Emmet Moloney writes for the 'Farmers Journal' and is a former sports columnist with 'The Kerryman'.

With media attention greater than ever before, the manager’s job has become one of the most high-profile in Gaelic games. It’s hero or zero and that can't be good for our sport. Emmet Moloney writes...

As I watched Jack O’Connor “get involved” with a Tyrone player at the end of last Sunday’s NFL tie in Omagh I pondered the current life of the GAA manager. O’Connor was probably as fired up as his team and this might go some way to explaining his actions. They were going in to the Lion’s Den against their great rivals and, naturally, Kerry wanted to send a message to Tyrone. They weren’t going to back down physically and this would have been preached all week long at training. O’Connor was probably letting his squad see that meant him as well.

It’s all macho nonsense, of course. No manager should ever get involved in something so unedifying as that. TV pictures of O’Connor being restrained by members of the backroom team as he sought to rejoin a row after the final whistle reminded me of the drunken altercations we witness outside pubs and clubs late at night. Yet today this passes for passionate management.

Jack O’Connor needs to be the man restraining other hotheads. If he cannot control his emotions and discipline, how can he lecture players on that subject? The manager is supposed to be the detached one. He has to be the coolest head of all, watching everything and making cold decisions.

I suspect O’Connor will still lead Kerry to Sam Maguire this September, but paranoia and a siege mentality will be par for the course. And if Tyrone meet them along the way, expect another opportunity for Kerry to show they are “able” for the Ulster teams. There could be more sideline shenanigans.

Of course we have been watching this for years now. Dublin manager Paul Caffrey excelled himself a few years ago when he barrelled into a Mayo mentor before the start of the match. Again this was explained away as the manager empathising with his players. No-one was going to take it lying down and we had the kids in the crèche scene of Dublin and Mayo both warming up in front of Hill 16. Ridiculous stuff, live on television and in front of 80,000 people. But they all loved it!

Heffo and Micko were the first two marquee managers in the GAA. It was a time of long hair and sideburns. Hill 16 was born as the Dubs re-emerged as a football power. There is no disputing that many of Dublin’s new converts were soccer fans first. Nothing wrong with that. All converts are welcome. But with them came a new media emphasis on the Dublin team. The Heffo-versus-Micko element was a nice sideline when there wasn’t any real team news. The Dublin Jackeens against the culchies from Kerry. And the cult of the manager was upon us.

Thirty five years later and it’s a whole new ball game. The manager’s role is now the most pressurised one in Gaelic games. The county manager has a higher profile than his players. Every word and action is scrutinised. These men are all too human and occasionally we see it.

It’s a tough station. This week John McIntyre, Mike McNamara, Pat Gilroy and a few more will be hearing it from all sides. If a player can’t kick a ball over the bar from 30 yards out then the manager is useless. If league games are won then he is a genius that has performed miracles. And it’s only February.

Today, managers are expected to psychoanalyse every single player in their squad and “get them right”. The mental side has taken over from the role of physical preparation which is now shared among a backroom team. This means the manager has a lot of time to think. Too much time on occasion. These men are human and very often that shows. Not all cope with the spotlight very well.

Some, however, are comfortable in it. Micko would be the best example of a man who works the spotlight in his favour. He doesn’t bully or bluster. He charms all before him and he gets results while doing it. Brian Cody somehow manages to stay low-profile. Against Galway in Thurles back in 2004 the mask slipped. Just once did we see the pressure of the job on Brian Cody. He has overseen the capture of six All-Irelands in such a way that we all think we could manage Kilkenny. But we couldn’t.

Over the past 10 years some managers have lived and died by the sword of their high profile. Ger Loughnane seemed to encourage controversy. Tommy Lyons had to endure the fish bowl that is the Dublin bainisteoir’s lot. Richie Connor lasted about five weeks. Mutiny after one league game! Club managers are joining the merry-go-round as well.

The longevity of unique men like Cody is now the exception to the rule. Two years is as long as anyone can realistically hope for in charge of a county, unless success is delivered. And remember that some of them aren’t cheap. We sometimes also forget that only one team wins the All-Ireland. That means only one hurling and football manager gets thanked from the steps of the Hogan Stand every September.

The pressure is unrealistic and it is affecting our game, how it is viewed, how it is reported and how it is enjoyed. Read any match report now from Sunday’s league matches and see how quickly the manager gets mentioned.

But he doesn’t play and can’t play for his team. He will patrol the sideline, roar at referees and disagree with every single decision that goes against his team. He really belongs in the stand where he can see everything but at pitch level the intimidation of the linesmen and refs can be accommodated, as of course can the cajoling of your own players. And on the odd occasion when there is any aggro in your vicinity, you can, like Jack O’Connor, get involved.

Everyone is different and not all managers can have the cool, understated manner of a Mickey Harte. But the more profile they get, the more pressure they feel and this undoubtedly has consequences.

Managers get far too much criticism and far too much praise. Name a famous manager from the ’40s, ’50s or ’60s. That’s right. There were none. It was all about Rackard, Ring and Doyle. As it should be. We can never go back to that truly amateur era, but we can enforce higher standards from those who march the line. They’re getting away with too much these days.

A player can be suspended and actually miss matches but a manager can’t really be hit. Touchline bans are a joke. With the stakes so high and their profile so large, managers have a huge responsibility to behave.

Handbags or not, Jack O’Connor’s antics last Sunday are not remotely what Kerry football is about. It’s not what any manager should be at either.

To catch Emmet's latest column, get 'The Farmers' Journal' every Thursday...