Tipperary hurling manager Michael Ryan has revealed that a desire to give his intercounty panel a break from him was the driver in his departure from the senior team.
Ryan, who took over from Eamon O’Shea in 2016, leaves the panel with one All-Ireland title and one Munster title to his name.
Ryan stood down from his role yesterday but told Tipp Fm on Friday that his decision was borne out of the best interests of Tipperary hurling.
“Ultimately, the real driver of this decision was that we want to give the group of players that we have the best chance going forward,” said Ryan.
“They need to hear something new. Particularly, from my perspective, I’ve been there a very long time and I’m certain that those guys needed a break from me.
“There comes a time where you say ‘what’s the best thing for the group here?’
“I think fresh thinking and a new voice is as important as night following day. You get you period of time, you try and impact as positively as you possibly can for that period, and come out of the way and leave room for the next group because there’s always a next group.
“There’s always new thinking. We’re all replaceable. During my playing career I would have worked with four different managers and from each of them I would have learned.
“You gain that valuable experience but fresh thinking is required and I think it will be for the benefit of everybody.”
Ryan’s comments follow on from a pre-written statement released by the Tipperary backroom team on Thursday which acknowledged the contributions of players, staff and supporters.
The statement read:
“On behalf of the Tipperary Senior Hurling Management team we wish to confirm that we are stepping down from our roles with immediate effect.
“Having carefully considered what is in the best interest of Tipperary hurling and our current crop of players we believe the time is now right for a change of direction at Management level. It is our hope that a change in management will bring fresh new thinking to ensure Tipperary continues to compete for top honours in the coming years.
“We wish to sincerely thank the Tipperary County Board and its Officers for giving us the opportunity 3 years ago to take on the Management of the Senior Hurling Team.
“We enjoyed some fantastic days and endured some equally disappointing defeats which are all part and parcel of sport at every level. It has been a great honour and privilege for each of us to have been entrusted with these roles.
“We are extremely fortunate in Tipperary to have such a positive and active Tipperary Supporters Club which has been supporting Tipperary Hurling at all levels since 1987. Tipperary Supporters Club has given us fabulous support and encouragement and we are very grateful to them for the tireless work they do for the benefit of Tipperary Hurling.
“Our backroom team have been key to preparing our players over the last 3 years and we have been exceptionally well served by a fully committed team who did everything within their power to help our players.
“We would especially like to acknowledge and thank the Tipperary public who have been fantastic supporters through thick and thin during our Management term.We wish we could have delivered more success particularly this year with the new hurling structures and fantastic hurling that has been played in this year’s Championship.
“And finally we wish to thank the players who have worked tirelessly with us and given their all for Tipperary. These are extraordinary young men whose passion and commitment for our game has made working with them so enjoyable and rewarding for us every single night we trained or played our game. We wish the players, the new Management and backroom team every success for 2019 and beyond as we re-join the Tipperary supporters in Semple Stadium and around the country encouraging our players to great victories again.”
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