Apology ‘meant so much to me’
Hurt lingers for Meyler after Wexford sacking in 2008
IT’S SOME 46 years since John Meyler first left Wexford for Leeside, where he worked through the system both as a player and manager, to reach the top in his chosen sport.
Having grown up in Tacumshane, he went to U.C.C. in 1974 and, after a spell in England, eventually settled in Cork in 1982.
He immersed himself in sport as a student, not just Gaelic games, and starred in the college soccer team’s Collingwood Cup success of 1979, displaying a pedigree which his son, David, took to inspirational level having played with his country, Sunderland and Hull City.
‘A proud Wexford man, and that definitely shone through when he was with us,’ was how former All Star goalkeeper Damien Fitzhenry, one of the greatest netminders of all time, described the Wexford native.
After two years at the helm in Wexford, Meyler was shocked at his sacking in 2008, as were many G.A.A. supporters in the county. While refusing to hold a grudge against his native county, his straight talking approach still shines through in his recollection of that period.
Having later taken control of Carlow, he returned to Wexford for a Leinster Senior hurling championship clash, and his passage back was eased by what happened on the pitch in the lead-up to the game.
‘I was approached by the then Wexford
Chairman, Diarmuid Devereux, along with the Carlow Chairman, Michael Meaney,’ Meyler recalled.
‘Diarmuid offered an apology for the manner in which I was treated in Wexford. The apology was so sincere.
‘It was emotional for me. It was so nice to feel welcome back in Wexford again. That meant so much to me.’
Following the one-point All-Ireland quarter-final defeat to Waterford in 2008, Meyler - who had met with the players in
Gorey - was informed of his dismissal at a subsequent meeting in Dungarvan with the then Co. Chairman and Secretary, Ger Doyle and Margaret Doyle.
There’s no question that Meyler is still hurting, not just for himself, but also on behalf of his two selectors, Willie Sunderland (R.I.P.) and Nick Byrne, along with his backroom team of Fran Fitzhenry (physio), Brian Walsh and Fr. Brian Whelan.
‘When I met with Ger Doyle and Margaret Doyle in Dungarvan, I asked who the players were [that were in favour of his sacking]. The players did not have the courage to stand up and announce themselves. Instead they wanted to stay hidden and remain anonymous,’ he claimed.
At the time of Meyler’s dismissal, Ger Doyle referenced a meeting with four players, who were representing the panel as a whole.
The County Board officers told Meyler the players had lost confidence in the team management, and were looking for a change.
When it was put to Meyler last week that the players claimed, following the sacking, that they had spoken with the Board officers about a team holiday, the former manager responded.
‘We had met in Gorey ten days after the Waterford game, discussed the year, talked of plans, and set out our goals for the following season,’ he said.
‘We spoke about different aspects being brought to training and so on. There was never a mention of a holiday. It may have suited the players to offer this as a reason for the meeting.
‘We had just lost an All-Ireland quarter-final by a single point. We had beaten Tipperary in the championship, Galway in the league.
‘Kilkenny were the only side we could not manage, but no county could manage them at the time. But I still felt we could have brought our game to another level in 2009.
‘When I left that meeting in Gorey, I went away and started planning for the future. I had already set things in train for the following year.
‘Then I was summoned to that meeting in Dungarvan. This was a change for the sake of change,’ Meyler claimed.
‘Maybe it was my management, some players may not like it, but that’s up to the players. I’ll be direct and get things done.
‘The officers and management still have a lot to answer for in my opinion, as Wexford did not deliver following my dismissal.
‘They rapidly went downhill, including a league defeat to Carlow.
‘Despite the readiness of Wexford, it still took Davy Fitz three years of hard work to win a Leinster title. It just shows nothing is achieved in a small space of time.’
Meyler is now eagerly awaiting his return to the Wexford hurling sidelines.
‘I am looking forward to my involvement with St. Martin’s. Let’s hope the action will be back sooner rather than later.’