Eamonn McEneaney has not enjoyed a good start to his second year in his current management of Monaghan
AFTER the first week of McKenna Cup football, there is a healthy degree of, ‘Ah, sure it’s the first day back,’ and ‘Who cares, really?’ In general, fans are just delighted to be back on the terraces, talking about football and shaking off some of the fur that gathers on you while you spend too much time on the sofa in December.
But come week two, the performance of your team becomes of much more significance. Two games is all you need to establish a pattern, and from the county teams showings so far I would split them into three distinct groups.
Group A - Need a new system
Donegal
Monaghan
Because they have to be happy with last season, Jim McGuinness is happy enough to play tinkerman, introducing anything up to double figures of fringe players.
It’s accepted that Donegal did what they needed to do in order to gain so much success last year, but there is no harm in developing other game-plans. In reality, Donegal were actually very good at this during last year’s league, especially when they cut Derry to shreds in Celtic Park during their league encounter.
In blooding so many players, Jim McGuinness’s confidence in his role as manager is on display. He can look at the talent around the county and not have to give over any worry about it. With the backing of the players, supporters and county board he can do what he wants and it gives him a certain freedom.
In Monaghan, Eamonn McEneaney’s hand has been forced a little by both injuries and the numbers of players declaring for their university team. I’m sure he would rather be in another group of teams that have won a couple of games, but experimentation on a Heston Blumenthal scale has been his lot.
Eamonn was been unlucky that his first season was marred with a huge player turnover and an injury list as long as your arm.
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