Paul Healy Things can’t get much worse, the respected Fr. Liam Devine wrote in Tuesday’s Roscommon Herald. But they could. In the twenty-four hours or so after the Herald went to press on Monday evening, there were more twists and turns than you’d find in a documentary on the mating habits of the octopus. John Maughan had resigned, a County Board executive meeting had been hastily convened, some Roscommon fans had been labelled ‘yobs,’ County Board Treasurer Larry Brennan had stepped down, an interim manager had been approached and the national media was again feasting on the simplistic image of Roscommon as a GAA county in crisis – again. Roscommon football was embedded in some turmoil again. Of course the latest crisis hasn’t come as a major surprise, in that the John Maughan era has looked for some time as though it would ‘end in tears.’ What is regrettable is that, when it did end, it did so mid-season – and with the recriminations that are too often synonymous with Roscommon football. Last Sunday Roscommon senior footballers were embarrassed by neighbours Westmeath, beaten by eleven points on home soil (Kiltoom). It followed the hugely demoralising 24-point loss against Armagh in Crossmaglen. Manager John Maughan and his players were understandably devastated in the dressing room on Sunday. They had under-performed again. What frustrates everyone is the sense that this is not an accurate reflection of Roscommon’s status; these are decent footballers, good lads, players who should be competitive against Westmeath. And let’s be fair here: the Roscommon management team was made up of men who are well capable of preparing a team for games such as Sunday’s. But something has gone wrong and has been going wrong for some time. John Maughan did bring some order to the county set-up but it hasn’t been filtering on to the pitch. The Maughan way hasn’t been working, and confidence, which is important, particularly with young players, has been ebbing alarmingly. Maughan met with County Board officials for a considerable length of time after the game. They discussed the fall-out from the latest demoralising defeat. The future of the management team was discussed. Maughan had indicated to journalists after the final whistle that he would not be walking away from the Roscommon job, despite the disappointing results and the abuse he was receiving from fans. It is clear however that he was very rattled and very close to packing it in. Meanwhile, on its GAA highlights programme, RTE broadcast an interview with Maughan, conducted after the Westmeath defeat. Maughan labelled some Roscommon supporters who had verbally abused him and colleagues as ‘customers’. It was a comment that was to enrage many members of the public, though there are others who will doubtlessly sympathise with Maughan’s choice of word. Throughout Sunday and Monday Maughan spoke with representatives of the County Board, discussing his own position and the future of the team in the wake of the Westmeath defeat. Maughan also spoke at length with many friends within the game. It is understood that Maughan endeavoured to establish whether or not he still had the support of the County Board executive going forward. Focussing minds was the fact that a full County Board meeting was and is scheduled for next Monday night. It was articulated to Maughan that the meeting next Monday would almost certainly hear demands from delegates for the removal of the management team. The Roscommon People has been informed by County Board sources that John Maughan tendered his resignation to County Board chairperson Michael McGuire during the course of a meeting of the County Board executive on Monday night. Sources close to the executive indicated this week that Mr. Maughan still retained the support of the executive and that this was conveyed to him. It appears however that John Maughan took the view that he could no longer be confident of retaining the support of the clubs/County Board delegates. The manager decided that it was best to resign in advance of likely dismissal. ‘Intolerable’ Text messages swirled around the county and further afield, as news of Maughan’s departure circulated. On Tuesday morning Maughan was interviewed on Shannonside Radio by Joe Finnegan. The by now former Roscommon manager was forthright in his opinions. He wanted to talk (and did, at some length) about the ‘intolerable’ personal abuse directed at him in Kiltoom. Emphasising that he had wanted to stay on as manager, Maughan said that he had become aware of an imminent heave against him. Accordingly and perhaps ‘out of self-ego’ he had decided, in effect, to jump before he was pushed. He had wanted to stay on, as had his selectors. It was not the right time to change the management team. But the abuse had been significant. It was ‘new territory’ to him. He now felt let down and hadn’t slept the previous night. Abuse which he said had been directed at the players had gone beyond what was acceptable. Introducing an old chestnut of Maughan’s, he briefly had a go at the local press, until Joe Finnegan essentially cut that route off. Not however before Maughan revealed that the Roscommon captain had alluded to (alleged) press criticism in the dressing room before the game. Maughan said that he did not regret taking the Roscommon job and he did acknowledge that there were many fine GAA people in Roscommon. He said he felt sorry for the players and believed that, in time, the current crop of young players could ‘deliver’ for Roscommon. The over-riding message however was that the alleged abuse directed at management and players by fans had been a huge factor in the decision to step down. That and the alleged imminent heave. There was no reference of significance to tactics, team selection, performances or results. In fairness to Maughan, he was not pressed on those issues. Joe Finnegan later indicated that he felt those type of questions had been asked enough in the past. Maughan defended his now infamous ‘customers’ remark and also launched an attack on Gay Sheerin, former Roscommon player and manager, an outburst which has also angered many fans. Tuesday evening brought new drama. Larry Brennan is a respected GAA activist who only recently assumed the role of County Board Treasurer. On Tuesday evening he tendered his resignation. Speaking to the Roscommon People he confirmed that he had tendered his resignation but did not wish to comment further. It is known that his decision came as a major surprise to his executive colleagues. The decision also came as a surprise to the larger GAA community. The belief is that Mr. Brennan’s resignation was directly linked to his dissatisfaction with the manner in which Mr. Maughan’s reign in Roscommon ended. On Wednesday morning the County Board confirmed that former county star Paul Earley will take over the team for the league game against Dublin this weekend, and for the final league game (v Cavan) of the campaign. Meanwhile, sadly, national newspapers on Wednesday gorged themselves on the tit-bits from Roscommon, exaggerating the ‘abuse’ dimension to this story. With Earley making it clear that he won’t be around for the championship, County Board chairman Michael McGuire and secretary Seamus Maher are busy beginning the hunt for a successor to John Maughan.
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