A VITAL DECISION
Think carefully when you select the new Wicklow boss
DEAR powers that be,
I write to you with a heaviness in the heart. Johnny Magee has stepped down. January is a distant whisper on the horizon. The Garden jersey lies still. There is much to talk about.
We feel like we have emerged from some misadventure, like we took an attractive looking side path on our journey through the woods only for it to lead us to a mire in which we became bogged and desperate. We lost some of our finest in that bog. What or who led us down that path?
Was it Johnny’s fault? No. We are like a couple who saw in each other great potential. He a giant of a man, spoken of with reverence, a Dub, a commander, a leader. Us a minnow, a barren land in need of inspiration, guidance, love. What could go wrong? An early courtship shows up no misalignments, no sharp edges, nothing to stick in the craw and start to grate on the nerves but soon things begin to fray around the edges.
With defeat comes sourness. As a couple we began to crumble. Our fledgling love, our unbridled passion in those early days quickly gave way to narkiness. We began to sleep in separate rooms. We became strangers, the bond broken.
But we had to think of the children, those loyal men who don the jersey, or at least those who remained and those who came forward for the cause.
Onwards we trundled. Defeat after defeat, a dark world seared occasionally by the flash of a gallant championship performance or a rare league victory or a securing of much needed sponsorship. But all was far from well. Hardly anyone called to see us anymore. We were adrift on a ship of hopelessness.
But he gave it his all. That road from Ashbourne must have felt like a bleed in his soul. Bidding farewell to the family three, four, five times a week, the constant buzzing of the phone, the organising, the pleading, the cajoling, the berating, the encouraging, all that takes a mountainous effort. Fair play. We might have fallen out of love in the end but he can never be faulted for effort and his heart is good and true and we wish him nothing but the best. His sentiments and hopes for our warriors are right and worthy. Wicklow footballers do deserve a better system during the summer. He is speaking the truth.
We’d like to say it wasn’t him, it was us, but perhaps it was a bit of both. The stars aligned against us. Our worlds are too different. He is a Capulet and we a Montague and ultimately nothing good can come of our union and so to break away is what’s best for us both, surely. To linger would have been to prolong the apathy and indifference within the suffocating embrace of which Wicklow fans now struggle to breathe. So, where to now?
Now we must heal. As a county we must heal. The search for the replacement for Johnny Magee begins with the County Board preparing to form a committee, the chosen few, to interview all interested parties. And there should be plenty.
Is there a better inter-county job in the country? From this dark moment we see a shard of sunlight slice the blackness, dawn is not too far away. We don’t know what the new day will bring but there is a stirring of hope.
How could anyone interested in GAA management not be drawn to this position of being the Wicklow Senior football manager? You cannot fail. Imagine the job of replacing Brian Cody in Kilkenny when he comes to that decision. Imagine the pressure of that role. That doesn’t exist here. You cannot fall here because we are at ground level. There is only one way to go.
But now more than ever, leadership is needed. Wicklow GAA supporters will be looking around the county and beyond for potential candidates. At bars and on roadsides and in farmyards and on phones, names will be put forward and agreed with or dismissed or hummed and hawed about with positives and negatives proclaimed.
Do we stay inside our own little realm when we go to find a new manager? Or do we venture into the wilds to find a messiah who will nurse us back to health and return us to the right path.
If we stay inside, what names pop into the consciousness? Are we attracted to the elixir of youth? What of Paul Garrigan, surely one of the keenest footballing brains in the county. To bring Miley to Baltinglass last year was not only unexpected but it was extraordinary. This man eats and drinks football.
What of Jonathan Daniels, former player or note, under-21 manager, Kilmacanogue boss? Another sharp footballing intellect.
Does the name of Decky Byrne jump out at any Wicklow GAA supporter? A man who guided Rathnew to a three-in-a-row and now ensconced in Laragh. A footballing brain and a leader of men, could he do the job?
What of Gail Dunne? Currently in Dublin with Ballinteer St Johns and thriving by all accounts. Former Wicklow under-21 and St Pat’s manager, involved with the Garden County Academy. Was due to interview three years ago but was unable due to the interview being held days before St Pat’s took to the field in the county final.
What of Alan Costello who is preaching the good word in Éire Óg Greystones and almost stunned Rathnew not so long ago thanks to a first half of stunning football?
Our one and only All Star Kevin O’Brien, gaining experience all over Leinster over the last number of years and currently involved in the Garden County Academy at under-15 level not to mention his own beloved Baltinglass. Could he offer something?
There are many more names within our county boundaries. Let them come forward and throw their names into the mix.
If we go outside are we going for a household name? We all remember the joy of the Micko years. At the moment they are like a warm blanket and a hot chocolate in front of the fire on a cold night. They caress us. But the Micko years were not without their trials and tribulations. But we had some magic moments. Oh, we did. Do we go in search of a name of real stature or do we seek out a young, ambitious individual?
Names could drop off the tongue endlessly but to the powers that be I say something that you know all too well and that is that finances are the key at this moment in time. Like it or not, finances are the most important factor in this whole process right now. And that must be a key element in the process of recovery in 2018.
Those people who apply for the Wicklow job will bring backroom teams. The costs of running an inter-county team now are monstrous. Physios, S&C, food, gear, expenses, players’ mileage, analysis, and whatever else you can afford demands a big budget and a budget that is growing exponentially in every county in the country.
It is therefore vital that the finances are there. How do we get that money into the coffers? The current fundraising exploits are commendable and helpful but more is needed.
Could a fundraising committee be born? “Not another committee” ,I hear you say.
But this would be a group of people who would be genuinely and passionately interested in Wicklow GAA? These would need to be people with ambition, with imagination, capable of thinking outside the boundaries, capable of coming up with new ideas that will bring in serious money.
“It’s hard enough to get people on to our club committees,” will be the cry of protest.
Make it worth people’s while. If those who enlist on this fundrais- ing committee require payment or enticement then make it so. Introduce a commission system. Look for young people eager to make a mark or for experienced people who can bring their wealth of experience to bear on the process.
Sit down and brainstorm for ideas. As the candidates appear for the Wicklow Senior manager’s role, this new committee should be forming a nucleus of plans. What about ‘Bingo in Ballinakill’ or ‘Bingo in the Boardroom’ in Aughrim, or a giant bingo every month in a different club (local hall) around the county? No idea is a bad idea.
What about a county wide comedy competition involving every club where the club and County Board share the proceeds? Or the same idea but in the form of Strictly Come Dancing? What about an annual Wicklow GAA Muck Fest or endurance run, along the lines of ‘Run the Rock’ in Aughrim?
Or bigger plans, a music gig in Aughrim or Arklow or Ballinakill. Bring Nathan Carter to Aughrim, or Ed Sheeran or whoever. Can it be done? If it can’t, why not? If it still can’t be done, no problem. Park it. Move on. Next idea.
Finances are key so it is vital that successful fundraisers are held and if you provide entertainment and give something to the public in return for their money then you will create a much better fundraiser and a much healthier relationship.
We watched as Johnny Magee secured sponsorship during his time in Wicklow.
This was above and beyond the call of his role but he did it for the good of the county footballers and for the county and he is to be commended for that.
And as difficult as it is to bring in sponsors in this day and age, it is even harder when you have no product on which they can prop themselves.
The public persona of Wicklow GAA needs to be improved and boosted and a steady stream of successful fundraisers and a clever and strategic public relations plan would make Wicklow GAA much more attractive to other potential investors.
“The County Board must go as well”, said one poster on social media recently. And we’ve heard that on one or two occasions before. It would only take a matter of minutes to elect a new County Board. The current crop are not handcuffed to the chairs. It is up to the clubs in Wicklow to elect a County Board and that is done every year at Convention.
The difficulty in electing a new County Board is that with that job comes responsibility and the need for huge effort and the commitment of time. It is easy to slate the County Board but unless there are people willing to take up the positions and who have a hunger to try and do better the current County Board will remain in place to continue the major job of work they are currently undertaking.
Right now Wicklow football needs a new leader. Johnny Magee has left a young crop of talented footballers who are fit and able. Perhaps the new person will wipe the slate clean and scour the county yet again to create a new panel and we could see the return of some of the soldiers who drifted away and retired in what has to be the biggest exodus in inter-county history.
Wicklow football needs a leader on the field of play but we need leaders off it, too. Wicklow football needs someone who understands the county, who can put their finger on the pulse and bring the clubs with them.
Wicklow football needs decent crowds back in Aughrim with hope in their hearts that their team can go on a championship run, can cause an upset or achieve promotion in the league.
We understand we won’t win Leinster or an All-Ireland any time soon, we understand that work is ongoing at juvenile level and that there are glimmers of hope for the future, but Wicklow football needs to be competitive and the relationship between the supporters and the team needs to be healthy and respectful.
Dear powers that be, I ask that you think carefully when selecting the new Wicklow GAA manager. Let nothing but the good of the county be to the forefront of your mind when you are deliberating. Give Wicklow football a new purpose and a new energy with this selection.
If it’s one of our own then let him work his magic. If it’s someone from outside then let nothing stand in his way.
Give Wicklow football a chance. Give us hope.