HE may be watching from a distance now, but former Armagh assistant boss Jim McCorry has backed Kieran McGeeney and his new-look management team to take the Orchard County forward once this year’s delayed inter-county campaign finally gets under way.
McGeeney drafted ex-Kerry star Kieran Donaghy and former county captain Ciaran McKeever into his backroom following the departures of McCorry, John Toal and Paddy McKeever as Armagh look ahead to life in Division One.
With a resumption of collective inter-county training expected to receive the green light from April 5, and the National League likely to get under way on the weekend of May 8/9, the Orchardmen will take on Ulster rivals Donegal, Monaghan and Tyrone in the top tier’s northern section before heading into Championship action.
And, despite receiving criticism in the wake of Armagh’s Ulster exit to Donegal last year, McGeeney remains the right man for the job according to McCorry.
“I understand people will have different views throughout the country, in the media, throughout parts of the county even, but having worked with the man for three years, he’s probably one of the best coaches I’ve ever worked with in terms of the knowledge he has and how he applies it with the guys
“He’s a legend with a lot of them because they grew up seeing him as the player that he was, they still see Kieran McGeeney as the 2002 leader… he’s the same with this team as manager. A fantastic coach, a great motivator and I’ve no doubt he’s the right man to take the team forward.
“With Kieran Donaghy and Ciaran McKeever in there now too, he has a strong management team around him.”
Five months on, McCorry does not believe that 12-point Ulster semi-final defeat to the Tir Chonaill should define Armagh’s 2020, and feels they are well equipped for life in Division One.
“Things happen in football,” said McCorry, who has returned to the Down club scene with Burren.
“Earlier in the year when we beat Cavan in the League everyone was talking about that, how well we played, how poor they were on the day, then they go on to become Ulster champions. You get games when things click for you or go for you, and games where they don’t.
“The Donegal result was a bit of an aberration. It you re-analyse the game it was 5-2 or at the water break with a really strong breeze – everybody was fairly content that if we were going in three or four behind with that breeze, we were in a decent position.
“But after the water break came that period of 10 or so minutes where the damage was done. There were decisions made on the field where the players would look back and think ‘we could’ve done that better’. They’re very talented players, there’s no-one more frustrated than themselves when things don’t go right.
“But that aberration shouldn’t define Armagh’s season. We set ourselves two goals, the main one in terms of the League was to get up into Division, which we did. Are they capable of competing in Division One? Absolutely they are capable.
“I know it will be different this year, it’ll be like a mini-Ulster group which nearly makes it more competitive, but Armagh can more than hold their own with any of those three teams.”
