Originally Posted by
Paddyfield
From GALWAY CITY TRIBUNE 4 April 2008 by Keith Kelly
Criticism over the timing of the sacking of Tony Cousins as Galway United
manager is somewhat justified, not because he got just four games this
season before being given the boot, but for the fact that he got four games
at all this season.Anyone who regularly watched United last season — I covered 31 of their 37 games — could see that the warning signs were there, but the manager wasgiven the benefit of the doubt.
The danger now is, as Cousins was in place for preseason preparations and
the start of the league campaign, the new manager won’t be able to put his
own stamp on the club with regard to players until the transfer window opensin July.Cousins was the public face of United’s mediocrity and so he was sacrificed, but the players have a lot to answer for as well. A delegation from the board met them early this week, laid it on the line in regards what was expected of them, and offered to tear up the contract of any player who wanted ‘out’. Players were given an hour to think things through, and no one came back looking to leave the club, so presumably they will now knuckle down and do the job they are paid reasonably well tO do — the average player weekly wage at United is understood to be just over €700, with a number of players falling both sides of this figure.
While Cousins was the man in charge, the players also had a role in last
season’s campaign that saw a club-record 12 game run at home without a win; the worst home record in the league; more draws than anyone else; a joint low of seven wins from 33 games; and fewer goals scored than all bar one side (Waterford).
Those are the cold hard facts that no one can argue with. It does no good to
speak ill of the dead, nor of a man who has just lost his job, but Cousins
always had an answer — if it wasn’t injuries, it was suspensions; if it
wasn’t the weather, it was the pitch; if it wasn’t a bounce of the ball it
was the referee . . . too much spin, not enough responsibility.
Stray into the realm of opinion and there were many other nooses with which to hang the manager. It takes a particularly warped sense of humour to keep a straight face when claiming that Wes Charles could do a job at full-back — he is a good centre back, but isn’t exactly blessed with blistering pace with which to track a winger or get up the line in support as a full-back. Cousins stumbled upon Derek Glynn last season, and the Mayo man’s eight league goals were a major part in United avoiding relegation. He has Billy Whizz pace but is not blessed with great height, so you would think low balls played into space for him to run on to would be the tactic. Not the senseless hoofing of balls into the stratosphere that is meat and drink to big, strong centre backs. Alan Murphy may argue that midfield, and not centre forward, is his best position, but I’m sure he didn’t have the right wing in mind when he said that; and for that matter, what was John Russell, by far the club’s most creative player, doing wasted out on the flank or picking splinters on the bench?
While not having the time to return phone calls this week, Cousins did
manage to make the short trip from his home to the RTE studios to appear on the Monday Night Soccer programme, where he had a good moan about, amongst other things, the budget he had to work under.
I was at a launch of the club’s five year plan in the Radisson SAS Hotel
three years ago, at which they outlined budgets for the five years ahead, so
Cousins knew exactly how much money he would have to work with when he applied for, and was given, the job in 2006, and no one heard a peep out of him then.
Yes, he was coming from a situation in Drogheda where money was not an
issue, but while money may buy you short term success, it won’t make for
long-term stability — Shelbourne anyone? That is one thing the United board deserve the highest of praise for — they have business plans in place, and if the cash isn’t there, it won’t be spent. It is basic mathematics, but it is amazing the amount of clubs — particularly in the League of Ireland — which are in danger of getting in over their heads no the financial side of things. The club also has a house in the Athenry area, meaning players no longer have to commute, as was the case with Gary Rogers when he first joined the club, though why Cousins failed to make a similar move is a mystery. He does own a taxi plate which operates on the east coast, which someone else drives under for him, so maybe it was a need to keep an eye on that, and to be fair, Executive members I spoke to said they had no issue with the fact the manager commuted up and down from Kildare. Such leeway, however, is not expected to be granted to the new manager. There is always a bit of wriggle room — the success of the Sunderland friendly and associated Night At The Races last year meant there was some extra cash in the kitty for Cousins to spend; while the 10 members of the Executive board are also believed to have stumped up €60,000 from their own pockets to basically save United’s season when the transfer window opened in July last year.
To suggest everything he did was wrong would do him a gross injustice — he led the club to third in the First Division, brought them on a record
seven-game winning run; and he brought in some quality players as well.
Were it not for Cousins, United might not boast the talents of Rogers,
Glynn, John Fitzgerald, Regi Nooitmeer or Gary Deegan right now.
He had some absolute shockers in the transfer market as well — Dimitri
Brinias was such a poor ‘keeper, Alan Gough was forced out of retirement
last season; Greg O’Halloran asked for a transfer back to Cork for family
reasons . . . and instead has ended up 140 miles the other way on loan at
Shelbourne, with United paying a portion of his wages; while Shaun Fagan and Colm James are best left as footnotes on Cousins’ tenure.
There are plenty of fans of other League of Ireland clubs having a right
good laugh at United now — considering the manner in which United were
‘promoted’ there is nothing a lot of them would enjoy more than seeing
United relegated — and to avoid that, the people of Galway need to get
behind the club.
There are some intensely irritating voices banging on around the city over
the fact that there are no local players at the club and that it is full of
Dubs. For the record, there was just one Galway-born player who played for another club apart from United in the Premier Division last season — Stephen O’Donnell, at Bohs — so it is clear that the local talent just isn’t there. My late grandfather had a wonderful saying — “save your breath to cool your porridge” — and that is exactly what these moan merchant should do. Or even better, save it to cheer on their local side.
One of the most respected and admired players to have ever worn the United jersey — and a local boy to boot — will be in charge of the senior side in Terryland for the first time on Tuesday night, but rather than turning out in droves to show support, there are going to be an awful lot of arses on couches and barstools throughout the city and county because Arsenal and Liverpool will be on the telly.
There is nothing that can change that, it is the simple reality of League of
Ireland soccer. So many people opt to invest their time and emotions in
clubs from a foreign land rather than invest in their own local side. When
that is the case, they have no right to criticise the club, just as Cousins
had no right to complain about a board that left him in charge for four
games too many.
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