13 minutes.
Insisting that there had been "no hangover" from the Westmeath debacle, that they had simply come up short against Tyrone, O'Dowd hinted at underachievement but believes himself, Trevor Giles and co are best-placed to continue the rebuild.
"My goal has been to get Meath into the top eight and we haven't achieved it, but I think that's an achievable goal."
Meath captain Donal Keogan thinks so too, and urged the county not to revert to its default position.
"The first thing they do is jump on the manager's back but we have the best in the county there at the minute.
"Obviously Micko had a three-year plan and this was the year it was supposed to come together, but plans don't always work out.
"It's a building process and they (management) are building the right way and going in the right direction. They just need more time."

Richieq (Meath) - Posts: 3734 - 13/07/2015 09:49:46    1752266

Richie

hmm...

Typical excuses for O'Dowd,he wants 5 years to make Meath a top 8 team? Thats laughable..

Does he need more time to have the team fitter? I agree with stability,but you have to have the right set-up.

ziggy32001 (Meath) - Posts: 8354 - 13/07/2015 10:31:31    1752314

He was given 3 years and each year that got progressively worse,nobody can deny that..

ziggy32001 (Meath) - Posts: 8354 - 13/07/2015 10:32:55    1752316

Personally I'm still undecided if I want Mod to stay on but he shouldn't keep the job just because there is nobody else to take over or because people think the players aren't good enough

shrek95 (Meath) - Posts: 77 - 13/07/2015 10:58:46    1752347

If I was to ask a bank to invest in My five year business plan , surely after three years , with only a regress report to show ,does anyone think they would continue there support of me or my plan ?
I'll take my chances with a.n other and this process needs to start today .

royalpainter (Meath) - Posts: 874 - 13/07/2015 11:00:25    1752348

ziggy32001
County: Meath
Posts: 3362

1752314 Richie

hmm...

Typical excuses for O'Dowd,he wants 5 years to make Meath a top 8 team? Thats laughable..

Does he need more time to have the team fitter? I agree with stability,but you have to have the right set-up.

I dont disagree with your sentiments, I wouldnt have expected MOD to say much different and I dont entirely discard what he says but its Keoghan's comments that are the most interesting, is his view being presented as the view of the squad as a whole I wonder. I dont doubt MOD's desire or intentions or the work he has put in, as one man said to me yesterday "he's a genuine man, a nice man, maybe too nice" and that may be the issue, if anyone got yesterdays Sunday Indo Joe Brolly's article was a joy to read and highlights the need for tough physical men to stand up and be counted, that to win you cant be nice, Im not saying our problems are all centered around being too nice but there is certainly an element of truth in that. Anyway the next County Board meeting should be fun between discussing MOD future and paying a hefty bill for floodlight repairs in PT I doubt there will be too many smiles on display

Richieq (Meath) - Posts: 3734 - 13/07/2015 11:14:19    1752362

All spin ... many of the more experienced "group of players who have endured far too many managerial changes as it is" - he got rid of or have departed (Sheridan, Ward, Farrell, Byrne, Meade, Harrington etc) or warm the bench (SOR, D.Bray, Queeney etc). What is left of the old guard along with Kevin Reilly and Stephen Bray may retire from IC soon or in the near future. So we are left with a squad of players which hasn't had that many managerial changes. Those few individuals that have, are more experienced players and not kids but young adults/grown men. Then you have players like Alan Forde who have plenty to offer but appear to have been poorly treated to return under this management.

As for Donal Keogan saying "The first thing they do is jump on the manager's back but we have the best in the county there at the minute". Well he would say that as team captain. That doesn't say much about other managers in the county if that's the case; or is by virtue of the fact that MOD is the best/only person in the county that wants the job as is. What about looking outside the county ... maybe James Horan could move to the Mayo Road in Gibbstown :)

I see Kevin Cassidy wrote this in a recent article about the Meath vs. Westmeath match ... "They pressed the self-destruct button and for a team with such tradition it was painful to watch. To me it looks like things may not be well inside the camp. When you needed someone to settle the ship all the Meath players hid and to me that is a strong signal of discontent. I felt sorry for their manager Mick O Dowd, standing there hoping and praying that someone will stand up and be counted but unfortunately for him they were leaderless".

There's a saying that "we are all self-made, but only the successful admit it". Others like to make excuses and claim to be a victim of circumstances, rather than take responsibility or face up to their own shortcomings.

GlasagusOr (Meath) - Posts: 1348 - 13/07/2015 11:58:36    1752410

Richieq -Anyway the next County Board meeting should be fun between discussing MOD future and paying a hefty bill for floodlight repairs in PT I doubt there will be too many smiles on display"
True , Reality is these lads are still cleaning up the many disasters of the previous crew .

royalpainter (Meath) - Posts: 874 - 13/07/2015 11:58:47    1752411

Keoghan's comments could be viewed in two ways, that the current set up is good or that the players are in a little bit of a comfort zone in terms of knowing how things work. Maybe a change is needed, can't lay all the blame at MOD and the current crop of players as I am sure they give everything to the cause. It has been manifesting itself for nearly 15 years now and successive managers and teams are not at the level of teams in late 80s to early 2000s. Talk of the old syyle players is not even constructive as football has changed jsut look at old games on TG4. Many counties could reminisce of better times but that is not addressing the problems that are there at the moment. Should MOD stay, I am not sure. What has he acheived in his tenure to date, that is tangible. No promotion in league, no leinster trophy, not really any notable scalps, an almight hammering in 2014 leinster final. However maybe the team will develop with a few additons and change of ideas but talking players of the ilk of lyons, harnan, coyle etc. etc. serves no purpose.

Adamski (Dublin) - Posts: 339 - 13/07/2015 12:10:13    1752424

Lads I was one of the very few to criticize Donal Keogan as captain after the Westmeath game and was largely ignored. He has come out with some very strange comments here, particularly in relation to fans who go and follow the team all over the country and have the teams best interests at heart. Yesterday I mentioned how we needed an astute captain who inspires confidence. "The Westmeath defeat and this defeat will make them better players, hopefully." The key word here is hopefully. There is no confidence in that statement whatsoever. In defending O' Dowd I think it's a case of protecting the hand that feeds.

Jimin10 (Meath) - Posts: 783 - 13/07/2015 12:47:55    1752461