Best Eircom League Manager

finnpark

Who is the best manager in the eircom league?

My choice would have to be Stephen Kenny.

Most overrated manager is definitely Pat Devlin - what has he ever really acheived?

arbeitsscheuer

Based on his achievements over the years, at a host of different clubs, you gotta say that Damian Richardson's record takes some beating.

Jonny Arson

finnpark wrote:

Who is the best manager in the eircom league?

My choice would have to be Stephen Kenny.

Spot on. Head and shoulders above the competition.

SebtheBum wrote:

Based on his achievements over the years, at a host of different clubs, you gotta say that Damian Richardson's record takes some beating.

Rico a close second for me despite constantly being the bridesmaid for so many years. Fenlon, Doolin I rate too but the rest are terribly average or just plain poor.

gimmick

finnpark wrote:

Most overrated manager is definitely Pat Devlin - what has he ever really acheived?

Careful now! Though I would throw Doolin and Fenlon in there as well.

Kenny and Rico are the best two. Dont knows enough about Connor at Sligo.

Zebra3

A good manager is all linked to resources available.

Kenny done an amazing job at Longford, but what has he acieved with big-spending clubs like Bohs and Derry? 1 title.

Richardson has always managed clubs that like to spend? Success? 1 title with Cork, 2 FAI Cups with Shels.

Fenlon? 4 seasons as a manager of big spending Shels and he's won 2 titles, but his big acievements have been in Europe especially with the ground breaking CL run in 2004.

Doolin? Big winner as a player. Not managing that long and already a SC and FAI Cup but again with a big spending club.

Devlin? Don't like him, but 2 FAI Cups with Bray and he's kept them in the Premier Division probably more than their resources justify.

Credit where it's due lads.

Töpher

Stephen Kenny - without a doubt. Brilliant manager!

Fenlon's still learning, but I can't help feeling his progress may have haltered slightly, hopefully he can pick up the pace!

finnpark

Fenlon has been a huge disappointment after a good start. He has spent so much yet Shels looked a better side a few years ago than they do now.

Doolin, again spent a lot of money but seems a clever enough manager.

Worst Manager Ever
Ahhhh....that is easy...Roddy Collins. Useless - 1 lucky season and 1 lucky european result with very good players but any good players that seem to cross his path just go downhill.

MrJoeSoap

My vote goes to Kenny at the moment.

Am I allowed to mention Pat Dolan?

bohsman

finnpark wrote:

Worst Manager Ever
Ahhhh....that is easy...Roddy Collins. Useless - 1 lucky season and 1 lucky european result with very good players but any good players that seem to cross his path just go downhill.

2 fantastic European results, away wins in Scotland and Germany.
He also got the very best out of players like Crowe and Hunt - he signed them both altough it can be argued that even a blind squirell finds a needle in a haystack.

Farrelly is THE worst manager ever, I have a lot of respect for Pat Scully - would like to see what he could do with a big club.

cournioni

Stephen Kenny definately. Best manager by far. He'll bring Derry into the UEFA Cup group stages this year I reckon...

mchurl

Stephen Kenny is a quality manager and would get my vote, not for the owrk he done with Bohs and Derry which was very good, but for the work he done with Longford which was simply brilliant.

As for Devlin, as a bray fan i've been very disappointed with him this year and was happy when he "moved upstairs" earlier this week. But in fairness to him, he has done a very good job over the years.

KdjaCL

Kenny without a doubt, soon he will be home where he belongs

Dolan 2nd but dunno what he is doing with Limerick and whether it having an effect.


kdjac

smashey

PORNAPSTER wrote:

Stephen Kenny definately. Best manager by far. He'll bring Derry into the UEFA Cup group stages this year I reckon...

I like it.

Personally, I think it would be difficult deciding between Kenny & Fenlon. Fenlon has taken Shels further than anyone would have thought possible ten years ago, and so has experienced something that none of the other managers have. He has handled himself well. Kenny is doing very well with Derry but you have to admire what he did at Longford, bearing in mind the differing resources available at these clubs.

bohsman

What exactly has Fenlon done? Anybody could win the league with the taxfree budgets Shels have had the last few years. It will be interesting to see how he does when the big earners run away now that the money is gone.

MrJoeSoap

bohsman wrote:

2 fantastic European results, away wins in Scotland and Germany.
He also got the very best out of players like Crowe and Hunt - he signed them both altough it can be argued that even a blind squirell finds a needle in a haystack.

And what, might I ask, did Roddy do next?

bohsman

MrJoeSoap wrote:

And what, might I ask, did Roddy do next?

He was sent on a secret mission to destroy Rovers.

blu_sonic

Best ever - 1.Jim McLoughlin 2.Paddy Coad 3.Dermot Keeley

Recent Best - Pat Dolan

Current Best - Stephen Kenny

Recent Worst - Roddy Collins

Current Worst - Gareth Farrelly

Potential - Pat Scully, Nutsy

smashey

bohsman wrote:

What exactly has Fenlon done? Anybody could win the league with the taxfree budgets Shels have had the last few years. It will be interesting to see how he does when the big earners run away now that the money is gone.

If it was Bohs who had the big budget and Fenlon in charge, would you still be asking that question?

bohsman

We will soon have a big budget again and I would not like to see Fenlon managing Bohs, the major problem is the lack of discipline he brings.

blu_sonic

smashey wrote:

If it was Bohs who had the big budget and Fenlon in charge, would you still be asking that question?

I would ask it, if it were at Rovers, I'd have expected to at least relive the glories of the 80's with the money he had. He tried the old McLoughlin trick, but in the best players and you can't fail. Difference being he did buy quality but couldn't make them play HIS way, couldn't figure out his best 11, couldn't put his players to task and TBH couldn't become the strongest personality in the club. (ollie far out shines him, Jayo even seems as big as).

He needed to be strong. choose his best 11 right away and cut the dead wood away. Dominate the club with his personality ie. just show he is the boss, he's wearing the trousers.

I still think he'll do well, eventually

Ronan|Raven

Matthews would be up there with one of the current worst imho.

Would agree with the Kenny vote as well.

Big Nelly

Best Eircom League Manager? well it would be me, I know more than any of them:D

KdjaCL

bohsman wrote:

He was sent on a secret mission to destroy Rovers.

I laughed.

kdjac

johnos

Best manager probably is Dolan.
It'd be a tight call with Kenny but for his blotting his copy book with Bohs in the run-up to his sacking, when he just didn't seem interested.
I certainly would hope that, in an ideal situation where we could have the pick of the crop, we would aim higher than Fenlon. Football is meant to be fun.