Ex-Cork hurler feels new Rebels boss must have one key tech skill

Facebook and Twitter have been in the GAA headlines for all the wrong reason over the last few days.

Sean Cavanagh has told us that he wouldn't join social media for fear of the abuse he has already seen directed at county stars, while the Clare County Board has declared they are going to 'take down' those who are posting derogatory statements online about the goings on in the county. But former Cork hurler Alan Browne feels that understanding social media's impact is huge for any prospective county manager operating in Ireland at present. Speaking to the Irish Examiner the former All-Ireland winner believes that the next Cork manager must be very aware of the role that social media plays in players lives. Browne feels that not only do mangers need to be able to work with players on the field, but they must be also aware of their online activities on social media.

"Anybody taking the gig should really have a decent grasp of Facebook and Twitter too. “Social media is such a huge deal nowadays that whoever gets the job has to understand how that all works, what players can and shouldn’t really be posting." “Obviously, what players put out online is their own business but the manager will have to know what is acceptable and unacceptable in that element of the role at the same time." “They have to get the balance between all of those things and the importance of being tech-savvy is a major part of that because the elements off the field are just as importance, if not, of greater importance.

Cork are currently looking for a new county hurling boss after Jimmy Barry Murphy stepped down last month with Tomas Mulcahy, who has his own Twitter account, the current favourite. Midelton manager Jerry Wallace is also set to be interested in the job with Kieran Kingston also in the frame for the job. It's believed that counties such as Kerry, Dublin and Kilkenny already operate a social media code for their players to adhere to in the lead up to games, which may be of interest to the Cork County board as they continue their search.