New meath football manager Andy McEntee tells Gerry Hand that the secret to good management is good players…………and admits that he just wouldn’t have the patience for politics !!

He was the people choice and now all he has to do is deliver silverware.

Not much pressure on Andy McEntees shoulders then!!

Nor should there be as the Nobber native has consistently proved his worth at club level, something he concedes came through careful selection from his side of the fence.

‘I suppose that I have been reasonably successful with the teams that I have managed and it probably comes down to a combination of things. Even in the latter years of my playing career I was involved in coaching some underage teams in the club so I had a bit of a taste for it before I got involved with adult teams.

‘I was careful about the teams that I undertook to manage. When I decided to manage Donaghmore/Ashbourne , it was obvious that they had a lot of emerging talent and that it would be a good place to start. My long playing career would have given me a fair amount of tactical awareness and managing and motivating people would always have been some of my strong points.

I think that being well organised plays a huge part in getting players on your side. If they can see that you are prepared to put extra effort in and set the tone  then it’s easier for them to follow. Likewise with the Meath minor team. I would have known the majority of that team from an early age as my son was involved with them as a development squad.

‘I felt that they were always a strong squad and was glad of the opportunity to manage them. Giving them the opportunity to prepare and train at the same level as their Dublin counterparts was hugely instrumental in getting them to an all-Ireland final. Working with a world class fitness coach like John Coghlan gave the lads great confidence and although we lost to Dublin on a couple of occasions that year, I would like to think that that squad got the maximum out of their year together.

‘Similarly with Ballyboden, it appeared to me that here we had the biggest club in Ireland who have been largely underperforming over the years. I felt that if we could get really organised, introduce the proper training programme and set some appropriate goals for a club that size then we could achieve something special. Obviously there is the issue of quality players and I think all of the teams mentioned here had a lot of good players. Was it Bill Shankly who said the secret of good management is….. good players, he got that right anyway.’

The day job also comes in handy for Andy, he readily admits he uses the skill set needed there when taking charge of teams.

‘I work as a money broker with Davy Stockbrokers and I have been with them for twenty six years now. I do think that my job has helped me on the managerial front.  Dealing with people and forming a relationship that ultimately relies on trust is quite similar to the role of a team manager. It is a very competitive environment that I work in and decision making under pressure and fighting your corner are key elements to both roles.

‘I’m not superstitious as a manager and was not as a player. I have a fairly simple belief that if you do the work then you have a fighting chance. It doesn’t matter what side of the bed you got out of that morning or what colour socks you wear or what team beat you twenty five years ago or anything like that. The challenge is to get the best out of yourself on any given day. The rest is just looking for a crutch to lean on.’

Football of course was in his blood from birth which always helps.

‘My family would have had a huge influence on me. I grew up in I family of eight ( 7 boys and 1 girl). I think it is fair to say that it was a consistently competitive environment. A lot of that would have come from my parents. The Mc Entees were very much involved in the GAA and on my mother’s side we had a combination of Dillon and O’ Brien blood… overall it was a potentially explosive cocktail. It was a football house and most things revolved around football.’

Politics was always around the McEntee household as well, the never hid their political allegiance, and his brother Shane and niece Helen have represented Fine Gael in the Dail but was it ever something Andy seriously considered getting heavily involved in.

‘No not really. My only real involvement has been to try and help out at election time for both Shane and Helen. I admire what  they do I wouldn’t have the patience.’

However in what those who know them would consider a McEntee trait, Andy is a straight talker, he tells it as it is, even when it comes to dropping players from the starting line up.

‘Nobody likes having to give someone bad news but it’s something that I have had to do on numerous occasions. It doesn’t get any easier but it is part and parcel of the job. I have no problem in being straight with lads and in the end they will respect you more for being up front about it. So long as you are consistent and everyone knows that the decisions that you make are made for the right reasons then players will accept it.’

One things for ayre McEntee has come into the biggest job in his sporting career with his eyes wide open, he knws the deal, and he knows how all consuming it will be.

‘It doesn’t matter whether its inter county or senior club or under 12 management it is totally consuming. Is there a day goes by without thinking about last match or upcoming match ?…definitely not, is there a half day ?….no, is there an hour ?… I don’t think so.. 30 minutes ? … perhaps.

‘It’s not easy to make family time. So much of our family life centres around football but I am fortunate that both of the women in my house are football fans. My wife and my daughter attend nearly all the matches that I am involved in and the matches that the two lads are playing in.

‘Of course everyone will have their own ideas on how I should do the job and probably won’t be shy about telling me, but you know what they say about opinions. They are like as****es everyone has one! It doesn’t bother me and I don’t get involved with other people’s ideas.

‘I was at the Leinster final alright. Like most people I didn’t really enjoy it and found the last ten minutes in particular hard to watch. Everyone wants to see Meath competitive at that level and I suppose any manager always thinks they can do better.

‘Managing in Dublin has been a real learning experience. Every game that you play in either league or championship is a real test. If you don’t perform you will get turned over and it’s as simple as that.  The league in particular is very competitive and all the teams are very well prepared both physically and tactically. I would like to think that it will stand to me going forward.’

With Dublin having dominated Leinster for so long there is a feeling that the timing of Mcentees appointment may be fortunate, that he may catch the dubs as they are on the slide.It’s nt a theory he buys into.

‘I hope that you are not suggesting that I have been lucky so far !!!. To be fair a lot of people are saying that perhaps this Dublin team are approaching their end but I don’t buy that. They have the population, they are extremely well organised from underage up and they have big financial backing and that’s a good combination for any team. They will hard to beat every year.’

On the basis that you never stop learning the new Meath boss reveals he regularly reads the biographies of other coached.

‘The last book I read was “Legacy” by James Kerr. It’s about the lessons that we can learn from the All Blacks with regard to leadership and business. I havn’t read too many managers autobiographies but I have read a few… Phil Jackson ( Sacred Hoops, Chicago Bulls), Johan Bruyneel ( We Might As Well Win, Lance Armstrong). I only really read on holidays and it’s usually an  autobiography of some sort.’

When the movie of his life eventually gets made McEntee knows exactly who should play the lead role, ‘Mathew McConaughey or Woody Harleson, definitely one of those two.’

He’s facing an even busier period in his life than is normal, but there is one thing remaining on McEntees to do list.

‘I’d like to be a really good cook!, it’s something I have to get better at.’

With his track record on improving things would you bet against him featuring on MasterChef one of these days.

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