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Royal Rumble

Coyle: If I was in Banty's shoes, I would've walked away from Meath mess

The former Meath manager says that Seamus McEnaney has to live up to his title after hanging on to his job last week.

COLM COYLE HAS admitted that he would have walked away from the Meath manager’s job if faced with the same levels of opposition as the embattled Seamus McEnaney.

McEnaney survived an attempt by the Meath County Committee to oust him and install Sean Boylan in his place last week as the fallout continues from Meath’s relegation to Division 3 of the National Football League.

Coyle, who stepped down from the Royals post in the summer of 2008 after a disappointing Championship, said that he would have no problem throwing in the towel if he felt that he was not wanted.

“If I was in Seamus McEnaney’s position I would have walked away from the job,” Coyle said on local radio.

“If you feel you are not wanted, if the players are not doing the business on the field and if your county board don’t want you either, then all the signs are there and personally I would have walked away from it.”

However, the triple All Ireland winner is optimistic that now the air has been cleared, McEnaney and his squad can move forward with hope.

“A lot of people think the talent is not there within the current squad, but I disagree. I think the talent is there. I’m not sure the style of football they are playing suits them, but they are not as bad as they are playing. It’s a situation they just have to battle their way out of.

The manager now has to live up to his title. He has to really manage the whole thing and circle the wagons a little bit because the pressure’s really on the management and players to deliver.

He’s fought for his job and retained it now he has to get in there and work at it. He can’t be paranoid wondering what players were for him and who was against him when the panel met during last week’s row.

Coyle also claimed that Meath GAA chiefs were wrong to reveal Boylan as manager in waiting when no vacancy existed.

“That should have been done on a one-to-one basis. It shouldn’t have been brought out into the open into the media. In fairness to Seamus, he was still the manager, he was still in position and there was no vacancy there.

“The county board certainly didn’t cover themselves in glory dealing with that one from a PR point of view.”

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