Pat Dolan: Noel King is a class act and high achiever who can help Dundalk avoid relegation

I don’t like Noel King. I love him.

We have had so many bust ups over the years. But the one thing I always respect about people is when they back up their talking with medals. That is Kinger.

His appointment as Dundalk’s new manager has shocked us all. But what surprised me even more was the ageism and sexism in the commentary.

READ MORE: Noel King issues relegation warning for Dundalk as he takes up the reins at the Premier Division basement side

King is 67. That’s not too old to be a manager.

He has also achieved huge success in women’s football. That is a major plus on his CV — so don’t criticise it!

This is a guy who won a double with Shelbourne’s women’s team as recently as 2022. He has won all the major trophies in the League of Ireland.

He managed at international level for a decade. Then when he moved from the Ireland women’s team, he managed for a further eight years with the men’s Under 21 team.

So it is clear that he has a CV which merits respect.

Dundalk manager Noel King at his unveiling at Oriel Park
(Image: ©INPHO/Ciaran Culligan)

The thing I really like about Kinger is that he is not part of the cool gang. He possesses a strong, clear voice.

Players know what he wants. I know this because I played for him at Shamrock Rovers. Everyone in that squad was really impressed by his coaching ability.

He has always had the courage to take a different path — such as the time he left Rovers in the middle of their four-in-a-row chase to sign for a club in France, where his coaching journey began.

He is mentally tough. So if people think they can upset him with their sneers on social media, well, they could not be more wrong.

The claims have been made on social media that King will struggle at Dundalk. And let’s face it, he may.

After all he has inherited a team who are without a win in 11 games, and who have only scored four goals.

Turning that situation around will not be easy. But he can do it.

There is one reality, though. King is not under anywhere near as much pressure as the owner, Brian Ainscough.

He has made this call. Even though the club’s chief executive, Peter Halpin, and the head of football operations, Brian Gartland, appeared to be heading in a different direction.

So, if this appointment does not work out, the flak will be directed at Ainscough.

If I was in charge of recruitment, King is not an appointment I would necessarily have made.

But his CV is one that deserves respect. So give him a chance.

Anyone who has done their homework on King knows that he is more popular with players than he is with the media.

They love his coaching. They love his sessions. They rate him.

King has been a man in demand throughout his career. Jack Charlton rated him and took him into the dugout.

Ireland’s Noel King, assistant manager Maurice Setters, Mick Byrne and manager Jack Charlton celebrate after the 1990 FIFA World Cup Qualifier against Malta
(Image: ©INPHO)

He holds the unique claim to be the only person to manage both the men’s and women’s senior international sides.

And in the big gig, he has a win ratio of 50 per cent. A lot of people in the cool would love their man to have a stat as good as that.

I know what it is like to work under him. I argued with him. I disagreed with his tactics. But I always respected them.

Then, as a rival manager, whenever I came up against a Noel King coached side, I knew I would be in for a tough day. He was innovative, clever, and unafraid to make big changes in key games.

Now in the autumn of his career, he has one job: to keep Dundalk up. He can do that.

You have to admire him for having the guts to try, to show the football world, he is not finished, that you do not have to be young to be modern.

This is someone we should respect. I know I do.

So good luck, Noel. You are going to need it.

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