Seán Thomas (died 24 June 1999) was an Irish football manager.

Club management

After a short playing career with Home Farm and C.Y.M.S., a left back who had to give up playing because of an injury, he attended Loughborough University for periods from 1956–1959 to learn all the aspects of successful coaching. Thomas had short spells as coach at Sligo Rovers and Home Farm before moving to Shamrock Rovers in 1961 for Rovers' tour in the

International Soccer League (1960-1965) The International Soccer League was a U.S.-based soccer league which was formed in 1960 and collapsed in 1965. The League, affiliated with the American Soccer League, featured guest teams primarily from Europe and some from Asia, South America, ...

. In his 3 years at

Glenmalure Park Glenmalure Park, often simply known as Milltown, was a football stadium on the Southside of Dublin city in Ireland. Located in the suburb of Milltown, it was home to Shamrock Rovers from 1926 to 1987, when it was sold to property developers b ...

, he picked up one

League of Ireland The League of Ireland ( ga, Sraith na hÉireann), together with the Football Association of Ireland, is one of the two main governing bodies responsible for organising association football in the Republic of Ireland. The term was originally use ...

title, 2 FAI Cups and 2

League of Ireland Shield The League of Ireland Shield ( ga, Sciath Sraithe na hÉireann) is a defunct Irish football tournament which was introduced when the League of Ireland started in 1921 and ran uninterrupted until 1972. It was played before the league season began ...

s. After the 2–2 draw with

Valencia CF Valencia Club de Fútbol (, ca-valencia, València Club de Futbol ), commonly referred to as Valencia CF (or simply Valencia) is a professional football club based in Valencia, Spain, that currently plays in La Liga, the top flight of the Spa ...

at the

Estadio Mestalla Mestalla Stadium ( es, Estadio de Mestalla , ca-valencia, Estadi de Mestalla ) is a football stadium in Valencia, Spain. The stadium is the home of Valencia Club de Fútbol and has a capacity of 48,600 seats, making it the 8th-largest stadium i ...

in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup on 10 October 1963, Thomas commented "to say I am proud of the team is an understatement, I have never felt so proud of Shamrock Rovers as I have tonight. Their performance was the finest I have seen in my three years at the club". After a bust up with the Cunninghams (Rovers' owners) at the end of the 1963–64 season, he quit the Hoops. He was Bohs' first ever manager as before Thomas Bohs had only ever had coaches or trainers and a Selection Committee of five actually picked the side. It was a homecoming of sorts for Thomas as he grew up on the Phibsborough Road which backed on to

Dalymount Park Dalymount Park (Irish: ''Páirc Cnocán Uí Dhálaigh'') is a football stadium in Phibsborough on the Northside of Dublin, Ireland. It is the home of Bohemian F.C., who have played there since the early 20th century. Affectionately known ...

and was an associate member of the club in his early years. Bohs had finished last the previous season and Thomas showed his credentials by managing the then still amateur Bohemians to a 3rd-place finish that season, just 5 points behind winners Drumcondra. This was a remarkable achievement considering the rest of the league was professional and Thomas was awarded Irish Soccer Writers' Personality of the Year. The following season, Bohs once again finished 3rd in the league and this time, won the Leinster Senior Cup and

Presidents Cup The Presidents Cup is a series of men's golf matches between a team representing the United States and an International Team representing the rest of the world minus Europe. Europe competes against the United States in a similar but considerably ...

. The performances of his young players were noticed however and 8 of the amateur team left at the end of the season for the professional ranks;

Turlough O'Connor Toirdhealbhach Mór Ua Conchobhair (old spelling: Tairrdelbach Mór Ua Conchobair; 1088 – 1156) anglicised Turlough Mór O'Conor, was King of Connacht (1106–1156) and High King of Ireland (ca. 1120–1156). Family background and early life ...

and Jimmy Conway for Fulham and Larry Gilmore and Kevin Murray for

Dundalk Dundalk ( ; ga, Dún Dealgan ), meaning "the fort of Dealgan", is the county town (the administrative centre) of County Louth, Ireland. The town is on the Castletown River, which flows into Dundalk Bay on the east coast of Ireland. It is h ...

. He signed a three-year contract in April 1966. The predicted collapse never happened and the "Gypsies" went one better and finished runners-up in the 1966–67 season. Thomas's abilities did not go unnoticed and Boston Shamrocks enticed him across the Atlantic for the newly proposed American League. This move turned sour though as Boston failed to gain a place in the elite league and within a year, Thomas had returned to

. After the heroics of the previous seasons, Bohs finished rock bottom of the league without Thomas and were in dire straits financially. 1968/69 brought little joy on the field but off it, an historic EGM of Bohemian members in February 1969 saw the club's constitution changed to allow payment to players.

Tony O'Connell Anthony O'Connell (born 12 February 1941) is an Irish former professional footballer who played as a forward during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. Career Shamrock Rovers O'Connell first came to prominence as a winger in 1959 with Shamrock Rovers ...

, Dinny Lowry and

Johnny Fullam John Rowan "Johnny" Fullam (22 March 1940 – 10 June 2015) was an Irish association footballer. Career Born in Dublin, Fullam began his career at Home Farm before signing for Preston North End in 1958. He scored 6 goals in 49 league appea ...

were soon signed and in 1970 Bohs won their first major trophy for 34 years when beating Sligo Rovers in the FAI Cup Final. This success meant Bohs would enter European competition for the first time. During this time Thomas spotted

Liam Neeson William John Neeson (born 7 June 1952) is an actor from Northern Ireland. He has received several accolades, including nominations for an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and two Tony Awards. In 2020, he was placed 7th on ''The I ...

and he appeared as a substitute against Shamrock Rovers in a trial game. Bohs finished fourth, third and third again in the next 3 seasons under Thomas's guidance with the young talents of

Mick Martin Michael Paul Martin (born 9 July 1951) is an Irish former professional footballer, best known for his time at Manchester United, West Bromwich Albion and Newcastle United. He also represented the Republic of Ireland national football team more ...

and

Gerry Daly Gerard Anthony Daly (born 30 April 1954) is an Irish former footballer who played in the Football League for Manchester United, Derby County, Coventry City, Leicester City F.C., Leicester City, Birmingham City F.C., Birmingham City, Shrewsbur ...

flourishing. In July 1973, Thomas resigned as manager of Bohemians. He would not be out of the game for long however and later had spells back at Shamrock Rovers, where he won the League Cup in 1976. This triumph was Rovers' first trophy in seven years and it was the 7th different competition Thomas had won with the club. He also managed

Athlone Town Athlone Town Association Football Club () is an Irish football club from Athlone who are playing in the League of Ireland. The club is the oldest in the League as it was founded in 1887. First elected to the League of Ireland in 1922, they pl ...

and Bray Wanderers.

International management

Sean Thomas had previously managed a League of Ireland XI when they defeated their English counterparts 2–1 at Dalymount Park in 1963. He also managed the Under 23 Republic of Ireland side on three separate occasions - all 0–0 draws with France. Thomas took over as manager of the Republic of Ireland national football team in June 1973 after the resignation of Liam Tuohy. His reign as manager lasted for only one game in June 1973. The game was an international friendly versus Norway at

Ullevaal Stadion Ullevaal Stadion () is an all-seater football stadium located in Oslo, Norway. It is the home ground of the Norway national football team, and the site of the Norwegian Cup Final. From its opening in 1926 to 2009 it was the home ground of FK ...

and it ended in a 1–1 score draw. Thomas was replaced in October 1973 when

Johnny Giles Michael John Giles (born 6 November 1940) is an Irish former association football player and manager best remembered for his time as a midfielder with Leeds United in the 1960s and 1970s. After retiring from management in 1985, Giles served as t ...

was appointed as the full-time manager.''Gifted in Green'', Adam Ward, 1999. PB) p.74

Honours as manager

Team

: 1 :: * Shamrock Rovers - 1963-64 Flag of Ireland

FAI Cup: 3 :: * Shamrock Rovers - 1962, 1964 * Bohemians - 1970 Flag of Ireland

League of Ireland Cup The League of Ireland Cup ( ga, Corn Sraithe na hÉireann), also referred to in Ireland as the 'League Cup', is an annual knockout competition in men's football in the Republic of Ireland. It is contested by League of Ireland clubs and invited c ...

: 1 :: * Shamrock Rovers - 1976 Flag of Ireland

: 2 :: * Shamrock Rovers - 1962–63, 1963–64 *

Top Four Cup The Top Four Cup was an association football super cup featuring the top four clubs in the League of Ireland. It was first held in 1955–56 and last played for in 1973–74. It was played at the end of the season. Shamrock Rovers were the i ...

: 1 * Bohemians - 1972 *

Dublin City Cup The Dublin City Cup is a defunct Irish football tournament which was played for by all League of Ireland sides (and not just those from Dublin city as the name suggests). It ran from 1933 and ran uninterrupted until 1973. In the 1975–76 se ...

: 1 * Shamrock Rovers - 1963-64 * Leinster Senior Cup: 1 * Shamrock Rovers - 1963-64 *

LFA President's Cup The LFA President's Cup was an association football cup competition featuring League of Ireland clubs affiliated to the Leinster Football Association. It was played for between 1930 and 2002. It was a ''de facto'' national super cup and on t ...

: 1 * Shamrock Rovers - 1963-64

Personal

* SWAI Personality of the Year: 1965 * Bohemians - 1964/65 * PFAI Merit Award: 1992 * 1992

References

* ''Gaffers: 50 Years of Irish Football Managers'' by Trevor Keane *Shamrock Rovers programme 21/09/97. {{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Sean Republic of Ireland football managers Republic of Ireland national football team managers League of Ireland managers Sligo Rovers F.C. managers Shamrock Rovers F.C. managers Bohemian F.C. managers Home Farm F.C. coaches Athlone Town A.F.C. managers Republic of Ireland association footballers 1999 deaths Year of birth missing Home Farm F.C. players Association football defenders