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Can Jack O'connor Over Take Jim Gavin?

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Replying To UsernameInvalid:  "I wouldn't have Gavin over Micko, Boylan or O Connor.

Micko went to other counties and brought success. Hands down my number 1 all day. His records speak for themselves.

Boylan done it with 2 different sets of teams, only Coyle and O Connell from the 88 team played in the 96 team.

O Connor has won it with 2 completely different Kerry sides.

Gavin won his first Ireland with Dublin in 13 and 7 of that starting team started again in the 2019 match. A lot of the same team were there the whole way through. Compare it with Harte who won 3 All Irelands with Tyrone only 6 of the team that started in 03 played again in 08.

From a win to All Ireland final ratio yes Gavin is the best but as an overall manager I don't think he is better than the 3 listed above. Now if he was to come back to Dublin in 5 years time and win another All Ireland with them or go to a different county and bring success then that's a different conversation."
Gavin sent out his troops in 8 All Ireland Finals and never lost, I for one don't think he needs to come back to prove he's the best.

sligo joe (Dublin) - Posts: 982 - 16/07/2025 14:35:04    2626098

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Replying To avonali:  "Not if there is a solid white line or viisibility is poor. I suppose it also depends on what cars they are driving."
Jim's in a plane. Maybe Kerry Group or the Healy-Rae's can sort Jack with a Bugatti or some such

Breffni40 (Cavan) - Posts: 12452 - 16/07/2025 14:47:02    2626099

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Replying To Tirchonaill1:  "Good point, I think when you see what Micko done when he went to other counties, that shows just how brilliant a manager he was.
Easier doing it in Kerry with massive backing and tradition and in Dublin for example.

I think our own Jim Mc Guinness ranks up there already with the greatest ever managers for what he done taking us from nowhere to 2 All Ireland finals and one All Ireland title, and multiple Ulster titles in his first term,
then to return 10 years later to a team in disarray and repeat the same success, you could argue that the talent was there on both occasions but were it not for him we would never have won the amount we have so far and who knows what's to come?
hopefully another All Ireland this year please God."
You say easier in Kerry and Dublin but Gavin came up against Kerry four times in knock-out championship football and beat Kerry every time.

sligo joe (Dublin) - Posts: 982 - 16/07/2025 15:01:34    2626100

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Replying To Breffni40:  "Jim's in a plane. Maybe Kerry Group or the Healy-Rae's can sort Jack with a Bugatti or some such"
A JImbo jet perchance.
The OP poses an interesting but ultimately pointlesss. There are briliant teachers and managers in schools that may never appear on Top 200 league tables. Similarly there are very gifted managers of football teams who get the very best out of counties where there are very limited resources. A ,more interesting question who are the most gifted managers of counties that may never win an All_ireland ?

avonali (Dublin) - Posts: 2010 - 16/07/2025 15:51:34    2626117

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Replying To avonali:  "A JImbo jet perchance.
The OP poses an interesting but ultimately pointlesss. There are briliant teachers and managers in schools that may never appear on Top 200 league tables. Similarly there are very gifted managers of football teams who get the very best out of counties where there are very limited resources. A ,more interesting question who are the most gifted managers of counties that may never win an All_ireland ?"
*an interesting but ultimately pointless question........

avonali (Dublin) - Posts: 2010 - 16/07/2025 17:26:42    2626132

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There have been some great managers over the last 50 years but I don't think anyone will ever match Jim Gavin's superb achievements with Dublin. As to who is the greatest manager, I believe there are several factors which should be taken into account. Jack O'Connor has enjoyed a lot of success with Kerry, but I wouldn't put him in the same league as Mick O'Dwyer, who also made a significant difference outside of Kerry. O'Connor, on the other hand, seems to have had little impact in his short stay with Kildare. Dublin and Kerry both have tradition (and usually a pool of talented players) on their side, but Tyrone had never won an All-Ireland until Mickey Harte led them to three titles in the 2000's. Other Ulster managers such as Pete McGrath, Brian McEniff, Eamon Coleman and Joe Kernan should also be mentioned in this debate because (apart from Pete McGrath) they brought All-Ireland titles to counties which previously had not tasted success.

midlands (Westmeath) - Posts: 619 - 16/07/2025 17:55:40    2626143

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I thought the word on the Street in kerry was that this is his last year? So not possible?

Onion_Sack (Dublin) - Posts: 337 - 16/07/2025 21:41:40    2626175

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Replying To UsernameInvalid:  "I wouldn't have Gavin over Micko, Boylan or O Connor.

Micko went to other counties and brought success. Hands down my number 1 all day. His records speak for themselves.

Boylan done it with 2 different sets of teams, only Coyle and O Connell from the 88 team played in the 96 team.

O Connor has won it with 2 completely different Kerry sides.

Gavin won his first Ireland with Dublin in 13 and 7 of that starting team started again in the 2019 match. A lot of the same team were there the whole way through. Compare it with Harte who won 3 All Irelands with Tyrone only 6 of the team that started in 03 played again in 08.

From a win to All Ireland final ratio yes Gavin is the best but as an overall manager I don't think he is better than the 3 listed above. Now if he was to come back to Dublin in 5 years time and win another All Ireland with them or go to a different county and bring success then that's a different conversation."
"Only 6 of the Tyrone team" and "7 of the Dubs" started! No big difference is there? Particularly, when Tyrone was over a 6 year period and the Dubs over 7. So, I do not accept this argument.

I accept the point about Boylan as no manager came in between his terms. It was on his terms and due to his ability to continuously develop the Meath team.

You had Eamonn Fitzmaurice and Peter Keane involved for a good number of years during Jack's vacations from the job. That totally skews the point that you're making. To his credit, Jack stayed involved with minor and U-21 teams as well.

There were few like Micko and Heffo, two giants who did it their way, without much of the back up that managers have today.

However, pound for pound, I rate Jim Gavin as the greatest of them all!

foreveryoung (USA) - Posts: 2346 - 16/07/2025 23:00:04    2626196

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Replying To Onion_Sack:  "I thought the word on the Street in kerry was that this is his last year? So not possible?"
https://www.rte.ie/sport/football/2025/0717/1523906-donaghy-departs-armagh-coaching-setup/

Surely with Donaghy leaving Armagh, there will be a place for him next year in the Kerry set up.?
He is sure to be a welcome and valuable addition to their coaching team.
He made a massive difference to the Armagh squad over the last few years.

Fionn (Dublin) - Posts: 4480 - 17/07/2025 09:53:29    2626221

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Jack O'Connor wants to be bring Donaghy into backroom for next year.

CorkAllIrelandChampions2016 (Cork) - Posts: 12 - 17/07/2025 21:05:25    2626315

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Replying To CorkAllIrelandChampions2016:  "Jack O'Connor wants to be bring Donaghy into backroom for next year."
How off the press. McGeeney is looking to bring kerry4sam25 and CorkAllIrelandChampions2016 into his backroom team for next year.

WanPintWin (Galway) - Posts: 2425 - 17/07/2025 23:05:09    2626324

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Replying To WanPintWin:  "How off the press. McGeeney is looking to bring kerry4sam25 and CorkAllIrelandChampions2016 into his backroom team for next year."
Nice one bud but they are probably the same contributor and Cork24LIam and Limerick 24 Liam and the american

brayballer (Wicklow) - Posts: 217 - 18/07/2025 13:10:22    2626396

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Heffo was the man.

brayballer (Wicklow) - Posts: 217 - 18/07/2025 13:12:22    2626397

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