Management 101
Credit:
I had a senior career spanning close on 15 seasons playing north and south of the border and during this time I had the opportunity to play under some great managers. Although I didn’t realise it at the time, watching some of these lads operate would have an effect on how I handled myself later on when, to many people’s surprise I stepped into the management game myself.
My early years at Shels can only be described as disappointing . I was young when I played for the senior team under the stewardship of Johnny Byrne. I had started the first few games and was doing ok but results were not going well and Johnny would lose his job early in the campaign. He was a nice man with a great enthusiasm for the game and although he dropped me for the more experienced Tommy Tasker, I was sad to see him go because he loved his job and worked hard with the players he had.
A big black sports car arrived into the Harold's Cross car park and out stepped my new manager, the immaculately dressed Paddy Mulligan. Paddy was a great storyteller enjoyed the craic with the players, but in the dressing room there was little laughter and a lot of shouting (mainly at me now that I think of it!). He felt his criticism of players was helping them but for me as a teenager making his way, it finally got to me and it accumulated with a display of goalkeeping in Terryland Park I still have nightmares about to this day. At the grand age of 19 I was finished with LoI Football.
During my sabbatical from football, Gerry Kelly, who was managing my local team in Cabra, asked me to come up and play a few games for them. Signing for Beggsboro gave me the kick I needed to get back into the game and I really enjoyed my time there. After a Beggsbro game i got a call from Tommy Connelly who was running Dundalk’s reserve team. I duly signed as back up for Alan O'Neill. Playing in the B division was ok and when Turlogh O'Connor played for us he was invariably our best player even though he was in his 40 s. Turlogh managed his teams the way he played the game , with skill, poise, and a lot of intelligence. He rarely lost his head and was constructive in everything he said but his biggest attribute was the players he signed. Half the job is getting the top players to sign for you the hardest part is getting them to perform for you and Turlough done this with an ease that had to be admired.
Alan O'Neill got injured in a representative game so I finally got a chance to play for the first team of Dundalk against Limerick City. Billy Hamilton and Bryan Flynn had taken charge of a Limerick team that were struggling while Dundalk were in league contention. I played well in the game but I was amazed at the final whistle while coming off the pitch Billy approached me and asked would I go down to Limerick. I was desperate to play first team football and to do so for a manager who had recently starred for Northern Ireland at the World Cup in Spain would be an added bonus.
Billy had arranged to pick me up at the train station in Limerick where I would sign for the remainder of the season. I was nervous about meeting a World Cup star and was eager to make a good first impression. To my own disgust I am still a smoker, a habit I need to kick as much as I want to. I did not want Billy to know I smoked or any other manager for that matter so a smoke free day was planned and the shirt and tie was given a rare appearance. I got off the train in Limerick and walked straight past Billy, He was dressed in an old t-shirt and tracksuit, with a pair of slippers on, and a cigarette hanging out of his mouth, when I got into his car the ashtray was overflowing with buts which meant my smoke free day was coming closer and closer to collapse.
This was Billy's first attempt at managing but it was made harder for him when Bryan left, Billy now found himself on his own in a new city with a new club and in a league he knew little about, with the added responsibility of scoring goals in a struggling team.
It would be the following season before Billy would come into his own as a player and manager. His main inspiration as a manager came not so much from what he said but more what he done on the pitch, He was still a fantastic front man and the signing of Joe Hanrahan was a pivotal moment in Billy's time at Limerick . Joe’s pinpoint crosses invariably landed on Billy's head and nine times out of ten when it landed on Billy's head, it landed in the back of the net. Billy's confidence soared as a player and a manager and we were unlucky not to win the league that year. Billy knew two more players would be enough to take us on but as is now an all to frequent occurrence in the LoI, the club hit financial trouble when the Grace family withdrew their involvement as club owners and Billy moved up north where I joined him for three more seasons.
Georgie Mellerick, as I have said previously, is my father in law, but my first introduction to Georgie was when I went on loan to St James’ Gate from Distillery and he was managing Cobh Ramblers. We defeated Cobh in a league game in Cobh, but right through it Georgie was it giving it loads from the dugout. When we scored Georgie jumped out and started ranting and kicking the dugout, knocking it over with a couple of terrified subs going over with it. I looked over and said to myself that’s some bleedin’ spacer, but a few weeks later I would sign for Georgie at Cobh. He reminded me of Turlough in terms of what he said and how he got the best out of his players. Obviously Turlough never went about kicking over dugouts, but Georgie managed to get the mix of constructive criticism and passion just right and this was proven in the success he had with Ramblers. His man management skills were excellent, but he took no nonsense and his understanding of the game is second to none.
After Georgie parted company with Ramblers I returned to Northern Ireland with a team called Ards. I thought I had finished playing up north but the opportunity to play with the most successful manager in Northern Ireland was too good to pass up. Having seen Roy Coyle in opposing dugouts and seen him on TV and in papers I would get the impression of a grumpy hard as nails task master who was full of his own self importance, in reality from my own experience. Roy is a gem of a man with a fantastic knowledge of the game but most surprisingly off all, he has a great sense of humour.
Roy was used to winning trophies with Linfield on a regular basis so coming to a team like Ards would be a different challenge for someone used to winning things. At Linfield, Roy had the best players in the north at his disposal and like Turlough, Roy had the art mastered of getting the best out of these players, but now he had to get the best out of young players starting their careers and others who were coming to the end of theirs. Roy done this brilliantly with Ards because he refused to live off his past glory’s, never felt sorry for himself and understood he was working with players of a lesser calibre to what he was used to managing. His calm presence in the dressing room made it a good place to be and his wit would relax some young players who were feeling the pressure of games while been constructive in everything he said. Roy deservedly went back to the top of the tree with the other Belfast giant Glentoran, where unsurprisingly he brought huge success back to the oval.
I have played under other managers but this column is in danger of turning into a book at this stage so I will shut up now. As you can see I have played under some top class managers who were also top class people. In summary what did I learn from these greats? If you’re too nice a manager you will be liked but there’s a good chance you will be sacked. If you over criticise your players you won’t be liked and you will probably still be sacked because you won’t get the best from your players. Don’t kick over portable dugouts because you will invariably hurt yourself kicking it, as well as the people who are in the dugout, and you will still lose the match. Understand your players strengths and get them to be the best they can be, make sure you can always answer your players questions constructively, and while it is nice to be nice you have to have standards and ethics that must be upheld at all times by your entire staff.
My early years at Shels can only be described as disappointing . I was young when I played for the senior team under the stewardship of Johnny Byrne. I had started the first few games and was doing ok but results were not going well and Johnny would lose his job early in the campaign. He was a nice man with a great enthusiasm for the game and although he dropped me for the more experienced Tommy Tasker, I was sad to see him go because he loved his job and worked hard with the players he had.
A big black sports car arrived into the Harold's Cross car park and out stepped my new manager, the immaculately dressed Paddy Mulligan. Paddy was a great storyteller enjoyed the craic with the players, but in the dressing room there was little laughter and a lot of shouting (mainly at me now that I think of it!). He felt his criticism of players was helping them but for me as a teenager making his way, it finally got to me and it accumulated with a display of goalkeeping in Terryland Park I still have nightmares about to this day. At the grand age of 19 I was finished with LoI Football.
During my sabbatical from football, Gerry Kelly, who was managing my local team in Cabra, asked me to come up and play a few games for them. Signing for Beggsboro gave me the kick I needed to get back into the game and I really enjoyed my time there. After a Beggsbro game i got a call from Tommy Connelly who was running Dundalk’s reserve team. I duly signed as back up for Alan O'Neill. Playing in the B division was ok and when Turlogh O'Connor played for us he was invariably our best player even though he was in his 40 s. Turlogh managed his teams the way he played the game , with skill, poise, and a lot of intelligence. He rarely lost his head and was constructive in everything he said but his biggest attribute was the players he signed. Half the job is getting the top players to sign for you the hardest part is getting them to perform for you and Turlough done this with an ease that had to be admired.
Alan O'Neill got injured in a representative game so I finally got a chance to play for the first team of Dundalk against Limerick City. Billy Hamilton and Bryan Flynn had taken charge of a Limerick team that were struggling while Dundalk were in league contention. I played well in the game but I was amazed at the final whistle while coming off the pitch Billy approached me and asked would I go down to Limerick. I was desperate to play first team football and to do so for a manager who had recently starred for Northern Ireland at the World Cup in Spain would be an added bonus.
Billy had arranged to pick me up at the train station in Limerick where I would sign for the remainder of the season. I was nervous about meeting a World Cup star and was eager to make a good first impression. To my own disgust I am still a smoker, a habit I need to kick as much as I want to. I did not want Billy to know I smoked or any other manager for that matter so a smoke free day was planned and the shirt and tie was given a rare appearance. I got off the train in Limerick and walked straight past Billy, He was dressed in an old t-shirt and tracksuit, with a pair of slippers on, and a cigarette hanging out of his mouth, when I got into his car the ashtray was overflowing with buts which meant my smoke free day was coming closer and closer to collapse.
This was Billy's first attempt at managing but it was made harder for him when Bryan left, Billy now found himself on his own in a new city with a new club and in a league he knew little about, with the added responsibility of scoring goals in a struggling team.
It would be the following season before Billy would come into his own as a player and manager. His main inspiration as a manager came not so much from what he said but more what he done on the pitch, He was still a fantastic front man and the signing of Joe Hanrahan was a pivotal moment in Billy's time at Limerick . Joe’s pinpoint crosses invariably landed on Billy's head and nine times out of ten when it landed on Billy's head, it landed in the back of the net. Billy's confidence soared as a player and a manager and we were unlucky not to win the league that year. Billy knew two more players would be enough to take us on but as is now an all to frequent occurrence in the LoI, the club hit financial trouble when the Grace family withdrew their involvement as club owners and Billy moved up north where I joined him for three more seasons.
Georgie Mellerick, as I have said previously, is my father in law, but my first introduction to Georgie was when I went on loan to St James’ Gate from Distillery and he was managing Cobh Ramblers. We defeated Cobh in a league game in Cobh, but right through it Georgie was it giving it loads from the dugout. When we scored Georgie jumped out and started ranting and kicking the dugout, knocking it over with a couple of terrified subs going over with it. I looked over and said to myself that’s some bleedin’ spacer, but a few weeks later I would sign for Georgie at Cobh. He reminded me of Turlough in terms of what he said and how he got the best out of his players. Obviously Turlough never went about kicking over dugouts, but Georgie managed to get the mix of constructive criticism and passion just right and this was proven in the success he had with Ramblers. His man management skills were excellent, but he took no nonsense and his understanding of the game is second to none.
After Georgie parted company with Ramblers I returned to Northern Ireland with a team called Ards. I thought I had finished playing up north but the opportunity to play with the most successful manager in Northern Ireland was too good to pass up. Having seen Roy Coyle in opposing dugouts and seen him on TV and in papers I would get the impression of a grumpy hard as nails task master who was full of his own self importance, in reality from my own experience. Roy is a gem of a man with a fantastic knowledge of the game but most surprisingly off all, he has a great sense of humour.
Roy was used to winning trophies with Linfield on a regular basis so coming to a team like Ards would be a different challenge for someone used to winning things. At Linfield, Roy had the best players in the north at his disposal and like Turlough, Roy had the art mastered of getting the best out of these players, but now he had to get the best out of young players starting their careers and others who were coming to the end of theirs. Roy done this brilliantly with Ards because he refused to live off his past glory’s, never felt sorry for himself and understood he was working with players of a lesser calibre to what he was used to managing. His calm presence in the dressing room made it a good place to be and his wit would relax some young players who were feeling the pressure of games while been constructive in everything he said. Roy deservedly went back to the top of the tree with the other Belfast giant Glentoran, where unsurprisingly he brought huge success back to the oval.
I have played under other managers but this column is in danger of turning into a book at this stage so I will shut up now. As you can see I have played under some top class managers who were also top class people. In summary what did I learn from these greats? If you’re too nice a manager you will be liked but there’s a good chance you will be sacked. If you over criticise your players you won’t be liked and you will probably still be sacked because you won’t get the best from your players. Don’t kick over portable dugouts because you will invariably hurt yourself kicking it, as well as the people who are in the dugout, and you will still lose the match. Understand your players strengths and get them to be the best they can be, make sure you can always answer your players questions constructively, and while it is nice to be nice you have to have standards and ethics that must be upheld at all times by your entire staff.
