MANAGER OF THE YEAR:GIOVANNI TRAPATTONI joined a celebrated list that contains just five other football men yesterday. Recognised as the Philips Sports Manager of the Year, having guided the Republic of Ireland to the European Championship finals next summer for the first time in 24 years, the 72-year-old was unable to accept the accolade in person.
Trapattoni is in Poland sourcing a training camp for his players to prepare for the arduous task of unlocking the defences of Croatia, Spain and his beloved Italy at next June’s finals. Irish goalkeeping coach Alan Kelly represented him at the Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin.
In 1986 Shamrock Rovers manager Jim McLaughlin broke the GAA-, rugby- and golf-dominated awards.
There followed a dream period in Irish soccer as Jack Charlton collected the prize three years running. Charlton’s record fourth award came in 1993 after Ireland qualified for the World Cup in America.
Brian Kerr became the next football man to be honoured after his work at underage level in 1997 and again in 1998.
Current Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Mick McCarthy was next up in 2001, having seen Ireland through to their last major tournament, the 2002 World Cup.
Paul Doolin, for his achievements with Drogheda United in 2007, is the other soccer winner.
It being the 30th year of these awards, Irish rugby coach Declan Kidney made the journey up from Cork to present Philips’ Cel O’Reilly with a specially commissioned plague as thanks for being the driving force behind the event.
Kidney, of course, is a three- time recipient of manager of the year – twice after Munster’s European Cup wins and in 2009 for coaching Ireland to the Grand Slam.
Trapattoni had to fend off fierce competition from other sports, namely rugby, boxing and Gaelic games.
In other years Pat Gilroy would have been a certain winner, having guided Dublin to their first All-Ireland football title in 16 years. That they defeated Kerry in the final makes it even more special.
The same can be said of Brian Cody as the Kilkenny hurlers held off Father Time to retrieve their All-Ireland title from Tipperary.
It was Kilkenny’s fifth All-Ireland in six seasons and eighth in total under Cody’s watch.
Ironically enough, Tipperary manager Liam Sheedy won this prize in 2010. In what has become the norm, Gilroy and Cody were jointly recognised in September.
As Kidney proved in 2006 and 2008, Joe Schmidt would normally have been the overall winner for delivering the Heineken Cup in just his first season in charge of Leinster.
Two boxing trainers must also be mentioned. High performance coach Billy Walsh and Katie Taylor’s father, Peter Taylor, were monthly winners for June and October.
The expectation is that both men will be strong candidates next year should the Olympic Games go according to plan.
Irish cricket also made giant strides in 2011, with Phil Simmons the coach of an Ireland team that beat England at the World Cup last March.
Michael O’Neill’s guidance of Shamrock Rovers into Europe and retention of the league title saw him get the nod for August.
The GAA had three more monthly winners, with Noel O’Brien of Connacht champions St Brigid’s recognised in February for progressing to the All-Ireland club final.
Dublin winning the national hurling league title meant Anthony Daly couldn’t be ignored in April.
The July award went to Mayo manager James Horan.
The December (2010) award went to under-23 cross country coach Anne Keenan Buckley, while UCD Marian basketball coach Fran Ryan was the January winner.
