New Monaghan selector Adrian Trappe firmly believes there are enough quality footballlers in Monaghan to win the Anglo-Celt Cup. But a bit of power in the mix would underpin his belief all the same. Adrian Trappe was never known as a half-hearted player with Monaghan Harps. At his prime he had everything except the few inches that would have given him parity under the all too common high, speculative punt forward. Unfortunately he played during a time when the game of Gaelic football still clung to some of the vestiges of its natural self. In the early to mid-eighties when he was perhaps one of the most prolific scorers on the Monaghan club scene, physical power and no-nonsense deliveries out of defence were the main characteristics of the game at both club and county levels. On either stage though, he always gave his manager his all. Ahead of his debut championship season as a selector with the Monaghan senior and under 21 football teams, our man Trappe is guaranteed to be in sleeves-rolled-up mode for as long as he's needed. It's pretty appropriate that he'll team up alongside Monaghan boss Seamus McEnaney for both men seem to be cut from the same cloth. McEnaney has clearly brought pride and passion back into the Monaghan football camp. It remains to be same whether the new management regime, emboldened by the recruitment of Trappe and former Cavan boss Martin McElkennon, can add the necessary panache and power to catapult Monaghan into the sort of territory it hasn't been for the last two decades. Adrian's second coming as far as being involved with Monaghan's premier football squad surprised him, he maintains. But, in truth, the smart money was on Trappe being snared by McEnaney once again. The two men had worked, hand in glove, in Corduff in 1998 and delivered the Intermediate Championship crown to the Farneymen. And when the current Monaghan boss linked up with Monaghan Harps for a couple of years the following decade and led them to the Junior Championship, Adrian had Banty's ear on a regular basis. From their first endeavours together, it quickly became obvious that both men were chairman or vice-chairman at least of their comrade's fan club. "I saw the passion and spirit he brought to the table in Corduff and it was terrific," Adrian tells us. "Corduff's a football-mad, rural area and there's a tremendous pride in the club there. "Seamus is very passionate about his football and is great for instilling pride into his players." For his part the fully charged-up Trappe had also proven himself as a mentor of some repute at both club and county levels. He enjoyed stints as a selector in the latter sphere over recent times at both minor and under 21 levels - the latter in the company of the aforementioned McEnaney when Tyrone dispatched Monaghan from the provincial championship in back-to-back years. But one wonders what does the Monaghan boss see in Trappe that makes him believe that the Harps clubman can add to the mix at senior county level? "It's clear the two men get on well together and I don't know of many that would have as much knowledge of the club scene as Adrian Trappe has," one county board source told us. "Even if he's not along the line as a mentor, he (Trappe) is normally at some match or other every weekend. There's hardly a player playing in Monaghan that he hasn't seen play on a regular basis over the last few years," the well-respected county official added. If Adrian Trappe and Seamus McEnaney go back a bit of distance, the same can't be said for the former's (at least) relationship with Tyrone native Martin McElkennon. It's very much in the embryonic stage. "I never met Martin 'till I was introduced around the end of August but in the weeks that followed at meeting and training, I found him to be very impressive in what he was doing and planning. "He was very meticulous from the word go but along with Gerry Nolan, a Toome man, who came to us from the Down camp after Paddy O'Rourke's departure, it'll be a case of getting to know each other better as the months go on," the former Monaghan minor and under 21 player explains. It seems it's going to be a hectic year for Seamus et al, one way or the other; win, lose or draw. Does he know what he's buying into? "I think so. I thought long and hard about it when Seamus approached me during the summer holidays. "Seamus made it very clear to me the kind of commitment that would be required of me as a selector. "He asked me to think about it for a week and come back to him. It only took me a couple of days though before I made up my mind. "It was an offer I just couldn't turn down because I mightn't get the opportunity again. I know the job could revolve around a seven day week with phone calls, meetings, training and matches but I see it as a great honour and I'll do my very best to help the team do as well as everyone in the county wants them to do." It was crystal clear to him from the off that as far as the new management axis was concerned, winning will be all-important. "We're aiming to have a really good summer and to do well over the winter too. "We'd like to get promotion in the league again but our main aim is the championship by a long way. "We hope to go a long way in the Ulster championship and what I mean by that is winning it. "We have no intention of going down the qualifiers' route again; we don't want to know about the scenic route in 2007 - it doesn't generate much excitement any more among the supporters." Does he feel though that those self-same supporters lost a bit of faith in the county team in the wake of its relegation from the league's top flight last season? "I think the management then would have been very disappointed because staying in division one was a major target and I know supporters across the county were not too happy either. "But I think most of the fans realised that the team was unlucky not to have retained their place in division one. "Overall though I'd say the fans would have been more disappointed in the way things worked out in the championship. "The game against Wexford would be a case in point. "I think the memory of that defeat still lingers with the supporters but, in fairness, all the speculation about Mattie Forde at that time seemed to effect the Monaghan players. "A lot of people came to expect the team to be very passionate but the passion was missing that day for whatever reason," said the 1978 Dublin SFC medallist (Erin's Hope). Yesterday is mentioned in only passing reference by Adrian for he believes in putting the past in a drawer and closing it firmly. He agrees though that on the back of the lack of progress made in 2006, this coming year is really, really important for Monaghan football. "We haven't won two Ulster championship matches in a row for a long time now and there's no doubt it's about time we started to put that one right. "2007 is going to be a very important year for the county and we're aiming to make it a year to remember by winning the Ulster title. The players around at the minute have enjoyed the experience of playing in Croke Park and the fans want a taste of that venue on big match day again and hopefully if we all pull together we'll be able to make things happen on that front." Images of cries of 'last one to leave turn out the lights' richocheting around the county next August as Monaghan's premier footballers head up to Croker are almost made vivid by Adrian's optimism and ambition. He says he'd love to see a return of the buzz and hum that accompanied Monaghan's magical mystery championship odysseys of 1979, 1985 and '88. "I can see a great level of enthusiasm sweeping the county again; you can see it in the amount of people that have become involved in football in Monaghan in recent years, especially women," the 48 year old school (Threemilehouse) principal avers. Seamus doesn't know how long his new role will last. He understands that football is a results driven sport and if he's still in place in two years time, it'll be a good sign that silverware or something approaching it has been garnered. The past record of the county's underage teams suggests though that the new Monaghan think-tank may not have the necessary material to weave some award winning moves. "It's true we haven't been achieving any success at minor or under 21 levels for a long time now in the same way that the likes of Tyrone, Armagh and even Derry have but we haven't the same volume of players to choose from either. "Having said that, I definitely think enough quality players in Monaghan have come through the underage ranks over the last few years to make an impact at senior level," the father of two opines. In terms of making Monaghan better than they were in 2006, Adrian reckons the unearthing of perhaps four or five 'new' players who are capable of cutting it at inter-county level would make a big difference. "All of the players who featured in 2006 are again available to us but I think we all recognise the need for an injection of some new blood. "We'll be placing great truck on trying to bring a more physical aspect to our game. "Even though the game has quickened up an awful lot even from my time with the Monaghan seniors, I still think it takes an exceptional player of small stature to make a big impression in the modern game. "Size is very important because I think, at the end of the day, a good big 'un will win out against a good small 'un." So can the new broom scoop up the Anglo-Celt Cup? "I hope so. "At the end of the day though, it's the players who'll do it, not any of us along the line. "The players have to have the ambition and the determination to match what we can offer them. "They need to have the pride and the will-to-win and a wee bit of luck, starting with the draw. "Monaghan football needs a lift." Tweet

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