Yet despite all of his failings and inability he did win a National trophy, and leave Mike Kerley a squad a few seasons back that was worthy of promotion.This season had its good points as well as the bad.Originally Posted by thelimerick
If you really believe that he 'advised' Derry on how to beat us then you must think Derry needed help in the first place.
[QUOTE=joeSoap;535368]Yet despite all of his failings and inability he did win a National trophy, and leave Mike Kerley a squad a few seasons back that was worthy of promotion.This season had its good points as well as the bad.
Granted NOC gathered those individuals togeather,but it was mike kerley who got them to gel and brought them forword to challange for promotion not NOC.
Gel ?? Don't make me laugh. If they 'gelled' like you say, why did they all run in different directions at the end of the season? He had one good season, then was unable to keep the squad together and then had no ability to rebuild a squad from scratch. You can go on about not having any money, no ground etc as factors in this, but where was the money and ground the season before this when O'Connor built the squad?
Agree with JoeSoap strangely enough on the Kerley situation. Way way overrated in my book. Sadly from what I hear, Tommy Lynch has been brought in to steady the ship for Kerley next season, but hopefully thats just a rumour.
I cant remember a really dedicated decent manager since Eoin Hand. Well, thats not fair on the butcher...he was dedicated...awful...but dedicated.
It seems to me that Mr Drew fancies himself as the new gaffer...he's even been in touch with UEFA from what I hear to get his badges. I'm sure it won't be long before more players run out the door like Woulfe, Rose and mCcARTNEY.
And almost the entire u21 squad from what is being said around the town.Agree with JoeSoap strangely enough on the Kerley situation. Way way overrated in my book. Sadly from what I hear, Tommy Lynch has been brought in to steady the ship for Kerley next season, but hopefully thats just a rumour.
I cant remember a really dedicated decent manager since Eoin Hand. Well, thats not fair on the butcher...he was dedicated...awful...but dedicated.
It seems to me that Mr Drew fancies himself as the new gaffer...he's even been in touch with UEFA from what I hear to get his badges. I'm sure it won't be long before more players run out the door like Woulfe, Rose and mCcARTNEY.
That's bullsh1t. They gelled fine, we went 13 games unbeaten at the end of the season and ended up in the play-off spot. The players left because at the time the club was not given a license and so there was a lot of uncertainty surrounding whether the club would even be there for the following season. Nobody blamed the players for signing for other clubs when the alternative was to stay with a club about to go out of business. Many of the players (Purcell, Heff, O'Flynn) took the opportunity to step up to the premier. None of that was Kerley's fault and you know it Joe. Don't twist things. Kerley was left scrambling for players two weeks before the season started with obvious results. Again, not his fault.
If anyone dropped teh club in the sh1te around that time it was NOC departing to take a job at Cork 2 weeks before the start of the previous season. NOC gets no credit from me for 'building a squad'. Anyone can assemble good players given enough time - but getting them to play is another thing altogether.
"It's impossible to make a man understand something when his livelihood depends on him not understanding" Upton Sinclair
A bigger man? You only post here when the club is going through a bad patch. This just goes back to whether everything is black and white. I don't know whatever gave you the impression I think NOC is a good manager. When his side is winning (which is my side too) then fair play but I don't feel the need to always adopt the same opinion irrespective of what is actually happening. I have no axe to grind with anyone - so if I think they're doing a good job I give them credit. If not then criticism. I think that makes criticism a lot more valid as opposed to those who always carp on about the negative and go missing when good stuff is happening for their club. Talk about a martyr complex - when we get promoted you'll be inconsolable.Okay then In Exile, what point would there have been in me coming on here when we were in the middle of our good run and saying that NOC is a talentless hack who is in the middle of a red hot lucky streak that will quickly run out?
Had I done so I would have had yourself going on about how I have something personal against NOC and I can't see past that to how good a job he is doing. So instead of getting involved in yet another petty tit for tat 'discussion' with you I left you, joesoap and whoever else harp on and on about how NOC is showing his doubters the error of their ways cause I knew it would all blow up in your face at some stage, just as it did last season, but no I thought I'd be the bigger man, which I should have realised was never going to happen on foot.ie
"It's impossible to make a man understand something when his livelihood depends on him not understanding" Upton Sinclair
Anyone can assemble a squad?? Totally off the mark there LFC. If anyone could assemble a squad then why didn't Mike Kerley do it over the two seasons he was in charge. What he did was lose an excellent squad and have no contingency plan for the enivitable. Blame the club for whatever you like...yes it was poorly run by idiots blah blah, but a manager who cannot attract players to a club is worthless.
And the squad that you wouldn't give Noel O'Connor any credit for building included ; Pat Purcell, Paul Finnucane, Brendan Sweeney, Gareth Cooney, Steven O'Flynn, Brian Morrisroe, Colm Heffernan and others. On top of that, in the last two seasons he has brought in players like Noel Mooney, Purcell back to the club, Cooney back to the club, Paul Rose, John Lester, Conor Sinnott, Anthony Woulfe, Brian Buckley, John McGrath, Robbie Kelliher, Tommy Barrett and others.
So credit him if you want, don't credit him if you want. But stop talking pure and utter cr*p about Mike Kerley being the messiah.
Last edited by joeSoap; 14/09/2006 at 2:15 PM.
True my posting count picks up when we have something to discuss, i.e. no lease, no direction on the pitch, etc., but then how many times can we (and I'm not the only who's posting increases in the dark times) come on and say 'everythings fine and dandy?'. I still came on these boards when the going was good for Limerick, although admittedly less frequently than at the moment, but that was due to college work, but when I did I chose to post in places like off-topic, world football and current affairs when I repeatedly saw the same four or five posters saying the same thing over and over again. I had nothing to offer those conversations so why would I bother?
Fair enough, but would you also say it's fair enough of me to not give him credit when I think the opposite? Apparantly not, because everytime I have been on this board in the last year you jump on any negative thing I have had to say about Danny Drew, the direction of the club or NOC at times. Sounds like an axe to grind to me
Again this goes down to a difference of opinion. What you saw as a good run, I saw as a lucky run that would soon run out. I think anyone who witnessed our run this year would agree there was a large element of luck involved in our remaining unbeaten, why else would so many fans have been complaining about us having a tactically inept manager (again you seem to think I'm a one man tribe with the negativity, which isn't the case at all) and a directionless team at the time of our run?
If I had have come on here and said just that you would have leaped out of chair yet again and gone on yet another tirade, which is one discussion I'm tired of having to be honest
well said LFC in Exile!!
Oddly enough I agree 100% with you here In Exile! Miracles can happen then, I might just go out a put a tenner on Mayo for this sunday now!
Post of the Week
Well said LFC in Exile !!!
"How Can you lie there and think of England when you don't even know who's in the team"-- B.Bragg
Some more of your fantastic objectivity Joe. You must have been scratching your head wondering how this time last season along with a few weeks ago this season, Limerick were plumeting down the table with the genius of NOC in charge.
I'm no Mike Kerley fanatic, personally I don't think he should get the job, but your assesment below is baffling.
"If anyone could assemble a squad then why didn't Mike Kerley do it over the two seasons he was in charge. What he did was lose an excellent squad and have no contingency plan for the enivitable. Blame the club for whatever you like...yes it was poorly run by idiots blah blah, but a manager who cannot attract players to a club is worthless."
How can a manager attract players to a club that can't pay their players their wages? That can't guarentee their existence in the league the following season? Mourihno couldn't attract players in that situation. Have you forgotten what a joke we were to Irish football?
You say this yet NOC had so much more at his disposal, especially last year as the buzz of new owners with big ambitions was being thrown all over town and beyond. Yet he achieved nothing. We stood in the shed and watched decent players play rubbish football as he watched on with a 100 yard stare. We slid on our ar*e last season and we did it again this season, in and around the same time, and he had nothing within him to turn it around. You may blame the players for this but they were NOC's players and he simply could not get them to play and when he did he got them hoofing the ball and playing without any imagination. NOC is gone, he is part of our past and I'm bloody thankfull for that. I'm not judging him on his personality, I'm judging him as a manager and his "effort" speaks for itself.
Limerick 3:7
"Marvel not that I said unto thee, ye must be born again"
Where did I say Kerley is the messiah. He's not. He would be well down my preferred list of new managers. But in the spirit of your much lauded objectivity (which seems surprisingly absent in relation to Kerley) I couldn't let your rewriting of the history books pass. By the way, at the time the squad was dissembling who took two players (our players of the season in fact) to Cork City?
Also, I said that any manager can build a squad given enough time. You left out the last bit. Limerick's license was granted 2 weeks before the season started. Even NOC couldn't attract players in that time - even if he could pay them. And after the sh1tty start how could players be brought in? Kerley does deserve a lot of credit for staying at the club throughout that season when a lot of other managers would have walked. He was in an invidious position thoughout that season when he had so few fit players that there was no point in even having a manager because the side picked itself.
I think you also give too much credit to managers for attracting players. At eL level I think money is a much greater motivating factor - and the likelihood of getting your wages is important too. I suspect that what attracted a lot of players back was not NOC but DD getting the club back on a reasonable financial footing. The players that came from Waterford I'm sure saw a better chance of getting paid their wages.
"It's impossible to make a man understand something when his livelihood depends on him not understanding" Upton Sinclair
Well said LFC. joeSoap, you're talking utter ****e again. You'd be better off going away and starting up a NOC fan club, and appoint yourself as chairman so you can wax lyrical about him forever more. Seriously man, you're deluded when it comes to O'Connor. Do you watch the League of Gentlemen? Is Noel feeding you any 'special' burgers?!
I'm delighted NOC is gone. Never liked his style, never thought he should have got the job. Personally, I thought we played rubbish football throughout his reign - including the 'good runs'. I often found myself yawning up at Hogan Park even when we were winning. Not once was I convinced about us this season, even when we were top. The results were good, it was exciting to think of promotion, but at the back of it all we knew we were playing poor stuff. Route one crap is all I could describe it as. I can honestly say I never rated the guy at all during his time here. Yeah he had players like John McGrath, Robbie Kelleher, Colm Heffernen etc. But did he utilise them properly? Did he fcuk! No point having ball players if you don't allow them to play ball
As for Mike Kerely, another grossly over-rated manager. He produced one season of heroics and everyone thinks his sh!t is ice cream. It's not. What I will say about Kerley is that he is a better man manager and his teams play better football than NOC's. Wouldn't be my choice as manager, I think we should move forward rather than going back to the past. But I think we're all agreed the sooner DD gets out of that dug out, the better. Billy Barrett should've been given that role.
It was a real pity that the new chairman at limerick didnt keep kerley on. the time when he managed he had an excellent run and got the team to the top end of the table from nowhere. it has to be said that he must have done an excellent job as there were so many uncertainties with limerickfc at the time ie wages ground etc. the squad at the time played for him and the limerick jersey something that NOC never managed. he must have been gutted to get the sack to o connor. i know he didnt have a good spell at waterford but he was travelling across the country a couple of times a week and this must have affected his style of management
i think he is the best candidate for the post and i hope he gets it
Okay...lets get one thing straight here; I beleive that Noel genuinely did a good job for Limerick FC. He developed a fantastic youth policy which probably saved the clubs existence in the late 90's, spent a hell of a lot of his own time and money in doing so, signed very well throughout his time as manager, initially got amazing results which were probably beyond all expectation, thus setting himself up for a big fall if things went bad, as they enivitably do for every club at some stage of a season. I acknowledge that there were some huge mistakes made during his time in charge, mistakes that even shocked me. However, unlike most of the 'Anti-NOC' fan club that exists, I see both sides to this and give credit where its due and criticism where its deserved. None of you...not one singled him out for praise when Limerick won the league cup...all of you savaged him for finishing bottom that year. None of you...not one singled him out for praise at reaching the semi final of this years competition, defeating the Setanta Cup champions and then EL League Leaders in their own back yard in the FAI Cup, and the amazing league run at the first half of this league campaign. But you all savage him for the subsequent run of bad results.
I fear for the next manager with you lot, because if he doesn't pick exactly who ye want to play, when and where ye want to play him, then he's going to be questioned. And before ye start, yes, I agree the new manager won't make the same mistakes Noel made with Paul Finucane etc....I hope not either.
Hopefully the new guy , whoever he may be, will be treated equally...praised when he does well and criticised when he doesn't. Not like the last one.
Post number 2 - http://foot.ie/showthread.php?p=474643#post474643
Post number 11 - http://foot.ie/showthread.php?t=35512
Thats all I could find in a quick sketch.
"It's impossible to make a man understand something when his livelihood depends on him not understanding" Upton Sinclair
It's fair to say Joe that a lot of people were not quick to come out with praise for NOC despite their dislike of him or the continous poor level of football we played under him. But I find it quite ironic that you speak of treating a Limerick manager with respect. While your preaching from your home made pulpit let's not forget the manner in which you attacked Mike Kerley while he was manager. I haven't forgotten how you came on here and tried to undermine Mike with the intention of turning the fans against him especially when you were fully aware of developments to bring NOC in as manager and how you were subsequently involved with the club then last season. So you know what they say about people in glass houses Joe....
Also since you insist in drawing parallel's with Mike Kerley in regards to the following;The players you have listed meant that Limerick were in a position to challenge for promotion. The difference between Mike and NOC as managers then is simple. At least Mike succeeded in guiding us to the playoffs but for NOC, promotion was a task he was not able to manage. Its all well and good saying NOC was able to attract these players to the club but when it came down to it he couldn't get them to perform. What good was that to us then?And the squad that you wouldn't give Noel O'Connor any credit for building included ; Pat Purcell, Paul Finnucane, Brendan Sweeney, Gareth Cooney, Steven O'Flynn, Brian Morrisroe, Colm Heffernan and others. On top of that, in the last two seasons he has brought in players like Noel Mooney, Purcell back to the club, Cooney back to the club, Paul Rose, John Lester, Conor Sinnott, Anthony Woulfe, Brian Buckley, John McGrath, Robbie Kelliher, Tommy Barrett and others.
Limerick 37, its so shiny and new we dare not take the cover off.
The same thing has happened in his second tenure at the club. Decent squad, decent players (even better resources), yet no real success or achievement on the pitch. In short, a bad manager, and as you rightly said, attracting players isn't worth a cent if you can't get them to perform. That sums up NOC perfectly. He's a bit of a Brian Kidd - stick to the coaching....
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