Mahon to retire?

I don't see why Pete would leave if some players left. It's happened before sure.

I don't know who our next good player is going to be - which has always been the way with the club. Two years ago, I'd never heard of Paul Byrne. Six years ago, Alan McNally was some U-21 player with about one game under his belt. Currently, Ronan Finn has three games - I'd say he's definitely one for the future. Our U-21s are national champions two years in a row, so there has to be a player or two there who'll make it. Then there's new players we'll sign - from schoolboy teams, from England, maybe former players returning. Who knows? But not knowing is different to never happening.

Players being with us two years doesn't mean anything - it just dispells the myth that UCD's team falls apart every other year and has to be rebuilt from scratch.

Dont get me wrong I like UCD but i think you have been extremely lucky with the batch of players thats come together for you. I still think if 3 of those players left the managment would be next to go. I couldnt see Mahon rebuilding a team again at this stage for UCD.

I agree we got a good batch there in the last couple of years. But that doesn't mean it's all about to go downhill. Also, I don't think losing three players would necessitate a rebuild. Actually, we have to lose players on a semi-regular basis to facilitate all the new players we sign. Bit of a strange system, but there you go.

I'd say there's a plan in place to replace Mahon for when he does decides to call it a day, to be honest. He probably wears number 6 for us at the moment.

I think tony mac will get it just cause he stayed so long at the club, it will be interesting to see how well he does.

Hed have my vote if and when pete takes a walk into the twilight

I'd only want the Big Mac as gaffer if we had a structure in place with Mahon overseeing things. We've seen with the Doolo appointment that what's most important for this club is a manager who can handle all aspects over the club, particularly scouting for young talent.

Big issue is Tony Mac knows the club - has been involved for 13 years at this stage. Doolin was completely unprepared for the job, to be fair.

Big Mac = Roy Keane of the team, hes been around hes learned from managers hes had some good some bad, the time is right for him to step forward. Reckon if at the end of the year we get relegated hell take over and Pete will step aside maybe move upstairs :rolleyes: as poor student said in a move reminiscent of Kenny Dalglish all those years ago

I think Tony is a great lad and seems to have his head screwed on his shoulders, and hopefully playing under Doolo has been equally an eye opening experience as it has to play under the Doc, Dunne and Mahon in that he would have learned how not to do things. Tony might not want to do the job though. I mean he turned down a trial at Bolton as he was settled in his job (or so I am told). He still has at least 3 good playing years left in him. If he were to combine playing, managing and his other job then something might have to give. Anyway, I am happy with Pete as the gaffer and I hope he'll continue.

I've heard the "if you lose such and such" argument so many times during my 11 years coming to Belfield.

I used to believe it to. I was convinced before the 98/99 season that we were going down. We had lost Sherlock, Palmer, Colwell and Shay Kelly. That's 4 of the 5 best players we had but oddly enough a crop of young lads who we happened to find did well.

Doolin failed at Belfield because unlike his two predecessors and his current successor he didn't see the importance of managing the scholarship system. As a result when we did lose such and such one season he didn't have the replacements coming through.

Tony Mc Donnell spent almost a season sidelined with an injury in the 1999/2000 season which kept him out of the Intertoto Cup games. Himself and former striker Darren O'Brien ran the Reserves that year and they came second in the League. So he already has a management credential in football.
Given he is a financial manager, in his day job, his credentials would be first rate. But we have a manager ( Mahon) and an assistant (Eddie Wallace) in place and a decent coach in Martin Russell too . So we are not too badly off.

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Originally Posted by Aberdonian Stu

I've heard the "if you lose such and such" argument so many times during my 11 years coming to Belfield.

I used to believe it to. I was convinced before the 98/99 season that we were going down. We had lost Sherlock, Palmer, Colwell and Shay Kelly. That's 4 of the 5 best players we had but oddly enough a crop of young lads who we happened to find did well.

Doolin failed at Belfield because unlike his two predecessors and his current successor he didn't see the importance of managing the scholarship system. As a result when we did lose such and such one season he didn't have the replacements coming through.

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Stu

we did even better when we lost those players cause those players only kept us up via a playoff. In 1998/99 without those players we finished comfortably 6th! Yes Doolin's huge failure was the lack of development of young talent which is the lifeblood of the club, and manifested itself in the unable to field an Under 21 team debacle, in spite of Tommy Dunne ( Doolin's Assistant Manager son of Theo) registering as a player just to play with them.

Sometimes football team building can become a case of having enough bodies in your squad regardless of the quality and Doolin failed there big time. Rico is suffering similar problems with Cork City not having replaced his departures with sufficient people never mind quality.