Mahon to retire?

Interesting quote in the Star on Sunday in a full-page interview with Pete Mahon. It's the usual stuff about how the FAI are a pack of idiots and the new league proposals won't actually do anything, but there's a bit towards the end where it says "Mahon wryly points out that he probably won't be involved in the game by the time Delaney's vision comes to fruition."

Don't know if that means he's planning his retirement in the next two or three years, if he doubts that the vision/proposals will ever happen or if he just thinks that progress will be the usual slow progress so that it'll be years and years away before anything happens. Interesting little dropped sentence though...

Also moans about facilities again - the lack of showers in Drogheda comes up, as does the case of blocked toilets at a First Division ground we played a pre-season friendly at (obivously Athlone). Presumably the article was written before the Kilkenny game! He also says there should be two clubs in Dublin again, which I don't agree with, and says the ten-team Premier is basically Ollie ("three or four big clubs") wanting mroe money from more big games without the interests of the league overall in mind.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by pineapple stu

Interesting quote in the Star on Sunday in a full-page interview with Pete Mahon. It's the usual stuff about how the FAI are a pack of idiots and the new league proposals won't actually do anything, but there's a bit towards the end where it says "Mahon wryly points out that he probably won't be involved in the game by the time Delaney's vision comes to fruition."

Don't know if that means he's planning his retirement in the next two or three years, if he doubts that the vision/proposals will ever happen or if he just thinks that progress will be the usual slow progress so that it'll be years and years away before anything happens. Interesting little dropped sentence though...

Also moans about facilities again - the lack of showers in Drogheda comes up, as does the case of blocked toilets at a First Division ground we played a pre-season friendly at (obivously Athlone). Presumably the article was written before the Kilkenny game! He also says there should be two clubs in Dublin again, which I don't agree with, and says the ten-team Premier is basically Ollie ("three or four big clubs") wanting mroe money from more big games without the interests of the league overall in mind.

---

Well he might well be about to retire, I think he is over 60 stu! He played League of Ireland footie with Drums and they left the League in 1972.

I wouldn't be too sad to see the back of him. Tactically he has not been up to it this season. However things may change for the better. I'd say look at things at the end of the season anyway and see how he has done.

Well they might promote from within if he does retire. Martin Russell would probably get the promotion to main man.

Im available and will it to do it for a sum. Heres my credentials please forward to the necessary people http://www.ucdsoccer.com/super/compe...p?division=366

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dmandmythdledge

I wouldn't be too sad to see the back of him. Tactically he has not been up to it this season. However things may change for the better. I'd say look at things at the end of the season anyway and see how he has done.

---

You weren't around for the Doolin 'era', were you?

Pete Mahon has been a vital figure for UCD. His contribution to the club has been immense. Doolin had severely damaged this club to the point where we had sunk without a trace in the Premier Division and struggled to field an U-21 team, let alone ensure our usual conveyor belt of talent. Mahon almost saved the club from certain relegation, restored us to the Premier Division immediately, restored proper structure to the club and restarted the conveyor belt of talent and have given us some decent cup runs. His appointment was a masterstroke. I'd sorely hate to see him leave the club. I think that even if he retires as manager he should be kept on to oversee the club in some sort of general manager form if possible.

Pineapple, I've read all those quotes before. Sounds rehashed.:confused:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Poor Student

Pete Mahon has been a vital figure for UCD. His contribution to the club has been immense. Doolin had severely damaged this club to the point where we had sunk without a trace in the Premier Division and struggled to field an U-21 team, let alone ensure our usual conveyor belt of talent. Mahon almost saved the club from certain relegation, restored us to the Premier Division immediately, restored proper structure to the club and restarted the conveyor belt of talent and have given us some decent cup runs. His appointment was a masterstroke. I'd sorely hate to see him leave the club. I think that even if he retires as manager he should be kept on to oversee the club in some sort of general manager form if possible.

Pineapple, I've read all those quotes before. Sounds rehashed.:confused:

---

Ye I agree we would have been lost without him but I think he has taken the club as far as he can.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by John83

You weren't around for the Doolin 'era', were you?

---

I was in fact.:p

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dmandmythdledge

Ye I agree we would have been lost without him but I think he has taken the club as far as he can.

---

I think I'd agree to an extent about the tactical side of things at times, but against that, I can't think of anyone better for the job, to be honest. There's no other club in the country turning up Gary Dickers, Darren Quigleys, Paul Byrnes, Ronan Finns and the likes as often as we are, and no other club iwth as many current Ireland U-21 regulars as we have. We just can't seem to make the jump up to top half of the table at the moment. If we could go full-time, we'd have a bloody good team!

In all fairness I don't think Mahon can take all the credit for those players, UCD had been turning out players long before he was their. The fact that the college also gives these players an education also helps get them in the door. What tactics ? your two full backs just pump the ball forward at any chance your midfielders never have an option to pass and your two lads up front just chase balls down all day. Also I even if Mahon had the chance to go full time he wouldn't I reckon it's to late in the day for him to do that.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by thegit

In all fairness I don't think Mahon can take all the credit for those players, UCD had been turning out players long before he was their.

---

It's pretty much down to him and his assistant Wallace. There's no vast scouting network, they identify the players themselves. Doolan couldn't do it while he was there.

Its time to bring in the Rod. Out with the prima donna students and in with vinnny jones and more of the wimbledon old gang

So all those players who started out with UCD and are now playing for other E.L. clubs is down to Mahon and Wallace. And there is other clubs turning out players like those pinapple mentioned the clubs are called Cherry Orchard, st Josephs boys and many more school boy clubs who have nurtured the players since they've been kids. Come on 1 or 2 years at UCD wont make a player they just give they a platform to show what they can do, if other el clubs would take the chance on the younger lads maybe UCD wouldn't get as many.

I meant finding the players, not 100% developing them.

come on its not hard to find a player who actually comes from dublin and is playing for a big school boy club. He's hardly Harry Rednapp.

Then why's no other club doing it as well as us? The scholarship scheme can only go so far - we've signed players from other clubs' reserves who go pretty much immediately become highly respected eL players (e.g. Kenna, Quigley, Gannon, etc). Also, the scholarship scheme is not unique to us, so doesn't account for our success in that area.

Why don't the country teams find as many good players? Derry, Cork and the likes?

Bottom line - Mahon and Wallace have a very effective scouting network out and should be commended for it.

I have to disagree i think they just take chances on players because they have no option, Mahon has signed the odd stinker as well. Remember all those players have played in your u21 before coming into the first team. The other clubs cant afford to take chances on kids which i think is S*** by the way, the country clubs will find it hard to get young Dublin player to sign for them only to sit in the reserves maybe thats why you get these players, all the ones mentioned are from dublin.... or ask your self why these players didnt come to UCD first? i htink for alot of them it's a plan B.

For something as random as you make out, we've got a bloody good success rate with it!

ok so where is the new batch of players coming through? i reckon if you loose Hurley, Dicker, Byrne and Quigley along with Kenna or Finn, do you think pete will stick around ? Hurley Dicker byrne , Quigley and Kenna are with you over 2 years . Me thinks you did well to get those players all together at the one time and I dont think thats going to happen again maybe the odd one or two but not 5 or 6 at the one time.

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.

Quote:

---

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.

---

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.