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The perils of the profession
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Football managers are only ever as good as their next result, not their last one
Cathal Dervan, Editor
Some years ago a late night conversation began over a beer or two at the tail-end of a Soccer Writers awards banquet with the manager of a well known Dublin club - and the opportunity arose to discuss the perils of his chosen profession.
It wasn’t a very positive discussion. We decided, based on both personal experience and hard historical evidence, that one of us was going to get sacked in the near future, most probably the one with the professional coaching licence from UEFA.
We were right. Within six months, my beer buddy was back on the market and he did, as so often is the case when a football manager is sacked, pick up another job fairly quickly.
That position’s gone as well now - as expected in a business where the only certainties are taxes and professional death. So the most recent time we met, as we reminisced on that previous conversation, we changed the subject and started to talk about the idea of bringing League of Ireland football to a county still awaiting a League of Ireland club.
The idea intrigued us both so much that we even began to speculate around home venues, training grounds, staff and players. And we almost fell out over my friend’s potential to be the manager of the first League of Ireland side to represent his native county.
Why? Because I told him, as the notional chairperson of said new club, that he wasn’t going to be appointed manager purely for his own sake, even though he would be the outstanding candidate.
Why you might ask? Because we would have to sack him and he’d probably fall out with me.
Somewhere along the line he would lose a few matches, lose the dressing-room, lose the supporters, lose the investors and the board and lose his job.
So instead of appointing him as manager of this fictional new club, I appointed him as his county’s first Director of Football and handed him the power to sack the manager - a much safer opportunity with far better job security.
It makes sense when you think about it. At most clubs, the sporting director hires and fires without ever coming under the level of scrutiny from so many sources that affects every manager.
Most Sporting Directors will outlive various managers over the course of their careers. They are closeted from the immediate impact of results, they are protected from dressing room squabbles and some of them will have very little inter-action with their club’s fan base.
The life of a Sporting Director is relatively safe. The life of a manager is in permanent danger.
Alan Reynolds will know that much as he prepares to take Bohemians to Dundalk tonight for game 16 of their League of Ireland Premier Division season.
Last weekend, Reynolds was in charge as Bohs drew at home to Derry on the Friday night and at home to Shels on the Bank Holiday Monday.
A point against the Candystripes and a point against the Reds are never points to be sneezed at but that wasn’t much comfort to the Dalymount faithful, some of whom let the world know that they want Rennie out whenever he walked within earshot of the Jodi Stand.
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Never mind that Bohs will shortly go into European action and get the chance to annoy Michael O’Leary with airport pints this summer. Never mind that Bohs were top of the league for much of the early part of this season or that Rennie has given Dawson Devoy the freedom to play himself into serious conversations about an Ireland cap.
None of that matters when results go against a manager. They all know that - my friend from that bar and the man in charge of Bohs tonight when the away fans will be only yards behind him at Oriel Park, not the best ground for a visiting manager to run the gauntlet.
Such is the nature of football that the manager’s reign will almost always end in tears. Very few get to leave of their own accord. Managers are never as good as their last result - they’re only as good as their next result as at least one LOI boss will discover again tonight. It is indeed a funny old game.
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League of Ireland writer Darryl Geraghty and editor Cathal Dervan look ahead to Friday night's action in the Premier Division of the League of Ireland.
James McClean has added his name to the growing list of people calling on the FAI to abandon the planned Nations League games against Israel in the autumn.
McClean went public on his Instagram account with his opposition to the away game in late September, probably in Budapest, and the home fixture at the Aviva Stadium in October.
The Derry-born former Ireland player also had a go at the FAI as he released his views on the same day that Sinn Fein voiced their support for the boycotting of the two games.
The Irish Mirror reports that McClean wrote: “You can write every letter, sign a million petitions, protest every day of the week but it will be like pissing into the wind for the sheer fact that there is not a backbone within the FAI.
“It’s a tough one in fairness for the players and I get it, it’s an opportunity to play a football game for your country, that being said I can’t see too many if any objecting to the game being played anyways, the decision should be taken out of their hands.
“Simply the game should never be going ahead, if there is one country that should recognise oppression and the turmoil that brings then it’s Ireland.. although with the decision makers in this country you’d be mistaken to think we ever had any history of it.
“There’s my thoughts for what it’s worth, have a great day.”
McClean’s remarks also came 24 hours after the Stop The Game group issued a public letter calling on the FAI to withdraw from the Israel fixtures with Brian Kerr, Louise Quinn, Kneecap, Paul Weller and Christy Moore among those to sign.
Shamrock Rovers captain and PFAI chair Roberto Lopes signed the letter and said: “We have to stop the game. As players and fans, our natural instinct is always to get out there and compete, but this is a moment where we need to look at the bigger picture.
“We can’t ignore the humanitarian catastrophe in Palestine; the sheer loss of life there has to take precedence over any sporting consideration.
“Ireland has an opportunity here to lead - to be a pioneer and do what others won’t. We need to be brave enough to say enough is enough. We can’t just stand by. Please, stop the game.”
He may be favourite to land the manager’s job on a full-time basis but Michael Carrick would still like clarity around his Manchester United future.
Carrick has steered United into the Champions League after a run of 10 wins in 14 games in charge after his appointment as interim boss in January.
The club’s hierarchy will make an announcement on their next boss after the final game of the season at Brighton on May 24th but Carrick remains in the dark according to a report in the Irish Sun.
“Listen, clarity is important,” Carick said. “I think moving forward, it’s at the end of the season where I think we’ve finished strong, put ourselves in a good position.
“And obviously the situation of my role and what it looks like moving forward, I think it’s just the natural time. It was always going to be spoken about towards the end of the season, if not the end of the season.
“So nothing has really changed, to be honest. We have eyes on finishing the season strongly as well. So I understand the question, I understand the timing of it.
“But from my point of view, right at this stage, it’s just putting the boys in a place to finish the season strongly. And then, as I’ve said all along, I’m calm about it, it’ll get sorted out when it’s going to get sorted out. It’s out of my hands, so we’ll see what happens.”
Birthday boy Luis Enrique has described Paris St Germain;s Champions League semi-final defeat of Bayern Munich as a ‘gift’ as he looks forward to a final date with his old mate Mikel Arteta in Budapest.
The Irish Examiner reports on Enrique’s reaction to the win ahead of his 56th birthday on Friday.
“Good memories,” said Enrique. “We could leave the match with a lot of intensity. The defence were better than the attack. The character we showed against a team like Bayern is so positive. We’re so happy to reach a second Champions League final in a row.
“It was very intense. Very difficult. They play football at the highest level. Both teams are similar, we love to press higher. We are very happy.
“In two days I’m going to celebrate my birthday. I’m very happy. We’re in the next phase of the competition, the final of the Champions League. We want to give our supporters that kind of gift.”
US President Donald Trump is the latest voice to criticise the cost of World Cup tickets this summer - just a day after FIFA’s top dog Gianni Infantino defended the extortionate dynamic pricing model in use for the tournament.
Trump made the remarks after he was informed that the cheapest ticket for the US national team’s opening game against Paraguay is a whopping $1,120.
The Guardian reports that Trump stated: “I would certainly like to be there, but I wouldn’t pay it either, to be honest with you. If people from Queens and Brooklyn and all of the people that love Donald Trump can’t go, I would be disappointed, but, you know, at the same time, it’s an amazing success.
“I would like to be able to have the people that voted for me to be able to go.”
Fan power has forced Liverpool to reduce a planned increase in ticket prices for the next two seasons.
The current English champions will now increase ticket prices by three per cent for next season then freeze them for the 2027-28 campaign.
The club had planned to increase prices in line with inflation for the next three seasons but have now announced the new changes following discussion with the club’s supporters board.
According to the BBC, season tickets for the Kop will cost £734.50 next season, the cheapest available, while the most expensive will cost £931 in the Main Stand.
Match day tickets next season will cost £30 in the Anfield Road Stand and £62.75 in the Main Stand.
All photos on TheSportsHacks are provided by Sportsfile.com
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