Br Ryan admits he couldn't deliver
March 27, 2012The former Laois coach stepped down as Decies selector in the aftermath of Sunday's win over Galway and, in a refreshingly-honest interview in the Examiner he concedes:
"My decision is for the best interest of the Waterford senior hurling team. I realised over the last two weeks that a change needed to be made in relation to the coaching set-up, which I had been delivering since I came on board with Michael Ryan.
"My contribution to the coaching needed to change so that the players could step up to a different level.
"I recognised that the players were looking for further coaching expertise within the set-up that I wasn't able to deliver.
"I had looked at how the team had been moving in the last two weeks. I saw the writing on the wall and looked at my situation.
"There was no animosity, no aggro within the management. I felt it was the right thing to do.
"I recognised on Friday on training that I hadn't lost the respect of the players but they needed the coaching to be more dynamic than what it was.
"We have a large panel - somewhere between 32 and 48 over the last three-and-a-half months - and to manage that amount of players on your own is quite a daunting task.
"I have expertise in different areas but when you're in charge of the whole thing it's very hard to get around to certain executions.
"When you work with the backs, you can execute things in a way that's more forensic.
"I'm around a long time, hurling is my game but you know when it's time, you know when the players are with you. I didn't lose their respect but I knew the zip in the training work wasn't where it should have been." Tweet
