Cork City's preparations for the new season were thrown into turmoil last night when manager Pat Dolan was sacked by club chairman Brian Lennox just two weeks before the start of the new season, writes Emmet Malone
It had long been known that the pair enjoyed a difficult relationship, which further deteriorated last week in the wake of complaints by prominent members of the squad regarding the state of the training facilities being used in recent weeks.
The difficulties arose in the middle of last week when John O'Flynn and Joe Gamble both publicly expressed their unhappiness over the state of a school GAA pitch that had been used for training. Gamble likened the field to a "cabbage patch" and Lennox reacted angrily to the comments, describing them as "excuses" and stating that he would prefer if his team concentrated on "winning things for a change".
Dolan is said to have made efforts to resolve matters when he, Lennox and the players met on Friday morning but there were reports of further difficulties, which it seems culminated in last night's dramatic training ground dismissal.
It is a major blow for the manager who took over at Turner's Cross just under two years ago and led City to third and second place respectively during his two seasons in charge. The club finished just three points behind Shelbourne last November thanks to a late season surge in form.
City's lack of consistency earlier in the campaign, however, meant that crowds for home games - a huge source of income for what is a very well supported club in good times - dropped significantly. Early in the summer there had been the bonus of a good European run with Dolan guiding the side to the quarter-finals of the Inter-Toto cup but that, too, sparked problems between the manager and his chairman with Lennox complaining about the number of players who had little or no chance of featuring in games who were still being brought on away trips.
Lennox was also publicly critical about the size of Dolan's first team squad and the amount it was costing to maintain. Last season he insisted on cuts being made and a number of players were allowed to leave the club. The financial restraints continued through the close season. While Shelbourne made a series of high profiled signing, including Glen Crowe, Colin Hawkins and Bobby Ryan, Dolan had not yet recruited any new players.
Dolan's high spending was also a feature of his time at St Patrick's Athletic, but players who have worked with him have generally praised him for the professional way in which he manages team affairs. At Inchicore he also brought considerable success although his departure was followed by a financial crisis with many of the league winning team he had assembled departing.
His outspoken style and regular spats with rivals and administrators at other clubs may limit his future employment offers, particularly with the country's biggest clubs. However, it is hard to imagine that he won't be back sooner rather than later. Even before last night's events, as it happens, he had been linked with a move to Limerick where, it was reported, he would have had a role in both the playing and administrative side of things. City, who will face a claim for the year Dolan had left on his contract, will have to name his replacement quickly if they are to avoid pre-season difficulties.