by Trevor Keane
‘We had John Dempsey, who was with Chelsea, Mick Meagan and Eamon Dunphy, who was a good passer of the ball and a fine player. We also had Ray Treacy up front, so we did have some really good players in the team in those days.
‘But it was great to play and put on an Ireland shirt. I was very proud. I flew back to London after the game and discovered I had developed a groin problem, which ended up being operated on a week later and meant I was out of action for a while, but it was worth it.’
The time for change was coming, and although there were some impressive performances under Hurley, the highlight being the win over Czechoslovakia, the suggestion was that he did not do enough to make the role his own. He could always hold his head high, though. Even in defeat Ireland were always in the game and not being his own man in terms of choosing the team was a definite handicap.
It is interesting to note that before the appointment of Mick Meagan, an article appeared in the Irish Independent in May 1969 that suggested that it was perhaps time to move Ireland forward and appoint Hurley as team manager, allowing him to pick the squad. The article went on to mention that Hurley had discovered on the eve of a game with Denmark that a player had been called into the team without his knowledge and had to be included in the side. This lack of input and control made conditions hard for him, and he could never develop the side or his own career as a manager under such a regime.
MODERN-DAY HERO
Following his retirement from the game Charlie Hurley was part of the after-dinner circuit of ex-players. In October 2006, on his seventieth birthday, Sunderland renamed the Chairman’s Suite the Charlie Hurley Suite in honour of their king.
CHARLIE HURLEY’S CLUB MANAGERIAL HONOURS RECORD:
No management honours
CHARLIE HURLEY’S IRELAND RECORD:
Total number of games in charge: 8
Total number of wins: 1 (ratio 12.50%)
Total number of draws: 2 (ratio 25.00%)
Total number of losses: 5 (ratio 62.50%)
Biggest win: 2–1 v . Czechoslovakia
Biggest defeat: 2–0 v . Czechoslovakia and Hungary
Longest run without defeat: 2 games
4
MICK MEAGAN
If you are ever at a quiz and the following question comes up, ‘Who was the first manager of the Republic of Ireland senior soccer team with control over the team?’ jot down the name Mick Meagan. Not only will you impress those around you, but you will also get a point. For although the big names of Johnny Carey, Charlie Hurley and Noel Cantwell all sat in the dugout from 1951 to 1969, Meagan was the first man actually to manage the team, taking charge from September 1969 to October 1971. However, it was not all sweetness and light for Meagan, as his reign was marred by a lack of victories, and despite being a history-maker, the Ireland team under his management failed to live up to its potential.
His reign as Ireland boss was a plethora of firsts besides his appointment as manager in sole charge of the team. Meagan oversaw the first ever dismissal of an Ireland player when John Dempsey was sent off in an international against Hungary. His period in office then saw Steve Heighway become Ireland’s youngest-ever international when Heighway played against Poland at Dalymount Park, and less than a year later the record was broken again when Meagan handed the then seventeen-year-old Jimmy Holmes a cap as a substitute in a game against Austria.
So, while his results might not have been top mark, the changes that Ireland craved were slowly coming to the fore, and Meagan was the catalyst for that change. A quiet and laid-back man, he was popular with the players and seemed to be an excellent choice for manager.
EARLY YEARS
Born in Dublin, Mick started his career in football as a left-winger, signing for Everton in 1952; once on Merseyside he was soon converted to left-back, but he had to wait until the 1957– 58 season to make his League debut. Although not guaranteed a first-team place, he stayed with the club until 1964 when he was transferred to Huddersfield Town in a part exchange deal for Ray Wilson.
One of his longest runs in the team coincided with the return to Everton’s trophy-winning ways. The 1962–63 season saw Meagan play thirty-two times at left-back as the club won the League title for the first time since the Second World War. This was to be his last season with Everton, and after his spell with Huddersfield Town he joined Halifax Town, whom he helped to promotion from the Fourth Division.
Meagan’s international debut came in May 1961 when he was chosen to play at left-back during a World Cup qualifier against Scotland at Hampden Park. Although Ireland lost 4–1, Meagan impressed enough to be selected to play in the return game the following week at Dalymount Park. By the end of his international career, Meagan had played for Ireland seventeen times.
After leaving Halifax Town in 1969, Mick returned to Ireland to become player-manager for Drogheda United, whom he led to their first FAI Cup final and he stayed there until 1974, when he moved to Shamrock Rovers. As well as playing for the Milltown-based team, he was also player-manager from 1974 to 1976, along with Theo Dunne. Although his return to the club was not the success many had hoped for, there are two games that stand out. The first one was when Rovers defeated Japan 3–2 in front of 60,000 spectators when touring that country, while the second saw history being made when Meagan played on the same team as his son Mark in the FAI Cup.
Mark Meagan grew up with a League winner for a father and always knew he wanted to follow in his dad’s footsteps. He played League of Ireland football for Shamrock Rovers, Waterford United, Athlone Town and Kilkenny City, winning a League title with Athlone under Turlough O’Connor. But it was the club his father was managing at the time, Shamrock Rovers, that he signed for as a sixteen-year-old, making his way in the game for the first time: ‘I remember it well, actually. Mick and the team were over in Japan with Rovers, and Dinny Lowry was in charge of the second team. They invited me down to train with them. It was difficult and wonderful at the same time. Mick was a perfectionist on the pitch and a huge influence on me and my career. I think as a manager he still wanted to be one of the boys and found it hard to distance himself from the players. Mick just wanted to play football and leave the team selection to other people.
‘The game before we played together and made FAI history, I had played a stinker and was quite rightly substituted. Mick had not played in that game, and I was not expecting to be picked for the replay, but, luckily enough, I got in. We had drawn with St Patrick’s Athletic 1–1 in Richmond, but we lost the replay 4–1. I played midfield that day. It was a great feeling to share the pitch with Mick, although it would have been nicer to have won.’
HISTORY IS MADE
In 1969 Mick Meagan became the first manager of the Republic of Ireland to be able to pick his own team. The top players, including Johnny Giles, had become frustrated with the FAI’s approach and had battled for a team manager with real power to be appointed. The FAI eventually gave the players their wish, bringing in Meagan, although a compromise was made: the selectors would continue to select the panel from which Meagan would then choose a starting XI. The committee’s influence was still a major factor in the make-up of the team, as was the voice of the crowd, which had the power to sway the selectors’ choices.
Alfie Hale was one of the players who put the pressure on the FAI that would eventually lead to change: ‘I actually sat on the committee that put the strategy in place to change the structure of the way things were being managed. I was back in League of Ireland football then, and I remember Frank O’Neill and Johnny Giles were on the committee too. We had the full backing of the players. The likes of England had a full-time manager, although Wales and Scotland only had part-time managers like us, but they had more say. I suppose one of the reasons it hadn’t happened sooner was down to money. I don’t think the FAI had a lot in those days.
‘So the players got together and put their opinions to the FAI on how the team should be run. Johnny Giles had become a big player in England, and his op
inion carried weight. All the players wanted Mick Meagan as manager. He was definitely the popular choice, although I am not too sure that Mick himself wanted the job.’
Meagan was determined to be his own man and even seemed to have defied the committee, who had ordered him to leave himself out of the team, by picking himself. However, Meagan states this was not the case: ‘A lot of the team played in England in those days, and you always had lads who cried off, so the selectors asked me if I would play, and of course I said yes. After that game the players had a meeting with the selectors, and they agreed to take it a step further and the role of manager changed to allow him to pick the team, although the selectors retained control over the squad selection.’
Meagan himself admits that his interest in the role was not only about being part of history, it was also a means to stay at the top level of the game: ‘I was attracted to the Ireland job mainly because I had just come back from England and was embarking on a new career. I had left Halifax and had come back to Ireland with Drogheda. For me the Ireland job was a way to remain in the big time and feel part of the big league. I had been appointed as player-manager with Drogheda at the time and Charlie Walsh, who was director at the club and on the FAI committee, approached me and asked me if I would like to be the manager of Ireland. I had no problem saying yes. It would have been very hard to say no, really.
‘There was very little pressure in managing Ireland. It was not like it is nowadays. There were about four or five games a year including friendlies. Of course we all wanted to win, but it was very difficult to qualify for World Cups and European Championships. The likes of Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia and Russia had a massive pool of players to call on, unlike today when they are separated into smaller countries again.
‘My hands were often tied. The selectors were dedicated to the Irish cause, and they helped where they could, but the FAI did not have a lot of money in those days. None the less, one of the main changes I made when I came in as manager was to stop the players from staying in city-centre hotels, moving them out to Montrose instead. You see, at the time I was helping Tony O’Neill with University College Dublin, and Drogheda often used their Belfield training ground, so by moving our base out there the players had nice facilities and a nice hotel. It was something small, but it helped the players.
‘The results weren’t good, though. I think we only managed three draws during my time in charge. Despite doing my coaching badges while I was an Everton player, I can’t ever say I enjoyed coaching or managing. For me it was always about being a player. I loved being involved with the players. Some people coach and some play. I loved playing. I would get a knock and would think, “I can run this off. It’s only a small tweak.” But there eventually comes a time when you have to stop playing.
‘Even now I think back to matches I played in and wonder why I didn’t do this and why I didn’t do that, but at the end of the day the players and I gave it our all, no matter what team we had out. I think the League of Ireland players were the fall guys for Ireland in those days. Whenever an English-based player pulled out of the squad, the local players had to fill in the gaps, and they always had to be prepared. They were playing against some of the greatest sides in the world, and they were onto a loser before they got onto the pitch.
‘After my career with Ireland I played with Rovers for a bit. They had a young team and wanted me to bring some experience to them. I couldn’t say no. Even if a junior team came and asked me to play I couldn’t say no. I loved playing football. The biggest disappointment for any footballer is finding out that their legs are no longer good enough.’
Turlough O’Connor played in Meagan’s first game and remembers the build-up to the big decision made by the FAI: ‘I was actually in Mick’s first squad. He was passionate about Ireland and about the game. He wanted the players to stand up and take responsibility on the pitch. Mick spent a lot of time preparing things and organising the team, though there was not too much emphasis on the tactical side of it. Instead there was a freedom to express ourselves.
‘That said, Mick was more responsible for the way things were done, especially compared to the previous coaches. Compared to past managers who would have worked with the First XI that were selected by the committees, Mick had the extended freedom to name his own team.
‘He was an excellent manager, though. He was a man-to-man coach. He was a great guy to have a chat with and put an arm around your shoulder.’
For Tony Byrne, playing for Ireland under Mick was not only an honour, it was also the first time he had played soccer on Irish shores. Despite growing up in Rathdowney in County Laois, Tony and his family had emigrated to England when the future Ireland defender was only twelve. Up to that point he had only ever played hurling: ‘Joe Haverty had recommended me to Ireland and the FAI when I was at Millwall, but I never got a call-up. Then I moved on to Southampton and had a good season in 1969 and got selected to play against Denmark. I did not actually have much interaction with Mick in the build-up to the match. He appeared to be very laid-back, but he was good at motivating the lads. He just told me to go and play, and that was what I did. There was nothing more to it. I think as time progressed, the tactical side of things changed. Liam [Tuohy] was that bit further on from Mick, while Johnny [Giles] was different again, paying so much attention to the details. Each time there was a new man things were different and moved forward.’
Paddy Mulligan was another player who made his debut during what was a real period of transformation for football in Ireland, and he recalls the change that was happening: ‘I did not get my first cap until 1969, by which time Mick Meagan had just taken over, although he was not in charge the day I made my debut. Mick was the first man to pick the team and actually manage it. Under the committee there was a feeling that if you played in England, whether it was for York or Manchester United, you got into the squad. The League of Ireland players had to work that bit harder to make the team. By that time the team spirit was quite low. There was a lot of frustration at the way the team was being run.
‘We played Czechoslovakia and lost 2–0, but we were played off the park that day and definitely didn’t deserve anything from the game. Mick came in and immediately set about getting some confidence into the guys. He was a smashing fella, and he got us to understand our roles and brought some organisation and camaraderie to the team.
‘We played a Scotland team filled with players such as Billy Bremner, Peter Lorimer and Colin Stein and got a 1–1 draw, which was a great result. It is a simple thing, but Mick picked the players who could play and were in form. Mick knew when to have fun with the players and helped instil a confidence in them.’
Jimmy Holmes was one of the youngsters that Meagan blooded during his time in charge: ‘At the time I made my debut I was actually playing in the reserves for Coventry. Noel Cantwell was in charge of the club. Mick came over and had a look at me in a game against Wrexham, and I must have impressed because I was called into the squad and made my debut against Austria. I came on as a right-back. I was a left-back, though, so when I got on I went over to the left-back Tony Dunne, who was a hero of mine, and said to him, “The manager wants you to go to right-back.” I apologised to him afterwards. We were 3–1 down when I came on with twenty-five minutes to go and ended up losing 4–1.
‘When I first arrived, I went to the hotel to meet the team. We were staying in the Montrose. I got there before the others, and I asked the girl at reception if any of the players were in. She saw my bag, but assumed I was a fan, because she then asked me if I wanted an autograph. She obviously didn’t know who I was.
‘It turned out I was rooming with Don Givens. I was then introduced to the likes of Terry Conroy, Steve Heighway and Paddy Mulligan, all heroes to me. They were taking the mickey out of me, but it was all in good fun. When I went up to my room that night I got a call from a reporter at the Irish Press . He was asking me about all the players and how I was getting on with them all. Well, I told him that they w
ere all brilliant, and I was looking forward to the game. The next morning at breakfast the lads were quoting all the nice things I had said. It turned out that the reporter was Ray Treacy.
‘That introduction helped me to relax and feel part of the squad, though. Mick was a good talker. He was intelligent and knew the game, although there was very little time to coach the players. You came over on the Saturday and then played on the Sunday. Mick had to make decisions based on the opinions of the players’ club managers and more experienced players within the team. It was an exciting time, though, with Mick being the first real manager of the team. It was good to be part of it, and I learned quite quickly.’
Despite the positive impact Mick was having on the team and the new professionalism of Irish football, results were still not in line with the public’s expectations, as Ireland failed to win any of their qualifiers for the 1970 World Cup. A draw with Denmark at home was the only point earned by the team in that campaign. A 3–0 away defeat at the hands of Czechoslovakia was followed by a 4–0 hammering away to a Puskás-led Hungary, the great man himself scoring the killer third goal. The campaign saw Ireland score only three goals, yet they conceded fourteen. These were dark times indeed for the new man in charge and for Irish football in general.
Things failed to improve during the qualifying campaign for the 1972 European Championship, with the team only securing a single point from a possible twelve available, a 1–1 draw with Sweden in the first group match at Dalymount Park, although they lost the return match 1–0 in Stockholm. Two defeats to Italy followed, including a determined and narrow loss in Dublin in which a Jimmy Conroy goal saw Ireland equalise only to concede a killer second goal midway through the second half. Following this things went downhill, with Ireland suffering two very heavy defeats at the hands of Austria. In Dublin the team could only muster a lone reply to the four goals scored by the Austrians, the solitary Ireland goal coming from a Carroll penalty in the second half. In the away match the Austrian team scored six goals without reply.
