NATIONAL League champions St Patrick's Athletic yesterday named their chief executive, Pat Dolan, as the club's team manager in succession to Brian Kerr.
At 28, Dolan is the youngest man to have held the position in the history of the club.
Club chairman Tim O'Flaherty stressed that Dolan had been the only man to be considered for the post and said he was delighted that the offer had been accepted without hesitation.
"I believe he will be the best manager in the league and that he will be coveted by other clubs," said O'Flaherty after revealing that Dolan has been given a four year contract. Dolan will also keep on his other duties at Richmond Park.
Dolan had been the front runner for the job since it became apparent that Kerr's assistant manager, Liam Buckley, had not been considered. But it was thought he would relinquish control of the commercial side of the club's activities to concentrate on events on the field if he was appointed.
Dolan is confident both jobs can be done by one man: "I think that I can organise my time more clinically now that I have responsibility for the playing side as well," he said.
His appointment is simply the latest twist for Dolan in what has already been a remarkable career in football. After spells as a player at Arsenal, Walsall, Galway United, Shamrock Rovers and St Patrick's, he was appointed - at the age of 25 - as the club's chief executive three years ago.
He also has an FA coach's badge and was involved in training the under 16 team at Highbury when he was just 16.
He admitted that the club were taking a gamble by giving him his first job in management and credited the support of Kerr as one of the factors in his appointment. But he is confident that he can live up to the high expectations at the club.
An early example of the sort of conflicts that lie ahead, though, came at yesterday's press conference with Dolan the new manager repeatedly shifting attention from his appointment to Dolan the commercial manager's continuing success in developing St Patrick's as a whole.
On that front, he announced that the club's sponsorship deal with Autoglass had been extended until 1999 and that it is a "six figure sum".
Some of the new revenue has been committed to the next phase of ground developments at Richmond Park where the main stand will be extended at a cost of around £250,000 over the next three months. This will raise the total number of seats to 2,000. Next season a stand will be built behind the goal at the Inchicore end of the ground.
This morning Sligo Rovers are likely to emulate English club Middlesbrough by attempting to have a league match postponed because they can't field a first team of adequate strength.
How Home Farm, their opponents tomorrow, view this dilemma remains to be seen.
. The FAI National League match between Shamrock Rovers and Finn Harps scheduled lord. Tolka Park tonight has been called off. The pitch was deemed unplayable following an inspection last night.
