While Cork City's fate was sealed when they lost the SSE Airtricity promotion/relegation final to Waterford on Friday, Johnny McDonnell believes "alarm bells were ringing" as soon as former manager Colin Healy stepped away from the club in May.
Former Republic of Ireland international Healy guided his hometown club back into the top flight at the end of last season after an excellent promotion campaign.
But life back in the Premier Division proved difficult for Cork and they were second from bottom when he departed after 13 games.
Since then, City have yet to appoint a permanent successor with sporting director Liam Buckley and Richie Holland taking the reins respectively on an interim basis for the remainder of a 2023 season which saw them remain in the promotion/relegation play-off spot, ultimately leading to them meeting and subsequently losing to First Division runners-up Waterford in a frantic extra-time battle at Tallaght Stadium.
Speaking on the RTÉ Soccer Podcast, ex-St Patrick's Athletic and Shelbourne manager McDonnell said Cork's failure to reel in a vulnerable and freefalling Sligo Rovers side in the second half of the campaign was their primary undoing rather than what transpired against Waterford.
"I've said many a time that I wouldn't want to be playing Waterford in the play-off because they were building the momentum and had a plan to get back into the top-flight," he said.
"And I just thought from the perspective of Cork, they needed to catch Sligo. Sligo were there for the taking this year. They were absolutely plummetting down the table, Sligo.
"Cork should have grabbed a hold of that, chased Sligo and made sure they stayed in the Premier Division.
"So it wasn't the game the other night for me that lost it for Cork, it was the build up to it and the months since Colin Healy left and not getting it right and the uncertainty of it. I don't think they addressed it quick enough.
"The alarm bells were ringing when Colin Healy left and that wasn't dealt with then."
Also speaking on the podcast, ex-Drogheda United, Shamrock Rovers and Longford Town defender Graham Gartland felt that Cork may have stayed up if Healy had remained at the club.
But with life back in the First Division now looming, he outlined his concerns for a club with a large fanbase and past successes not too far back in the rearview mirror.
"I worry for Cork because I'm not sure what direction they're going to go in for next season," he said.
"They have got (Dermot) Usher, the owner, but what money does he put in and what players does he get? But where does he get them? That's the thing.
"A lot of the young players are going away or are playing at a higher level, so it becomes a different place to shop."
In the full podcast, McDonnell and Gartland analysed the play-off decider in full, Waterford's potential ahead of what should be an ultra competitve 2024 Premier Division, the FAI Cup final and the upcoming window for Stephen Kenny's Republic of Ireland.
Listen to the RTÉ Soccer podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
We need your consent to load this rte-player contentWe use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
Watch Norway Under-21 vs Republic of Ireland Under-21 in Euro 2025 qualifying on Friday from 4.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player and follow a live blog on www.rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app
Watch the Netherlands v Republic of Ireland on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player this Saturday from 7pm, follow a live blog on www.rte.ie/sport and the RTÉ News app or listen to commentary on RTÉ 2fm.
Watch the Women's FAI Cup final, Athlone Town v Shelbourne, on Sunday from 2.15pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on RTÉ.ie/Sport and the RTÉ News app and listen to live radio commentary on Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1.
