Manager of the year:Drogheda United manager Paul Doolin was named Philips Sports Manager of the Year for 2008 at a ceremony in the Shelbourne Hotel, Dublin, yesterday.
Doolin, who guided Drogheda to their first ever League of Ireland title, saw off stiff competition to become the first domestic soccer winner of the gong, now in its 26th year, since Shamrock Rovers' Jim McLaughlin in 1986.
The October monthly award winner, Doolin, who also engineered United's run to the FAI Cup in 2005 and this year's Setanta Sports Cup success, joins McLaughlin, Jack Charlton (four-time winner), Brian Kerr (twice winner) and Mick McCarthy as the soccer recipients of the Philips award.
McCarthy was the last annual soccer winner, back in 2001.
"It's a surprise," said Doolin, "when you look at the achievements of the coaches who were there, fantastic coaches from many sports, so I was surprised. You go to awards but I certainly never expect to win anything.
"It's like when I play a match; I never expect to win. I might say we have to win, or we need to win, but I never expect it.
"So it was a nice surprise. I'm delighted and it's a huge thing for the club. I also think it's a huge thing for the league. I'm delighted for the Eircom league, and I mean that.
"I've probably been fortunate with personal honours through the year but I have never really looked for them. The main thing when we set out three years ago was to win the Eircom league and that's the satisfaction.
"It was great to be down so low and to be up there now.
"But as I've said, the personal thing was never really for me. The players were brilliant, the club has been great and it's great for Drogheda and, more than anything, for the league."
Doolin (44) played for Bohemians, Shamrock Rovers, Derry City, Portadown, Shelbourne and Dundalk before becoming player-coach at UCD in 2001. In 2003 he took on a full-time coaching role with Drogheda.
Other contenders included the Ireland cricket coach Adrian Birrell as well as the Gaelic football and hurling managers Pat O'Shea of Kerry and Brian Cody of Kilkenny, each of whom oversaw his county's retention of an All-Ireland title.
Notable monthly award winners were Eddie O'Sullivan after Ireland's third Triple Crown in four years, Justin McCarthy for guiding Waterford to a first hurling league title in 44 years, Roy Keane for bringing Sunderland back to the Premiership and Tommy Breheny, who managed Sligo to the Connacht football title for the first time in 32 years.
Subsequent results, however, tended to rule all four out of contention for the main award, which was presented by the Philips chief executive, Cel O'Reilly.
Monthly winners
December: Stephen Kenny (Derry City - soccer)
January:Mark Scannell (Glanmire - basketball)
February: Eddie O'Sullivan (Irish rugby)
March:Adrian Birrell (Irish cricket)
April:Justin McCarthy (Waterford - hurling)
May: Roy Keane (Sunderland - soccer)
June:Jim Walsh (Irish amateur boxing)
July:Tommy Breheny (Sligo - Gaelic football)
August:Richie Bennis (Limerick - hurling)
September: Brian Cody (Kilkenny - hurling)
Pat O'Shea(Kerry - Gaelic football)
October: Paul Doolin (Drogheda United - soccer)
November: Stephen Henderson (Cobh Ramblers - soccer)
