Shane Keegan answers the big question - will he be at Cobh Ramblers next year?

AFTER finishing bottom of the league last season, Cobh Ramblers looked set for another miserable year in the First Division, merely there to exist.

Shane Keegan had other ideas.

Joining the club mid-season last year with a deal until the end of 2023, Keegan brought an identity to Cobh Ramblers. The instant turnaround in 2023 gave Ramblers fans a season to remember, and they were agonisingly close to promotion.

In some ways, it was a little like Leicester City’s Premier League title in 2015/16. Granted, they didn’t win the league or even get promoted, but Cobh punched far, far above their weight.

The challenge now for Shane Keegan is keep the squad together, and avoid a ‘hangover’. Should he keep the bulk of the squad in east Cork, there really is no reason they can’t challenge for the title.

But will he be at the helm next season?

“It's certainly my intention. It's nothing to do with the board or contract offers or anything like that, it's just purely a case of my own personal circumstances.

“There was a lot of traveling this year, a lot of time committed to it. I would have started a new job during the year, so my circumstances changed within the season as well,” Shane explains. “So, it was just a lot of lot of balls in the air, and I just need to make sure that I'm capable of keeping all those balls in the air if we are to have another go at it.” 

Is there any fear of Shane leaving for another club?

“No, I can't see that being an issue one way or another. I can't see any offers coming firstly, and even if there were offers coming, I doubt there’d be any that would even be tempting to me.” 

So, with Keegan likely to stay, what about the rest of the squad?

“Are the lads going to have approaches from elsewhere? Of course, they are. That happens under any normal circumstances and will certainly happen under circumstances where you've been as successful as we were this year.

“We had a conversation after the Waterford match about valuing the experience that they've had and how enjoyable an experience that was for them.

“Sometimes, bigger isn't always better, and you've also got to place a price on how much enjoyment is worth to you. Is it worth going somewhere else for an extra €50 a week or an extra €100 a week if you don't end up in a scenario where the manager is maybe not 100% sure on you, or where you don't fit in quite as well as you used to, so lads have got a lot to weigh up when those offers do come along.” 

It will be interesting to see how things transpire over the next few months, there will inevitably be offers from clubs in Ireland and abroad, but Keegan remains confident and believes the priority of the club should be to do everything possible to keep the squad together.

“It all depends first and foremost on what you retain. That will have to be the first aim of the club,” Keegan says. “Never mind going out and seeking new players, I think the immediate focus has got to be on trying to retain as much of this year's squad as possible because they have been fantastic.

“Three or four good new signings would be great, but not if at the same time you're losing five or six of the current group, so I think that's got to be the number one priority.”