Decision to drop Derek

**joeSoap** · 08/12/2003, 8:04 AM

This is probably going to divide supporters opinions. I personally feel that it was the wrong decision simply because of the fact that we had been on the longest unbeaten run of any club in the EL this season by playing the system with Derek and Stevo up front. Also the fact that he had 14 goals, and was in pretty good form himself. I spoke to him on Saturday morning, and he was devastated at losing out. I suppose Mikes philosophy that he was going to shore up the middle to stop Derry attacks was logically correct, but it upset our balance completely, and caused us to play an unfamiliar game to what we've been used to. Playing one up front, it had to be Stevo, simply because Derek cannot run like that for 90 minutes any more. He's not cut out for that type of game, and is more suited to the passing game we've been playing.
Either way, lets not forget the fantastic time they gave us this season, and if it was a mistake, so what. If it wasn't, so what.Thanks Mike and all the players for giving us back our pride in Limerick football.

**LFC in Exile** · 08/12/2003, 11:14 AM

Football management is a tough job. There isn't a manager any where in the world that hasn't made a mistake. In hindsight maybe it was a mistake - but teams can't be picked in hindsight. Kerley hasn't put a foot wrong in a few months. He is learning his trade (and he promises to be very good at it), and I don't thik we would have even been in Derry without him.

My one worry would be that another club looks to take him away. Losing a few players would be bad, but losing Kerley would be disastrous - he is bound to take a few players with him too. Quite a few of the clubs below us in the league wouldkill for a manager like him.

**LFCSixty/Eighty** · 08/12/2003, 12:56 PM

even though i think the decision to leave derek out was incorrect to begin with, the hardest thing to accept is the fact that he didn't bring him on at half time.

the fact that we were 1 down meant we had to score 2 more, and doing this with 1 up front was never going to happen. making tough decisions is the managers job but accepting your decision was wrong is even tougher and mike didnt do that. 2-0 down and THEN bringing Derek on.... well he may aswell have kept him nice and warm on the bench, as the game had totally gone in favour of Derry.

No manager is faultless and if limerick had sneaked a goal and being fortunate not to concede, he would have been a hero, but sometimes you make your own luck and asking a young team to change a winning formulae can only be asking for trouble. lets hope he learns and becomes a better manager because of it.

**gael353** · 08/12/2003, 7:27 PM

Firstly i think Mike got it wrong but not in his formation, in hes selection. We have played a 4 5 1 on several occations before including when we went on our 14 unbeaten (finn harps away + at home, kildare away too) but i think it was a bit weird leaving out Dereck. I would have played him up front and put Stevo on the left. O'Donaghue had a nightmare! But enough about Derry we were te most improved team in both leagues, by far.
I think that once we lost Cosgrave and Hughes we were ging to find it very hard to advance further then the play offs. We have used the same starting 11 for the last 10 weeks or so simply because we had no choices. We couldnt make subs, and this was evident at the Kildare game and in Derry. The players were tired pure and simple. I think it was a great achievment to reach the play offs, but immagine if we reached the finals of the playoffs.....5 games in 12 days is what it would have meant. Its interesting, we were phisically drained and lost out while the best team in the division, Bray (we only took one point from them) lost out mentally. That public meeting has to happen soon and we have to get sorted for next year, first team of 20 players or so, a 21's and link up not with just one club in one part of Limerick but maybe three clubs in Limerick, one in Ennis, one in north Tipp, one or two in west Limerick (so mcuh of our support in recent weeks has been from these areas) to provide us with the nessisary underage teams.
14 Unbeaten........what a team and great management by Mick Kerley. well done lads.
oh ps as in Jaws the movie for next season for our away trips "we're gonna need a bigger bus."

**deise deserter** · 08/12/2003, 9:09 PM

Didn't this formation work against Kildare if I remember right? No fault to Mike, he made the call, and if we had made it to half-time unscathed who knows what could have happened.

**joeSoap** · 09/12/2003, 7:30 AM

Originally posted by deise deserter
Didn't this formation work against Kildare if I remember right? No fault to Mike, he made the call, and if we had made it to half-time unscathed who knows what could have happened.

It worked against Kildare well enough, and also against Finn Harps up there. But I think the logic behind Mikes decision was that while Derek played as the runner against both of those teams, it would have been impossible for him to do it against Derry up there simply because the Brandywell is a huge pitch, and Derek wouldn't have been able to do all of that work on his own because he's still not a fit as he wants to be and I don't think his back will ever allow him realise his true potential, sadly. Dereks game is based on the ball to feet in or around the box, and there are very few strikers in either division better than him when he gets quality ball in those circumstances. Playing the quality of football we did in the second half of the season allowed him to show us what he can do. When you play a different formation, he suffers.
I'm not saying I agree with the decision to change formation(I don't. We should have stuck to what was working), but Derek had to be the one to go once the decision was made. We would have had nothing of impact off the bench otherwise.