There would have been more than a hint of nervous tension hovering around the dressing rooms at DCU sports complex when the Bohemians squad assembled for the first day of pre-season in January.

While most League of Ireland players tend to worry about their own futures during the off-season, those connected with the Dublin club would have spent the past couple of weeks fretting about their manager and whether or not he would be there on that first day of training.

In a modern game that chews up and spits managers out quicker than a struggling economy, it is rare for players to be anxious about the future of their boss. Then again, Pat Fenlon is not just any manager – he is arguably the best that the Irish domestic game has ever seen.

Five league trophies in seven seasons says it all about the 40-year-old, who enjoyed stints in charge of Shelbourne, Derry City, Republic of Ireland U-23s and now Bohemians.

Since arriving at Dalymount Park last year, he has won back-to-back league titles as well as the FAI Cup and the EA Sports Cup. No wonder Dundee United placed him top of their shortlist of contenders to replace Craig Levein and Peterborough United also attempted to get him when Darren Ferguson quit.

The interest from Peterborough was quickly swatted away by Fenlon after a meeting with chairman Darragh MacAnthony, but the chance to move to Tannadice was something that very much appealed to him. Dundee United were eager to install him as their thirteeneth manager, although a compensation hiccup brought an end to the switch.

With Fenlon in the middle of a four-year contract with his current employers he would only have been able to leave the club if Bohemians agreed a compensation fee with his suitors. Despite being offered £100,000, the Premier Division champions refused to budge and the SPL side quickly ended their interest in the Dubliner.

So as he gets back to work with the Gypsies and prepares for the 2010 campaign, where his team are clear favourites to retain their title, Fenlon would be forgiven if he reflects on the almost move to Scottish football as a missed opportunity to test himself on a bigger stage.

However, if he can make noticeable strides on the European front this season as Bohemians aim to be the first Irish club to reach the knock-out stages of the Champions League, then it won’t be long before more teams from England and Scotland come calling.

That view is shared by current Bohemians captain Owen Heary, who has played under Fenlon at two different clubs and sees him as one of the most under-rated managers of his generation.

“Pat is a proven manager. You just have to look at what he has achieved as a manager. But also how he achieved it, because he has a certain class about him,” said Heary.

“He understands the game and is a real players’ man. If you look at the Bohemians squad, there are lads here who have taken pay cuts and turned down better money elsewhere just to work with Pat.

“On a one-to-one basis he is excellent. He gets the best out of players and everyone wants to do their best for him. I suppose part of that comes from the fact that he doesn’t brag about the trophies he has won or slate players in public, he knows that it is a team effort and he makes sure everyone plays their part.

“I have no doubt that eventually he will move on. Pat has won almost everything in Ireland, so it is only natural that he would want to progress further in his career. And he will be successful wherever he goes too.”

Perhaps Fenlon can be accused of being slightly naïve that his switch to Dundee United would go through seemlessly. The decision not to include Fintan Drury, chairman of Platinum One, in the contract negotiations might have been his biggest mistake as there was no-one haggling on his behalf when the tug-of-war of compensation erupted.

Drury is someone that Fenlon has used before to close important deals, but the man who brought Real Madrid to Tallaght last summer was not even contacted when problems cropped up in the proposed move to the Tangerines.

Lessons will be learnt from the affair and it has been suggested that Fenlon has been in talks with Bohemians to insert a compensation clause into his contract, so complications can be avoided if, and when, other clubs take an interest in him.

The one thing that is certain about the collapsed move though is that British clubs are finally taking notice of the accomplishments of League of Ireland managers. Maybe Fenlon won’t have to wait too long for that big move after all.

 

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