The Big Interview: Noel Healy
Ahead of the 2016 Collingwood Cup, Sports Editor Dylan O Connell sat down with UCC Manager and former Cork City FC player Noel Healy for a quick word on winning, management, and the beautiful game itself.
- How’re you feeling about the Collingwood this year?
We’re feeling good. Like any University team, you lose players and you gain players. What you do so is you reinvent the Collingwood and what it means to play in such an incredible competition.Winning the tournament last was great for the players and college last year, but like every year we lost players and gained others.Ten from last year’s Collingwood panel are remaining in the side and we’re hoping to bring experience from last year into this year’s competition.In today’s starting 11 five or six from last year and we’re hoping to have the side mixed up.
- Would you describe this as the biggest challenge of your managerial career?
It is, the beauty of us compared to the rest of the university teams we play week in week out in Munster Senior League as a club, we lose some players and other players bring in. Wet met and trained since last August. While other Universities just play cup competitions, we play week in week out. Other teams bring in League of Ireland players and they may not gel. Building since last August.Even when we had the Colours lunch where they celebrate the 1991 team, we showed it how much it meant to them. These are friends for life, and that is something that they should strive to have.The skull and cross bones is something we should be honoured to wear and we should know what it means to play for the jersey.
- You’ve worked under John Caulfield and also played under Cork City legend David Barry, would you say they have influenced you as a manager?
John has definitely, I played back with john 86, beat Shamrock Rovers 1-0 to win their first cup as a club. Played in the cup final in 1990 when we were beaten by Derry City in a replay. We go back a long time. I disappeared from LOI and played for College Corinthians. John approached me to go back playing in League of Ireland, and after two years I went into management.John is a mix of all the managers we worked with down through the years. That’s something we’ve learned that if you can bring that experience to a panel of players. IT’s easy to talk when you’re winning but when you start losing and things go against you, that’s when you skills a manager come out. That’s what makes a manager.
- Last year on qualifying for the quarter finals of the EA Sports cup, UCC knocked out League of Ireland opposition Cobh Ramblers and Wexford Youths, could you see a League of Ireland UCC team in the future?
I don’t think so. We discussed this awhile back and looked at options. And unfortunately, it’s turned into a summer league and it’s something that doesn’t suit us. The league goes across a crucial part of student life; exams season. It’s too important for students. If I was a student, would I get the chance of playing League of Ireland or going on a J1 to the United States, I would go on a J1 and make lifelong memories. THE UCC EXPRESS STAFF AND WRIERS WOULD LIKE TO WSH THE VERY BEST OF LUCK TO NOEL HEALY AND HIS TEAM OVER THE COMING WEEK.