Fermanagh manager Pete McGrath says he did not have to agonise for long before making the decision to stay on in the position.
Following the defeat to Mayo, McGrath said he would take time to reflect but having weighed everything up, McGrath says that it was an easy decision to come to.
“I thought quite a bit about it over this last ten or eleven days and I felt I owed myself and everybody else the opportunity to stand back and think about it. To be perfectly honest with you it wasn’t a decision that I had to agonise about for very long because I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience over this last three years. It has been fulfilling, it has been exciting, it’s been intriguing and I know that there is a talented, committed and genuine group of players. I also know that I have a good management team and I have a lot of goodwill within the county among supporters and officials. So when you weigh these things up the decision wasn’t that hard to make,” he said.
One thing that McGrath felt was important was that the decision was made early and now that he has made his mind up to stay on the post he intends to get down to work for preparing for next season as soon as possible.
“I felt that the earlier the decision was made the better of everyone,” he commented. “It creates that certainty among all the stakeholders and as well as that it enables me to start looking at as many club matches that I can possibly take in and it enables myself and my management team to sit down and do a serious review of the season and put in place a comprehensive blueprint for the way ahead. It also gives me the opportunity to talk to players which is what I intend to do over the next couple of weeks,” stated McGrath who also revealed that he had calls from supporters asking him to stay on in the job. “There were people who contacted me expressing their sentiment that I should say and that was a reassuring experience for me, to get texts and calls from people.”
The former Down All Ireland winning manager states that he also has the same desire and hunger to succeed as he had when he first took up the position while he reiterated his belief in the current squad.
I feel I’m still energised about the position and what has to be done. My energy and ambition are still as strong as when I first took the job and I still have the belief that this team can make the breakthrough.
“I don’t think we are too far away, we are knocking on the door. If you look at our performances this year in Division Two and in the championship, we beat the teams that we were expected to beat and the teams then that we knew were going to be a real challenge we certainly gave them a very strong run for their money. I feel that this is a serious team and what is missing is that bit of experience but we are getting that all the time. If I thought Fermanagh were no nearer to making the breakthrough now than they were three years ago then there would be no point in me staying but I know that we are tantalisingly close.”
The current management team are also staying on and McGrath says that helped him make his own decision.
“The management team is very, very keen to stay on. They have been excellent from day one, we had Brian Treacy come in two years ago, Simon Bradley came in last year, we really have a strong working management team and a management team that challenges each other which is the way it should be. The fact that they were keen to stay on was also a big factor in me making my decision,” he said.
Niall Cassidy has already announced his retirement from inter-county football but McGrath is hoping he is the only one.
“None of the other players have told me definitively that they are leaving. There are a couple of men who are closer to the end of their career than they are to the start of it but they all have something very positive to contribute and I would hope, and I would be optimistic, that everyone will stay on board.”
Indeed, it is McGrath intention to add to his squad and he is hoping that a couple of players catch his eye on the club scene.
“You are always looking for new talent and new players to come in and give you something that maybe isn’t there so that’s why it is important that I see as much club football as I possibly can. I would like to think that Lee Cullen will be back with us next year and Tiernan Daly will be back with us and there are other players out there who I know can make a contribution and it is up to us to get at those players and get them in and that’s what I’ll be spending my time doing in the weeks ahead,” he added.