Eamon Cregan tells Seán Moran how a letter from the Limerick county board forced his hand into resigning last Tuesday.

Eamon Cregan has revealed that a letter from the county board threatening his position as Limerick manager prompted his resignation. The letter from county secretary Jimmy Hartigan followed a county board meeting earlier this month.

Having outlined the county policy on dual players - that they were to be allowed the option of playing for both the football and hurling teams - and referred to a telephone conversation on the subject, the letter went on: "I am instructed to write to you to request you to refrain from giving any comment in relation to the issue of dual players. Failure to comply will leave us with no option but to consider your position as manager of the Limerick senior hurling team."

Having shown the letter to his selectors, Mossie Carroll, Michael Fitzgerald, Joe Grimes and Canon Willie Fitzmaurice, and discussed it with them, Cregan decided to seek a meeting with Hartigan and the county committee. According to Hartigan, the directive about discussing dual players had been explained in a telephone conversation on February 1st.

"I could not and still cannot recall him passing that onto me," says Cregan, "but I was prepared to accept that he did. I put my case at the meeting, said that I didn't recollect the conversation. A member of the committee then said that he might have had his differences with the secretary but that he was an honest man. This was accepted. My reading of this was that the committee didn't trust me. I accepted that Jimmy Hartigan had spoken to me but it wasn't accepted that I genuinely had no recollection of it."

As a result Cregan sent his own letter, which arrived on Tuesday last saying that he felt he "had lost the confidence and trust of these people (the county committee)" and would step down with effect from 25th March.

Tuesday night's marathon county committee meeting contacted Cregan - after previous attempts had failed - some time after 11 o'clock and invited him to attend the meeting. He was met by three members, Hartigan, Michael O'Sullivan and Michael Fitzgerald the county treasurer and also one of Cregan's selectors. They asked him to withdraw his resignation and he asked for a vote of confidence.

"The first question I was asked," according to Cregan, "was would I reconsider. How could I do that? I had asked for an indication of support from the executive. If I withdrew my resignation without getting that, people would say 'why did you resign in the first place?' "

The three delegates reported back to the meeting. According to Denis O'Carroll, the county PRO, the meeting came to its decision. "Arising out of that it was decided to accept Eamon Cregan's stepping-down. He was then informed and the meeting proceeded with the appointment of the new coach/manager, Mossie Carroll, until the end of the season - although it still has to be ratified."

The speed with which his successor was appointed didn't surprise Cregan. "I knew who was going to take over and I wish Mossie the best of luck. I always said I don't care who's in charge if Limerick can win an All-Ireland."

But he was taken aback by the lack of support of his selectors as a unit. "Okay. I knew Michael Fitzgerald might have had a different view, but I was surprised I didn't get backing from other selectors. Canon Willie Fitzmaurice was on the radio yesterday (Tuesday) saying that he disagreed with players playing both football and hurling - in other words supporting the view I thought we all held."

In general Cregan feels that his authority was being undermined. "There is a perception abroad that the county board had its work prepared and and as soon as there was a chance, they were ready. I don't know.

"Derry (Donovan, team trainer who has also stepped down) and I have been through it with Offaly and I feel we knew what it took to win an All-Ireland. And we were following the same plan. Last year we were successful up to a point, but maybe I felt all along that I didn't have full authority.

"One thing I can say is that I can understand how Tom Ryan (Cregan's controversially dropped predecessor) felt. We're an elite group, former Limerick managers."