Former Clare boss Anthony Daly says the idea of dumping the county’s management mid-Championship was ‘nonsense’ and never a runner.
The 2013 All-Ireland winners need to beat Cork in Ennis (2pm) to seal a top-three position in Munster after big losses to Limerick and Tipperary.
Even that may not be enough because if Limerick lose to Tipp elsewhere then Clare, Limerick and Cork would all finish on four points, almost certainly edging Clare out on scoring difference.
Daly said he was aware of a discussion locally that joint boss Donal Moloney and Gerry O’Connor could step aside to allow a new management a chance to save their season but rubbished the idea.
“To me, it was nonsense because we’re still in it, as bad and all as we’ve been,” he said. “We had a lovely three weeks after beating Waterford watching everyone else go into battle and marvelling at how good Tipp were but saying, ‘Wait until they come to Ennis’. Then it all unravelled in a week.
“This management have actually been the third most successful management in Clare’s history behind Ger Loughnane and Davy Fitzgerald. And we’re not going to give them another week and we’re still in the Championship! It was bizarre to me.”
Also surprising is the fact that Limerick could miss out on a Munster final place despite their huge wins over Waterford and Clare.
John Kiely’s side travel to Tipperary (2pm) and should they lose they could be leapfrogged by holders Cork who would then play Tipp in the final.
Boss John Kiely said: “Thinking about a Munster final is only a distraction. We will focus on our performance and that’s the bottom line.”
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