Less than three weeks later he was lining out for Limerick against Dundalk in a bad-tempered clash that resulted in Dundalk's players and officials being smuggled from the Markets Field as Gardaí held back a mob. Dundalk had led the League after 14 of the 22 matches, but Fox's departure saw them stumble to a runners-up spot behind a Waterford side that would go on to win a total of five titles in the next six seasons. 1968–69 started with a Fairs Cup win over DOS Utrecht, and a runners-up spot in the Shield for the second season in succession. But they failed to challenge in the League, finishing fourth. Another Dublin City Cup (the club's fifth and last before the competition was discontinued) was all that the remnants of Fox's team could achieve. Future Ireland manager Liam Tuohy took over in the summer of 1969, after leaving Shamrock Rovers, and, as a result of his managerial experience, Dundalk entered the new decade at the top of the League, as they had 10-years earlier, having thrashed defending champions Waterford 6–1 in early December. But eight points from 12 games was a disastrous finish to the season, and highlighted just how much trouble the club was in. Due to the debts from the reconstruction of Oriel Park, he was obliged to thin the squad and slash the wage bill. While successful at blooding young players (despite youth policy being neglected since the takeover) it was too much to build a side able to sustain a title challenge. The 1971–72 Shield success would be the high point of his reign, and he quit at the end of that season, criticising a lack of local support in the process. His only other trophy at the club was the 1970–71 Leinster Senior Cup. He rejoined Shamrock Rovers a week later. Dundalk had to sell or release more players (such as Tommy McConville and future manager Turlough O'Connor) to survive after Tuohy left. As a result, the club slid down the League, with a young, inexperienced squad finishing second from bottom in the table in 1972–73. The club's worst season since the 1950s had brought what became known as "Fox era" to a close. To recover the situation a new board took over the running of the club and hired English player-manager John Smith from Walsall. After renegotiating the club's debts the new board were able to provide him with the funds to sign a number of new players.