Sean Cavanagh says the ousting of Ray Dempsey as manager of the Limerick footballers by the county's players "doesn't feel right".
Dempsey, who was appointed Limerick manager in October, stepped down from the role on March 10th along with his management team.
The Irish Examiner reported that the Mayo man made the decision following a meeting of the panel the previous week. On February 26th, Limerick lost by 24 points to Cork. It was said that "issues around man-management and preparation came to a head" after that defeat.
19 February 2023; Limerick manager Ray Dempsey reacts after his side's defeat in the Allianz Football League Division Two match between Louth and Limerick at Páirc Mhuire in Ardee, Louth. Photo by Ben McShane/Sportsfile
"It's a bizarre one," three-time Tyrone All-Ireland winner Cavanagh told RTÉ's Allianz League Sunday.
"I immediately think of the timing of it. There's players he has obviously selected who are part of that group. If it's the end of the year, and maybe a new manager can come in, put a spin on the team very quickly and bring players in, maybe...
"Sometimes it can be disgruntled players who maybe aren't getting their game time that are the ones who instigate this and start a furore - I'm not aware of the circumstances around it.
"It's played out badly. I think it reflects badly on the group. They've put a massive amount of pressure [on themselves], they've put a target on their back, essentially.
"If they don't go and pull something out, either in the provincials or the Tailteann Cup, they are going to look back and go 'well maybe it was an opportunity to try and do something lost'. They've put serious pressure on themselves. It just doesn't feel right for me."
Kerryman Mark Fitzgerald, who was part of Dempsey's management team, took charge of Limerick for Sunday's defeat at home to Kildare. The loss - their fifth of the league - sealed relegation back to Division 3.
"It was a very, very poor game," Mayo legend Cora Statunton said.
"Skill errors, missed opportunities on both sides. Kildare probably were the better team. They had a lot of opportunities and scuppered a lot of chances. Limerick are bottom of the table, relegated.
"Kildare, I can understand that there's probably a lot of pressure on them, and people expect Kildare to be higher up the table. Today was probably a little bit better than they have been in the last few weeks. They are still nowhere near the Kildare that we've seen in the past."
See Also: 'There Was An Incident Where I Let The Limerick Standards Down'
