Who’ll get the top job in hurling?

FOLLOWING Waterford’s exit from any further senior hurling demands for 2011, Davy Fitzgerald was non-committal about his future in inter-county management.
Fitzgerald has enjoyed some exceptional and some less enjoyable days as Waterford manager. Last Sunday’s All-Ireland semi-final defeat ranked somewhere in between. The beaten Munster finalists never looked like winning but neither were they hammered. Such is Tipperary and Kilkenny’s current dominance, avoiding a hiding seems to be the best that the rest can hope for.
Following four championship seasons in Waterford, Davy Fitzgerald can definitely claim that he made some progress during his time in charge. Although hammered in the 2008 All-Ireland final, at least they got that far, while they won the 2010 Munster title. This year’s seven-goal Munster final defeat is a day that the Sixmilebridge man will never want to dwell upon, yet he and the Waterford players deserve huge credit for the manner of their subsequent performance and win over Galway.
Waterford’s display that day was Fitzgerald’s most accomplished outing as an inter-county manager. The decision to call an early-morning meeting the day after the Munster final was a gamble that worked and the manner in which Waterford put themselves on the line against Galway was admirable. A manager who can squeeze that type of response from his players, under the prevailing circumstances, is clearly capable of getting through to players under trying circumstances.
Which brings us to Clare and the vacancy at the helm of the senior hurling team. Is Davy Fitzgerald the man for the job? How will the county board make the appointment, whether it is to be him or someone else? Of course, simply appointing a manager is only part of the task at hand. Whoever takes on the job will need to be surrounded by a trainer, coach, team secretary, physios, statisticians and a county board, all of whom know what they are doing and are flawlessly organised. 
Fitzgerald has to be seriously considered given his record as a player and experience as a manager at county, colleges and club level. What will be very interesting though is how the county board make the impending appointment, whoever is given the job.
Will they ask either an August or September county board meeting for nominations or will they make a nomination themselves and recommend it at that meeting?
Probably the best way to make the appointment would be to ask clubs two weeks in advance of the next county board meeting to nominate their preferred candidate. Those candidates could be met with by a small committee, who know their hurling and have played at inter-county level. There are plenty of this genre around. This committee must be independent of the county board and given the power to come back to a meeting with a recommendation, which a full meeting can either accept or reject.
So aside from Davy Fitzgerald, who else should be considered?  Informed sources hint that former Tipperary coach, Eamon O’Shea might be amenable to an approach. The NUI Galway-based professor in the Department of Economics must be considered and met if he is even vaguely interested. Jamesie O’Connor has often cited Eamon O’Shea’s influence in his hurling career. Maybe they might link up for 2012?
The now former All-Ireland U-21 management team must also be asked if they are up for it. If they are, they merit serious consideration. All four, John Minogue, Cyril Lyons, Seán O’Halloran and Alan Dunne, have been immersed in Clare hurling at every level for years. A ball would find it hard to be pucked without one of them knowing and they have delivered at U-21 level.
Other names that come to mind include Michael Browne, Jim Gully, Mike Deegan, Jim McInerney and Louis Mulqueen. All have proved themselves at club level and would be very capable of contributing in some capacity. Up to a point, players should be consulted, although the decision will not be theirs.
Whoever takes over must be appointed in a clear-cut manner. Getting it done and dusted at a single county board meeting mustn’t be allowed. The new management team should feel they have the backing of hurling people in Clare. That won’t be the case if there isn’t full consultation with clubs, some current players and a credible committee composed of people like Seanie McMahon, Brian or Frank Lohan and people of their calibre. They’ve been there, know what it takes and therefore are informed. The impending appointment will shape the Clare hurling team for years to come. Clare have outstanding young talent at their disposal who need expert coaching and calm, progressive management. Can the Clare County Board deliver?