23 Aug 2010
McCartan managing to keep control
Comment (0)IF YOU WATCHED James McCartan during his playing days you might be forgiven for assuming that he might be a brash and almost cocky character on the side-lines because his style was such as a player that he got under the skin of opponents with his trickery and confidence on the ball.
In reality, McCartan the man and manager could not be any more different. A considered and calm individual who prefers to stay out of the media spotlight, he must take much credit for the huge improvement in Down’s fortunes this year.
McCartan himself has shied away from accepting plaudits for the team’s progress, insisting that the many new players who came to the fore was the main reason for Down’s march to the semi-final.
“We’ve brought a lot of new boys into the squad this year. You’ve got the likes of Benny (Coulter) and Danny (Huges) and Dee Rafferty of course but there are a lot of players who are in single figures for Championship matches. Kalum King is in his first season of Championship football and others like Benny McArdle are relatively new to the set-up so it’s a much changed side from the last few years,” McCartan said.
The praise for his players is one thing but the job McCartan and his backroom team of Brian McIver, Paddy Tally and Jerome Johnston have done this year should not be underestimated. To integrate those new players into the fold without upsetting the applecart is a feat in itself and the truth is, although some of the players are new to championship football most have been on the periphery of the squad for the past couple of years.
McCartan’s influence it seems is more important than the manager himself might care to admit to. Benny Coulter has praised the manager for the calming influence he exerts on the team.
“He never shouts or loses the head. At half-time he is usually very calm and that helps to make you calm. He talks about what’s going on in the game and where things might be going wrong. He’s been really good but he’s also got a great back room team in Brian (McIver), Paddy Tally and Jerome Johnston. They know so much about football and Down football and they make things so much easier,” said the Mayobridge man.
It is a point that the players and McCartan himself is keen to point out. It is not the manager but the entire management team who are helping to make Down tick. Still, the changes in personnel and tactics overseen by McCartan that have propelled Down to a surprise place in the semi-final must ultimately be taken by the man himself and for that he deserves praise. The mark of the man means that he is not likely to allow himself to think like that. Such thoughts of self-praise and acceptance of adulation do not come easy to McCartan and it seems that those hallmarks are also shared by the team he manages.




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