Connor admits to A team issues
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Galway United boss Sean Connor has revealed that he is having problems putting a team together for the Newstalk A Championship.
The 42-year-old took charge of The Tribesmen before the start of the 2010 campaign and is still putting the finishing touches to his first-team squad, but he will now have to recruit extra players for the 'A' team.
Connor admits that he wanted to take charge of the reserve team himself, but league rules forbid him from doing so, which means he will have to appoint a new coach as well as trying to find enough players for the team.
Part of the problem for the ex-Bohemians manager is the fact that most young players in Galway have already been snapped up by rivals Mervue United and Salthill Devon. He certainly has work to do in order to get an 'A' team ready for the start of their season.
"It’s an interesting facet because you look at the League and they’re cutting teams' budgets and they’re trying to make teams more financially prudent," said Connor.
"But yet in the same hand, you must have an A team, you must have licensed coaches for the A team and the U-19 team. So you need a panel of maybe 40 players. Right now, I’ve a panel of 18 players. So that is a difficulty.
"It’s particularly difficult in Galway because you’ve got Mervue United and Salthill Devon, who are so far ahead of this football club in terms of their under-age structure that most of the players that are worth talking about are already signed up by them.
"At U-19 level, one of those clubs has 46 players signed, so you tell me where 46 players are going to get a game in a season. I think that’s something that needs to be looked at. Possibly, I think the A team and the U-19 team should be an option for clubs. If you can afford it, you can do it.
"The teams in the First Division don’t have to have the A team and the U-19 team like you do in the Premier Division. I could do the job myself, but I’m not allowed to do it."
The 42-year-old took charge of The Tribesmen before the start of the 2010 campaign and is still putting the finishing touches to his first-team squad, but he will now have to recruit extra players for the 'A' team.
Connor admits that he wanted to take charge of the reserve team himself, but league rules forbid him from doing so, which means he will have to appoint a new coach as well as trying to find enough players for the team.
Part of the problem for the ex-Bohemians manager is the fact that most young players in Galway have already been snapped up by rivals Mervue United and Salthill Devon. He certainly has work to do in order to get an 'A' team ready for the start of their season.
"It’s an interesting facet because you look at the League and they’re cutting teams' budgets and they’re trying to make teams more financially prudent," said Connor.
"But yet in the same hand, you must have an A team, you must have licensed coaches for the A team and the U-19 team. So you need a panel of maybe 40 players. Right now, I’ve a panel of 18 players. So that is a difficulty.
"It’s particularly difficult in Galway because you’ve got Mervue United and Salthill Devon, who are so far ahead of this football club in terms of their under-age structure that most of the players that are worth talking about are already signed up by them.
"At U-19 level, one of those clubs has 46 players signed, so you tell me where 46 players are going to get a game in a season. I think that’s something that needs to be looked at. Possibly, I think the A team and the U-19 team should be an option for clubs. If you can afford it, you can do it.
"The teams in the First Division don’t have to have the A team and the U-19 team like you do in the Premier Division. I could do the job myself, but I’m not allowed to do it."
About Alan Dooley
is one of Extratime's longest serving contributors. Based in County Galway, Alan has been following the League of Ireland since the mid-1980s. His first memory of the drama of domestic football was Vinny Arkins, then … View Full Profile