Meath GAA Chairman John Kavanagh reckons the county won’t be damaged by the fallout from Tuesday night’s vote on Andy McEntee’s future as senior football boss.
McEntee survived comfortably at a County Board meeting in Trim, winning the secret ballot by 46 votes to 23 and will now see out the final year of a three year term.
The manager declined to comment when contacted yesterday.
Kavanagh admitted the matter could have been dealt with more quickly, with Meath exiting the Championship at the hands of Dublin in mid-July.
But he rejected calls from clubs to see a report carried out by Michael McGeehan, Seamus Kenny and Liam Keane into the senior set-up, which included interviews with players and management.
The Meath Chairman also admitted there was no ‘Plan B’ if they had to go and look for a new manager.
Kavanagh went on to reveal it was his personal wish that McEntee stay on in the wake of a County Executive vote, which went 8-7 against the Dunboyne club man.
Club delegates at full County Board meeting on Tuesday evening in the Knightsbrook Hotel voiced some strong opinions.
One labelled it a ‘mish mash’ of a disaster, with another saying Meath risked being ‘a laughing stock,’ if they had to go looking for a new manager now.
Kavanagh told LMFM: “The critic will probably say it has (damaged Meath GAA).
“If things don’t go well next year, it will always be thrown back on that.
“I have full faith and full belief in the structure that we have here in Meath. It’s democracy at its best and then the clubs finally decide it.
“I have no fears about it affecting Meath, no.
“The clubs have spoken, a fairly clear majority, and we move on and support Andy. Hopefully Meath football will move on from that.
“I hold my hand up. We should have acted probably a bit quicker, but guys were after working hard with the county, going back to the clubs, and the players certainly didn’t want to be put under pressure making decisions, or the management for that matter.
“With holidays and the whole lot unfortunately it just went on a bit longer than we would have hoped and expected.
"But we got there and the clubs got their say in the end and that’s what it’s all about.”
Kavanagh added: “The review was done confidentially.
“We have to respect that. To be put out in public, I don’t think would be fair on anybody and it was going to serve no purpose for anybody either.
“Personally I am glad the way it turned out. Management have had their say in it. I respect that 100 percent and we carry on. That’s part and parcel of the job.”
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