Ryan's head is on the block

John Fogarty 

And so the fortunes of a Waterford manager rest on a game against Galway once again.

Defeat in last year’s All-Ireland quarter-final would have meant a humbling exit for Davy Fitzgerald after the embarrassing Munster final defeat to Tipperary. Instead, two weeks after that Leeside nightmare they engineered a transforming recovery, putting a brittle Galway team to the sword in Thurles.

The semi-final defeat to Kilkenny drew some ire because of Waterford’s tactics but Fitzgerald was able to leave with his head held high having maintained the county’s position in the top four for a fourth consecutive season supposedly in the midst of transition.

Michael Ryan, let it be in no doubt, is under the kosh on Sunday. So much so that his future as Waterford manager is at stake in Pearse Stadium.

Already, there were rumblings from the county board committee that were Waterford to be relegated from Allianz Division 1 they would consider his position.

But following a meeting between players and management last Monday, things have got decidedly bleaker for Ryan.

In a scene almost identical to that in the final days of Justin McCarthy’s reign, players were asked to put down their grievances in writing. What they wrote wasn’t exactly flattering.

It won’t be the players who will decide the fate of Ryan. Following the reaction to their heave against McCarthy four years ago, the senior members of the panel are once bitten and twice as shy. But their sentiments will have been registered by county board officials, who have become increasingly alarmed by the recent run of results.

While Ryan’s decision to bring the players together with management last Monday showed he is willing to listen to his players, that such an event took place just five months into his term is troubling.

It’s not just Waterford’s three Division 1 defeats that have concerned officials – it’s the manner of them. Rooted to the bottom of the table, their average losing margin is nine points.

Anything but a win away to Galway next Sunday will guarantee them a relegation play-off next month. Even at that, a victory would likely delay the inevitability of a relegation play-off on April 15.

A defeat or draw may also mean their last round game against Dublin in Dungarvan is a dead rubber, which will have a serious impact on the Fraher Field attendance.

Although league gate receipts are centrally pooled, Waterford are entitled to 10% of the gate.

Any drop in support for the team is a major worry as it would have a negative impact on the county board’s finances, which are currently precarious to say the least. At the end of last year, county secretary Timmy O’Keeffe admitted they may not have the funds to feed players after training. Because of their draw in the condensed league format, Waterford have just two home league games.

Ryan has been without a number of first-team players such as John Mullane, who returns on Sunday, and Noel Connors.

However, Ryan made no excuses for their absence in Thurles, highlighting his players’ poor fitness as well as their mental attitude after the latest defeat which saw Tipperary post 31 points.

There is little doubt the new league format which militates against new managers has been harsh on Ryan. But the feeling among officials is this Waterford set-up would have struggled even under the old system with one team from eight being demoted.

And while plenty in the county are already resigned to the prospect of Division 1B hurling next year, there are a number of stakeholders desperate to avoid a truncated championship this summer.

Did we see this coming? Ryan’s handling of the Eoin Kelly situation in January could have been better. At the time, it was seen as an early and unfortunate hiccup. Now, even with Kelly back in the panel, it’s interpreted as a portent of future difficulties.

It didn’t always look so gloomy. In November, a night was held to celebrate his appointment as Waterford manager. Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh travelled to Ballymacarbry to MC what was a sort of acceptance rally for Ryan.

“Any team that will beat us will earn it,” he declared.

He reportedly boasted of having beaten Tipperary to signing up two-time All-Ireland SFC winning trainer Pat Flanagan.

He told the Waterford News and Star: “As I sat into his car his phone rang and it was Declan Ryan, the Tipperary manager. Cian O’Neill had just stepped down in Tipperary and he said to me ‘you have a bit of competition here because Tipperary are after me’ and I said ‘give me two hours to talk to you and then make up your mind’.

“So I went into his house, sat down for three and half hours and told him after two hours I wouldn’t leave until he gave commitment to come to Waterford.

“After three and a half hours we shook hands and he’s been down four or five times since and I think he will be a revelation.”

As Tralee-based Flanagan signalled from the start, his attendance at Waterford training wouldn’t be regular.

What was trumpeted really shouldn’t have been heralded at all, just as Waterford are discovering there isn’t a lot of romance about having their first native manager since Tony Mansfield in 1996.

As much as depending on the returning Mullane to be the saviour is unfair, it’s possible a good performance against Galway on Sunday could be the start of a turnaround.

The wiser money, though, would forecast it as a stay of execution.

Such is the nature of the beast in Waterford where supporters not to mention Waterford’s finances have grown to expect and rely on better days.

Source: http://feeds.examiner.ie/~r/iesportsblog/~3/VBKd6m2-ylI/post.aspx

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