Offaly sack manager Wallace
County board act after pressure from clubs following tumultuous weekend
OFFALY COUNTY BOARD has removed Stephen Wallace as their senior football manager with immediate effect.
It follows a county board meeting last night following days of disgruntlement over their loss to Wicklow in Sunday’s Leinster football championship.
Ironically, Offaly players met last night in advance of a training session – at which Wallace was not present – at the county’s training centre in Kilcormac but a mood for immediate change was not palpable among those who attended.
It is understood that team captain Anton Sullivan chaired the meeting but not every panel member was present.
DELIGHT
Sullivan even tweeted a picture of training expressing his delight to be back in action following their tumultuous weekend.
However, the board took a harder line with pressure apparently coming from some clubs and, in a statement, said they are now seeking an interim manager.
A number of players were believed to have removed themselves from the squad since Sunday, among them Nigel Dunne who clarified his position regarding an alleged half-time walk-out on Sunday after he had been substituted.
Dunne pointed out that claims he headed for his car at half-time in Port- laoise could not be accurate because he had travelled on the team bus.
There was, however, understood to have been heated exchanges at halftime in the match which Wicklow won after extra-time.
Dunne returned to the play in the second half and missed a penalty.
Wallace is currently suspended for two months following his involvement in an incident during a club match in Kerry last month.
It was his first inter-county job, having had success with the Kerry juniors and the Ardfert club.
There have been rumblings of discontent during the league.
One of the county’s most prominent players Johnny Moloney left the squad after the Fermanagh match while many more have made themselves unavailable for a variety of reasons, not related to management issues.