Jon Daly deserved time but St Pat's couldn't afford to wait

Jon Daly's dismissal as manager of St Patrick's Athletic brings to an end a tenure that has been, by most objective measures, a rollercoaster.

Just six months into his role, Daly had already etched his name into the club's history books by securing the club’s fifth FAI Cup and finishing third in the league, keeping the Saints in contention for the title until the final games of the season.

Under his stewardship, St Pat's experienced a blend of short-term success and long-term promise, primarily through his instant achievements with cup success and his astute belief in the club’s young players.

Daly's faith in nurturing the club’s young talent saw several academy graduates thrive in the first team, only to move on to clubs in England. While financially beneficial to the players, the club is left receiving only compensation which most likely is only enough to keep the lights on in the academy for another year, if that.

Losing these players left gaping holes in his squad.

These sales, while a testament to the quality of the club's youth setup, did not help Daly’s cause when his future was being weighed up.

I wrote briefly last week about Paul Cook and a glimpse into his recruitment thinking. "You live and die on your recruitment, son" was another regular phrase of his.

The departures of key players like Sam Curtis, Adam Murphy, Dean Lyness, Tommy Lonergan, Mark Doyle, and the on-loan Conor Carthy - all players the club tried to keep hold of - created a void that was challenging to fill.

In particular, the right back issue has been problematic for the team so far this season, with nobody performing consistently in that position since losing Curtis.

Add to that the long-term injury to Tom Grivosti and the niggling issues Joe Redmond