Philly McMahon has been spreading his wings. Having retired from intercounty football, he has taken to punditry this year with notable success. The latest step came with his inclusion on RTÉ’s match-day panel for the Dublin football championship last weekend.
He is slightly sensitive about the demarcation line between spilling the secrets of his days in the dressing-room of history’s most successful team and bringing that experience to bear on match analysis. But there is a line.
“You don’t climb over the changing-room walls to give information that belongs to your team. That’s something I’ve made anyone I work for aware of but my own experience and knowledge are relevant. It also helps you to deal with the retirement process.”
Less than a year into that retirement, he appears to be coping well enough. Media work, a column in the Irish Independent and a podcast has now expanded into some broadcast analysis.
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Even before retirement, McMahon had branched out into performance coaching through his involvement with Bohemian FC. This proved part of a trend that has seen others from Jim Gavin’s team and management get involved in other sports.
Kevin McManamon is a sports psychologist, who worked with the Irish boxing team at last year’s Olympics, and only recently the team’s coach and Gavin’s right-hand man, Declan Darcy was announced as Leinster Rugby’s performance coach.
Was it all a coincidence or did being involved with Dublin influence this direction?
“Definitely. It’s great that other sports look to bring in information from beyond their own sphere. I’ve been very lucky to work with Bohs over the past two years. I’ve learned huge amounts and not just from the good times when we were winning but also when you lose because what you learn from that is crucial to winning.
“I think the teams that Kev, myself and Dec have been involved with have seen how Dublin managed to do that with the winning ratio we had as well as how we carry ourselves off the pitch and the sense of who we are and represent.
“If the GAA was better known around the world, you could probably be working in England and the US and maybe New Zealand. I don’t want to sound cocky but when you look back, it was an incredible journey.”
The point is well made. For all that it could be argued that it’s early days yet in a new sporting direction for all three, the fact is that professional and international sports organisations detected sufficient prospects in those with a background in Gaelic games to seek their advice and perspective.
Bohemians have gone through a turbulent season and jettisoned their long running manager Keith Long. It was a tough but not altogether surprising outcome despite the agonisingly fine margins of last season when they pushed PAOK to the brink in Europe, just missed a top four place and lost the FAI Cup final on penalties.
[ Bohs part ways with manager Keith LongOpens in new window ]
So, what does McMahon bring to the table for a top-flight League of Ireland club?
“My job was to facilitate the exchange of information that was already there among a bunch of intelligent footballers and also bring connection to a group that had lost 10 players in the 2021 season. There are four nine-game blocks and I went in after the first when they had won two and weren’t in a great place.
“My job wasn’t to get them to win more games or to win competitions; it was to shine a light on what was going right for them, the good culture they had because Bohemians have a rich tradition.”
Speaking last year in the middle of a record-breaking run for Irish clubs of four successive European wins, Bohemians’ Keith Buckley paid this tribute to him.
“He wants to know what makes them tick and what doesn’t make them tick. It’s a performance mindset. He’s very detailed. The stuff he shows us is really, really good. I don’t think many other clubs would be doing it so it’s had a huge impact on us.”
It’s also a frustrating environment for someone used to the certainties of GAA teams.
“Unfortunately, for the club [Bohemians] they were coming from being six million in debt and having to operate on the basis of yearly contracts and by the time they were transitioning to offer multi-year deals it was effectively too late and they had lost leadership figures.
“We were a kick away from forcing extra time in Greece against PAOK, a club owned by a millionaire, in the most hostile atmosphere I’d ever experienced. We were then a kick away from winning the FAI Cup. Add to that the club won four player of the month awards in a row, ending the season with the top goal scorer and player of the year, Georgie Kelly, and the young player of the year, Dawson Devoy.
“They end up in England with Rotherham and MK Dons. Another young talent Promise [Omochere] also went to England [Fleetwood Town].”
Well known for his social activism, Philly McMahon is promoting Focus Ireland and Bórd Gáis Energy’s ‘Shine a Light Night,’ an initiative now in its 10th year to draw attention to homelessness and raise funds with a target of €1.5 million.
“When I grew up, I felt that homelessness was something for people who struggled with addiction. That was my understanding. You walked through the city centre and you would have seen people from Ballymun with addiction issues. That’s evolved now and homelessness affects a much broader cross-section of the community.
“Having 10,000 people in emergency accommodation is just ridiculous these days. It’s important to understand what that means. When you lose your home, you lose more than the roof over your head. It’s all the other things you take for granted: a sense of community, a sense of safety. They’re all gone. You lose so much, opportunities, chances to participate because there are so many barriers.
“There are a lot of kids who feel a stigma around being homeless. Just imagine not being able to bring your friends home because you live in emergency accommodation in a hotel. That sense of community and connection are gone. It’s far more than simply losing your home.
“If it’s not on your doorstep, you don’t really get involved but this is an opportunity for people one night a year to organise something that can make a difference.”
