Season Preview 2008: Limerick 37
Credit:
The Club
Between elusive priests, abrasive chairmen, hostile Junior clubs, goalkeepers starting up-front and a seemingly endless cycle of demise and reincarnation, Limerick football has provided the League of Ireland with some of its most memorable soap opera moments in recent years. Few soap operas would be complete, however, with the arrival of a mysterious benefactor from across the ocean, and just such a plot twist was in store for Limerick 37 when US businessman Jack McCarthy arrived on the scene in late January.
Flanked by FAI Chief Executive John Delaney on the day the government launched its multi-million Euro urban renewal project in Limerick City, McCarthy spoke encouragingly of the need to institute good governance, normalise the club's financial situation, harness the goodwill of local business and create a self-sustaining structure for the Limerick franchise. The only trouble was that Limerick supporters had been hearing variations on the same theme from any number of potential "saviours" for as long as they could remember. Their scepticism was deeply ingrained and entirely understandable.
It wasn't long until McCarthy established his credentials by appointing Andrew Mawhinney, the former Limerick City Centre Co-Ordinator, as Chief Executive. Long-time servant of Limerick football Kieran Judge was another welcome appointment as General Manager. Mike Kerley completed a few circuits of the maypole before finally inscribing his signature to become team manager for the 2008 season.
A season which had begun under a new brand identity and a new regime which promised to heal the divisions between Junior and Senior football in the city ended, as usual, with the club riven by internal division and in serious danger of being compelled to fold its tent for good. Interim CEO Ger Finnin resigned amid the usual maelstrom of allegation, counter-allegation and innuendo. On the field, under the pugnacious Paul McGee, Limerick attained a creditable fourth position in the First Division, without every seriously challenging the pacesetters. Modest progress was also evident in the FAI Cup, where Limerick disposed of Wexford and Douglas Hall after replays, before faltering against eventual finalists Longford Town in the quarter-final.
2008 will be another transitional season for a club seemingly in perpetual flux; the new owner appears thoroughly legitimate, however, and his fresh and foreign perspective may finally haul the club out of the festering well of parochialism in which it has been mired for so long. Yet another name change may be on the cards - McCarthy is believed to detest the Limerick 37 appellation, not without reason - but the American revolution may prove to be the first of Limerick's innumerable resurrections to extend beyond the cosmetic.
The Manager
Still revered on Shannonside for his feats in leading a small and limited squad to the promotion play-offs in 2003, Mike Kerley's reputation has lost some of its lustre in recent years after an abject spell in charge of Waterford United. Nonetheless, the equanimity with which he shrugged off almost intolerable working conditions which would have institutionalised lesser men during his previous tenure at Limerick FC stands greatly to his credit, as does the attractive style of play he espoused. Although his task for the forthcoming season may be of the blood-from-a-turnip variety, there is no better man for the challenge of combating unequal odds with limited weaponry. Few will begrudge Kerley a season of modest achievement and refamiliarisation provided it isn't accompanied by the off-stage rumpuses which blighted Paul McGee's reign.
The Squad
The ebb and flow of players between Limerick junior football and the city's senior team continues like an irresistible force of nature, although Limerick 37 appear to have emerged as the net beneficiaries of this particular tidal event. As ever, Kerley's first XI appears eminently capable of toppling any club in the division, but injuries, work commitments and those unforeseen but inevitable dramas which give Limerick football its unique flavour will doubtless exact a heavy toll. Returning mainstays such as the formidable Pat Purcell, Robbie Kelliher, Tommy Barrett, Wayne Colbert and Derek McCarthy form a tantalisingly proficient core of players, but the depth of the squad remains a concern. The departing Kevin Waters and Nigel Keady will be missed, but are far from irreplaceable. If pre-season trialists Ray Lally and Willie Bruton can be persuaded to hang their hats at Jackman Park the club's prospects will improve immeasurably.
Prospects
Limerick's aspirations for the 2008 season are probably limited to heading the chasing pack in pursuit of Dundalk, Waterford and perhaps Shelbourne. With a relatively settled squad augmented by some useful arrivals and a manager who knows his players inside-out, Limerick are reasonably well equipped for a rapid ascent of the table early in the season. Like most pacemakers, however, they are unlikely to be standing on the podium when the medals are handed out. Whether instant promotion is a consummation devoutly coveted by the club's new owner is by no means certain. Fortunately, the dilemma is unlikely to arise. Third place and a brief flirtation with one of the cups will be the summit of the club's realistic ambitions.
