Roscommon management 'extremely disappointed' with decision to end their reign
The outgoing Roscommon ladies football management team has released a statement to say they are "extremely disappointed" with the decision of the Roscommon LGFA executive to end their time in charge.
The management team was headed by Ollie Lennon with St Brigid's stalwarts and twin brothers Tom and Brian Lennon also involved, along with John Kennedy.
Having enjoyed considerable success at club level with Kilbride, Lennon was appointed as Roscommon manager in October 2021. During his time in charge, Roscommon won Division Three league and Connacht intermediate titles.
A native of Drum and living in the Taughmaconnell area, Lennon is very well known and respected for his involvement in football, particularly in the south of the county.
The statement is critical of a review carried out by Roscommon LGFA, claiming that this year's Roscommon captain and vice-captain were not consulted as part of the process.
The statement from Ollie Lennon, Tom Lennon, Brian Lennon and John Kennedy is as follows:
"We — the Roscommon intermediate ladies’ football management team — are extremely disappointed with the decision of the Roscommon LGFA executive to remove us from our position.
"As a management team, we wanted to build on the strides we had made and were looking forward to leading the team into 2024.
"Following a recommendation from the Roscommon LGFA Development committee who undertook a review of our two years at the helm, it is our understanding that it was stated very clearly at last Monday evening’s executive meeting that one of the reasons why we should not be offered a third year in charge was because up to 15 players had indicated that they wouldn’t return to the panel if we stayed on.
"Following our own internal review over the past number of days, we have every reason to believe that this was not the case and that the vast majority of players on the current panel were never consulted during the review, including our captain and vice-captain.
"Over our two years at the helm, we have wanted only the best for the players. We have always tried to help them reach their potential, and the girls delivered with a Division Three League title in 2022 and a Connacht intermediate title earlier this year.
"We acknowledge that results might not have been what everyone would have hoped for in league and championship this season but we feel that we were very competitive in all of these games.
"Over our two years in charge, we asked 102 girls into the county intermediate ladies’ football panel. As is their right, some girls declined for a variety of different reasons. At no stage were we made aware by the players or by Roscommon LGFA that one of those reasons might have been management.
"In our view, there has been a lot of misinformation and rumours doing the rounds in recent days and we, as a management team, feel that the record needs to be set straight on this matter.
"Finally, we wish the Roscommon intermediate ladies’ football panel every success going forward. We have seen, at first hand, the players’ commitment and passion to the Primrose and Blue jersey. They have been a credit to their clubs and their families, and we have nothing but admiration for them."