Free Gaffers by Trevor Keane Page B

coaching or managing. For me it was always about being a player. I loved being involved with the players. Some people coach and some play. I loved playing. I would get a knock and would think, “I can run this off. It’s only a small tweak.” But there eventually comes a time when you have to stop playing.
    ‘Even now I think back to matches I played in and wonder why I didn’t do this and why I didn’t do that, but at the end of the day the players and I gave it our all, no matter what team we had out. I think the League of Ireland players were the fall guys for Ireland in those days. Whenever an English-based player pulled out of the squad, the local players had to fill in the gaps, and they always had to be prepared. They were playing against some of the greatest sides in the world, and they were onto a loser before they got onto the pitch.
    ‘After my career with Ireland I played with Rovers for a bit. They had a young team and wanted me to bring some experience to them. I couldn’t say no. Even if a junior team came and asked me to play I couldn’t say no. I loved playing football. The biggest disappointment for any footballer is finding out that their legs are no longer good enough.’
    Turlough O’Connor played in Meagan’s first game and remembers the build-up to the big decision made by the FAI: ‘I was actually in Mick’s first squad. He was passionate about Ireland and about the game. He wanted the players to stand up and take responsibility on the pitch. Mick spent a lot of time preparing things and organising the team, though there was not too much emphasis on the tactical side of it. Instead there was a freedom to express ourselves.
    ‘That said, Mick was more responsible for the way things were done, especially compared to the previous coaches. Compared to past managers who would have worked with the First XI that were selected by the committees, Mick had the extended freedom to name his own team.
    ‘He was an excellent manager, though. He was a man-to-man coach. He was a great guy to have a chat with and put an arm around your shoulder.’
    For Tony Byrne, playing for Ireland under Mick was not only an honour, it was also the first time he had played soccer on Irish shores. Despite growing up in Rathdowney in County Laois, Tony and his family had emigrated to England when the future Ireland defender was only twelve. Up to that point he had only ever played hurling: ‘Joe Haverty had recommended me to Ireland and the FAI when I was at Millwall, but I never got a call-up. Then I moved on to Southampton and had a good season in 1969 and got selected to play against Denmark. I did not actually have much interaction with Mick in the build-up to the match. He appeared to be very laid-back, but he was good at motivating the lads. He just told me to go and play, and that was what I did. There was nothing more to it. I think as time progressed, the tactical side of things changed. Liam [Tuohy] was that bit further on from Mick, while Johnny [Giles] was different again, paying so much attention to the details. Each time there was a new man things were different and moved forward.’
    Paddy Mulligan was another player who made his debut during what was a real period of transformation for football in Ireland, and he recalls the change that was happening: ‘I did not get my first cap until 1969, by which time Mick Meagan had just taken over, although he was not in charge the day I made my debut. Mick was the first man to pick the team and actually manage it. Under the committee there was a feeling that if you played in England, whether it was for York or Manchester United, you got into the squad. The League of Ireland players had to work that bit harder to make the team. By that time the team spirit was quite low. There was a lot of frustration at the way the team was being run.
    ‘We played Czechoslovakia and lost 2–0, but we were played off the park that day and definitely didn’t deserve anything