O'Shea warms to the task

Almost eight weeks after Jack O'Connor stepped down as Kerry senior football manager Pat O'Shea was finally able to sit down and talk about being his successor. Ratified by the county board last week, O'Shea met the Kerry panel for the first time last night and is beginning to formulate his ideas as new manager.

Many of his thoughts remain with his club Dr Crokes, who play the Waterford champions, The Nire, in Sunday's Munster club final. O'Shea will remain in charge for as long as the club remain in the championship and will also continue as games manager with the Munster Council for at least the next year.

In the meantime he has outlined some of the principles and philosophies he will take into the Kerry job. Inheriting an All-Ireland-winning team doesn't happen often, and O'Shea was clearly honoured to have landed the job: "Anyone that is involved in football in Kerry would love to take over what I would say is arguably the most talented group of players in the country.

"There were two major stumbling blocks I suppose. The first one was my family. I have four young children, who range (in age) between seven and 12, three girls, including twins, and the eldest is a boy.

"It's a pressurised position. Things are said. Criticism can happen, which is understandable because it is part of the territory. While I would have no problem with that, I had to consider whether my kids were in a position where they would be able to deal with that as well.

"The second stumbling block was my work, and they were the issues I had to deal with when I spoke to the county board first about the job, and once I was comfortable that I was able to work around them, then it was a very easy decision after that."

O'Shea was initially handed a one-year term with Kerry - the same amount of time the Munster Council originally agreed to allow him take both jobs: "Obviously I think I can do both. This Kerry job is being done in my spare time, or my own time as it were, and my work is something I do all the time. The fact that I love the game makes these positions much easier because football is 24-seven for me."

Despite the pressure that comes with the Kerry job - and O'Connor could tell him a few tales of discontent with team performances early this year - O'Shea embraces the responsibility: "I believe it's the best job in the world. There are many people who might see the negative side of the job but I can't see anything but positives. You're dealing with the best footballers in the country; they've won two of the last three All-Irelands.

"Of course you will be missing some players for next year who have decided to move on. But we have lots of very talented players in this county. I don't seriously think this team is finished because I would not be here if I thought they were. I feel there is a lot more All-Irelands and a lot more silverware to be won by these players . . . the key for the future is going to be motivation because if the players are interested and dedicated there is very little out there to stop them. Obviously every player can be challenged to strive to move up another notch and I hope I will be able to do that."

So far, Séamus Moynihan and Mike McCarthy are the only players to announce their retirement. O'Shea doesn't expect any more to follow suit and intends to urge McCarthy, still only 28, to change his mind.

"Firstly, it would be fair to say that there will be new faces," he added. "We would like to open it up and at least give everybody the opportunity, if they are playing well enough, that they are going to be looked at.

"There are definitely players who need a bit of a break, who have been involved in the latter stages with club and divisional side commitments. Funny enough, I'm not a coach who subscribes to the theory that players are overplayed in regard to their intercounty commitments.

"Take it that there are seven games in the National League and then a good run in the championship - possibly five or six games - so you could be talking of 12 or 13 games being your complete intercounty season.

"I don't think that schedule of games from February to September could be considered taxing by any stretch of the imagination. Kerry have had a traditional style of football for many a year now and I don't envisage changing that. . . That's the way we like playing."