‘Performance of the year’ is Galligan’s aim

When Raymond Galligan considers Monaghan, one would imagine, his mind fills with warm, fuzzy thoughts of that never-to-be-forgotten winner in Clones in 2020.

And, yeah, maybe it does – but there are other, less wholesome memories in the bank, too. Like his competitive debut as a goalkeeper in 2015, when Cavan lost by one, or the Ulster opener in 2018 when Conor McManus – who else? – skipped by a defender and rolled home the winning goal.

There was also 2019, of course, when Cavan rose to the occasion and sank the Farney men, also in the first round. So, Monaghan. A mixed bag?

“Yeah, it's funny because I've had some really, really memorable performances and some tough days too,” Galligan recalled last week.

“Back in 2015, I remember we lost by a point, I had opportunities to win the game. We had a fantastic performance and result, I think, in 2019 in Breffni.

“And obviously then in Covid, we got the result after an unbelievable battle with Monaghan. So we've definitely had mixed emotions against Monaghan over the years, and I suppose that kind of shows how close it always is against Monaghan, it takes on a life of its own and sometimes, it's about who really wants it most.

“And as I've seen myself, a kick of a ball can be the difference when you play this derby.”

Galligan’s decision to put his name forward for the manager’s job when Mickey Graham surprisingly stepped down came as a shock. He had originally attempted to persuade Graham to stay on but when the Cavan Gaels man wasn’t for turning, Galligan decided to pursue the role.

Soon, he found himself joining a very small club of inter-county players who immediately made the leap to management.

The early signs were very promising, with Cavan propelling themselves into the promotion shake-up heading into round six but a chastening loss to Armagh and another home defeat against Fermanagh saw the league end on a bum note.

Still, a third-place finish exceeded most expectations. After the Fermanagh game, Galligan insisted Cavan would “draw a line under the league” and focus entirely on championship. Asked about the seven-game series now, he’s happy with how it went.

“We had a very competitive league, there were some fantastic teams.

“We definitely showed some really good positive signs early doors in the league. I think any day you get results against Kildare in Carlow, Cork away from home, we’d definitely take that, but obviously, it was disappointing (in the later games), we definitely dipped and we had two poor performances in the end. But overall, we definitely are happy with what we got out of the league.

“Yes, finishing third was good, I suppose. The teams underneath us probably didn't capitalise on our kind of slip-ups in the end, but at least it leaves us going into the All-Ireland series, we're not looking across our shoulder.

“We have qualified for the All-Ireland series, I want to go now into the Monaghan game knowing that we can give it everything we can.

“And I suppose on top of that, I think, 30 players played in the National League, we got 11 debutants between the McKenna Cup and the National League.

“So it's been great to see players, see them in different positions. And hopefully, over the next number of weeks, we will look back and say that we've added depth to our panel.”

The margins were fine. Cavan won by a point in Cork and Ardee, lost by a point to Donegal, drew with Meath. Overall, he feels things balance out.

“I think after seven games, it usually pans out the way that you get what you deserve. I suppose what I mean by that is, absolutely, if the game goes on another three, four minutes against Donegal, you may have got a point, you had great momentum. However, down in Cork, if it went on another two or three minutes, you may have lost a point.

“When I left Cork that day, I said it to players and management that that is a really, really good Cork team. It was a fantastic, manly performance from our lads to grind out a result, they had a number of quality players on show that day. And they are going to show it over the next number of weeks, I feel, how good they are.

“And then I suppose that this kind of downward curve of over the last two weeks showed us that there still is a lot of work to do with this team. We have shown glimpses that there is change, we are playing a really good brand of football. But we have still some bad habits of falling back into that passive, slow attacking play that we're really trying to eradicate from our game.”

Energy

The key word for Galligan in terms of how he wants his team to play seems to be “energy”. He wants Cavan playing on the front foot and attacking – particularly counter-attacking – at pace but it hasn’t always transpired.

“I suppose it's good for us to know we are capable of doing it, we have the players that can play that type of football. But it takes huge energy and it takes real discipline and I suppose what was costly of late were the turnovers and probably the decision-making under pressure.

“It is up to us now to really work on that, not leave ourselves as defensively exposed because we are playing that high-energy type game and when we don't bring that energy, then we become very ordinary.

“So, it's definitely up to us now to really go back to basics of what had been working in the league for us and hopefully we can eradicate some of the mistakes that we've made over the last two games.”

On his appointment, Galligan pledged to allow players to line out with their clubs in the All-County Football League if at all possible and, in the opening round, he was very much true to his word.

Any panellist who played a half or less – or no minutes at all – against Fermanagh was released to play with their club the following day. It seems like a win-win and is something Galligan feels strongly about.

“From day one, I said to the players that they were the main stakeholders in all this and I wanted them to get as much football and enjoy their football as much as possible.

“So we made a point that if they played a half or less, that they could go back and play with their clubs the next day. And the same if they didn't get on the team at all.

“It's definitely something we hope to continue over the next number of weeks. Again, it'll be if they're on a 26-man match day panel and the game’s on a Sunday, like it is with Monaghan, we will let the lads outside the 26 go back, obviously, and play.

“We’ll send the lads out the next day and, and if they're outside the 26, absolutely, we will be making sure that they go back to their clubs, because at the end of the day, only for their clubs, we wouldn't be fortunate enough to have them.

“And we have to respect that and we also want to build the confidence in players, we had players last weekend that probably played below par from what we know they can do but they went out the next day, and put in really, really good performances for their clubs.

“So for me, that's a great way of building back up the confidence very quickly and instilling that belief that ‘you are a really good player, go back, show well with your club and come in to training then during the week, back on form and knowing the ability that you have to bring to the table for us’.

“There is the risk that players will get injured when they go back to the clubs, because obviously we expect them to feature and be the best performers on the field, having been in this environment with us. There is that risk.

“There's been lads probably felt disappointed with being taken off in different games but we expect them to perform at the highest of levels when they go back to the club. They've shown that last weekend, what they can do, and that really instils confidence in us as a management that, okay, that was a bad day yesterday or the week before but, there is a real quality in that player.

“And it's great for us to be able to see that really quickly after maybe a below-par for performance for Cavan.”

Conversations

Much was made of the fact that Galligan would be managing a group of players with whom he had soldiered in the very recent past and that conflicts of interest were possible.

He dismissed the potential for that becoming problematic from the outset; he made clear at the start how he would be approaching that aspect of management and has stuck by his principles.

“It's not a case that it’s been difficult. It's really how we set our stall out from day one. It's been very professional with each player and once I felt we treated each player the same, it meant that the conversations were very straightforward.

“There was never anything personal. When you're in this environment, it really is all about doing what's best for the team but also making sure that the player feels valued and cared for and I suppose that is something that I feel is very important.

“It's just making sure that you treat the guy that is starting every week no differently than the guy that’s maybe number 34 or 35 and I've tried to do that as much as possible from day one. And I think once you have honest conversations and be straight, well, I suppose that's really all you can do as person.”

The league is often referred to as a bout of shadow-boxing before the full-contact main event that is the championship. That age-old mantra has been tested of late with both competitions now linked but there is no doubt that the championship is still king.

Championship, in essence, was always different and still is but Galligan is conscious of not losing focus ahead of a big test this Sunday.

“I suppose when you're a player, it probably felt more (different) than now that we're in the position of management. Really now, for us, it's just another game but we really need to perform.

“For us, our job now is to make sure that the players are approaching the game in a way that they bring their best performance to date. So it doesn't matter whether it's Monaghan or Fermanagh or Armagh, we need to make sure that we have them best prepared for the performance of the year because it's going to take the performance of the year for us to get the result.

“But, definitely, look, it’s a fantastic occasion. I always loved going to Clones both as a player and as a supporter and it definitely takes on a completely different feel to any National League game that you've played to date.

“For players that haven't played there, it's definitely very exciting and it's a very different feel than what they'll have experienced to date.”

Crucial to any team looking to make a breakthrough, Galligan feels, is having that ability to change it up, to cope with different opponents and various tactics. Cavan have encountered all different styles in the league, which gives Galligan confidence.

“I suppose you really need to be able to adapt. And I think over the last number of weeks, especially early doors, we definitely had to adapt to, I suppose, different structures.

“The likes of Kildare were very defensive but then Cork were very attacking, for example. And I suppose it's kind of given the confidence to the players now, going into Monaghan, whatever is thrown at you that you're not fazed and that you can really back your own skill set, and that you really are best prepared to deal with any circumstance that arises.”

The fact that it’s a storied local derby probably adds to the sense that the big day can throw up surprises and teams have to adapt on the hoof.

“When I look back to 2020, and your seven points down at half-time, tactics go out the window, and it's roll up your sleeves and start winning each battle and, and just… you're going to have to go all-out attack.

“So it's amazing how you can be best prepared, and hopefully our lads will be, but big games really come back down to bringing your best performance on an individual level as well.

“Look, Monaghan are very experienced in the sense that what I've spent so long in Division 1, they're very physical, they have all the top performers back, their goalkeeper’s back, their midfielder, their experienced inside men...

“So I'm looking at a team that's going to be coming with huge experience, know-how in regards big games– in the All-Ireland series last year, they were excellent, really pushing Dublin in an All-Ireland semi-final.

“But at the same time, we don't want to take away from what it is we have to do, I suppose that's the key for us now this week, we've to make sure that we're really prepared in the sense that we’re organised and just going to bring the performance of the year hopefully, and, if it's not good enough on the day, well, it's not from the lack of preparation – but hopefully it is (good enough).

“It’s really about us over the next coming days.”