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Allen: stepped down after Limerick's defeat to Clare in the All-Ireland semi-finals. INPHO/James Crombie
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John Allen rules out return to inter-county management

“Never say never,” says the former Limerick hurling boss, “but I don’t foresee it happening.”

JOHN ALLEN HAS revealed that he is unlikely to return to inter-county management but admitted “never say never.”

Cork’s 2005 All-Ireland winning manager led Limerick to the Munster hurling title this summer, ending the Treaty’s 17-year wait for provincial honours.

But despite calls for him to return for a third season, he stood down following the defeat to Clare and was replaced by Donal O’Grady and TJ Ryan.

“Some people love being at the helm of something that’s pressurised but I can’t say that I particularly like the pressure of the whole inter-county set-up,” he told TheScore.ie.

“It was purely personal. It was nothing to do with Limerick or the county board. I’ve said this numerous times — the players, the board, the management, the backroom were all top quality.

For me, I just didn’t want to be under pressure again this season.

Allen took over at Limerick in late 2010, returning to management after more than four years out of the inter-county game.

There he hoped to match his success with Cork where he was involved in back-to-back All-Ireland wins, first as one of O’Grady’s selectors in 2004 and then in 2005, the first of his two seasons as Rebels boss.

We’re all pushed along by the ambition to repeat what was so good, and you hope that maybe you can repeat it again. We all have that drive and ambition inside of us.

“Donal O’Grady went back at it, Ger Loughnane went back at it, Babs Keating went back at it. There’s a part of you which wants to be back there again achieving that greatness or that buzz and that’s always there.”

Asked about future jobs at inter-county level, he said: “You’d never say never, I suppose, but I don’t foresee it happening. One should never say never.”

Limerick begin 2014 under their new management this evening with a Waterford Crystal Cup clash against IT Tralee.

O’Grady and Ryan have selected a 37-man panel but they will have to do without the five Na Piarsaigh players involved in the AIB All-Ireland Club semi-finals while Declan Hannon, Seamus Hickey and Paudie Aherne are on the long-term injury list.

And all eyes will soon be on the league when they meet Cork in the opening round of Division 1B, a rematch of last year’s Munster final.

“We saw what a great addition they were to the Championship last year and how competitive they were, and there’s no reason why they can’t be more competitive,” Allen said of Limerick’s prospects this year.

“The form of the Na Piarsaigh players will add a bit of buoyancy once they come back. We still have to recognise that the Munster Championship is extremely competitive and to win it is going to take a fair bit of doing.

“Last year wasn’t a blip,” he added.

John Allen is the Liberty Insurance key note speaker at the Liberty Insurance Games Development Conference in Croke Park this Saturday, 11 January. For more information, click here >

Hectic: Training the Clare footballers and preparing to play an All-Ireland semi-final

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