New manager needs full backing of county board
can bring that knowledge, experience and know-how to bear on this current crop of Louth players.
I know a fair few of the Down squad of the early 1990s and they all speak very highly of his approach and man-management skills.
I wish him and his soon to be announced management team every success in the job and only hope he is afforded every possible assistance from the officers of the county board.
At this crucial stage of the senior squad’s development and with the minors having just reached a first provincial final in 46 years, its imperative that McGrath’s plans and ambitions are backed to the hilt.
While welcoming McGrath’s appointment as positive news, I think it’s crazy that Colin Kelly has been allowed slip through the net and be snapped up by one of our provincial rivals Westmeath.
Kelly, in my opinion, had made good progress during his three year term and I know it was his wish to continue the job of work he had started with his native county.
He felt, however, that he could not continue in the role such was his frustrations in dealing with certain officers of the board.
While we haven’t made any real headway in the championship in recent years, we are still nonetheless plying our trade in Division 2o of the National League in 2018.
It could be argued that the decline in county board support of the senior team was somewhat justified when we suffered relegation to the bottom tier of the league.
Division Four was not a happy place to be and it is to the player’s and management teams credit that back-to-back promotions were achieved.
Now that we are back in Division 2 the reverse should apply. We expect the players and management team to significantly up their game in order to compete at the higher level.
The same expectations should be demanded of the county administration also. What was acceptable for the last few years will not be sufficient to maintain our Division 2 status.
In losing Kelly to Westmeath I think we’ve let a good man go.
Pete McGrath is another good man. Let’s not make the same mistake again.