Donegal GAA Discussion Thread

Don2012

Wonder will we see the likes of Mac Niallais, Thompson, McLoone even brick Molloy come back?

MactheKnife90

He deserves our respect for taking the job no one really wanted after Jim and for the work he done under Jim. Thats ae far as it goes for me. Tactically out of his depth. As a man manager he was poor from the outside looking in. The 2nd Ulster final loss was the nail in the coffin for me. The league gave me hope. And the championship comfirmed my opinions since the 2nd Ulster final.
Small list and opinions I compiled from the names being bounced around.
Martin Mc Hugh-No
James Horan-Yes but unlikely
Declan Bonner-No
Pete Mc Grath-A reluctant no
Joe Kernan-Yes
A.Molloy- No
Oisin Mc Conville-Yes
Micky Moran-Yes
A joint partnership of ex players named above. Id add, Rory K, Neily G,

doc_17

Anthony Molloy???? Not a snowballs chance in hell

MactheKnife90

doc_17 wrote: »

Anthony Molloy???? Not a snowballs chance in hell

My thoughts exactly. He was mentioned above, favourably.

Nidgeweasel

So this is the new narrative.

Driven out, forced out even due to the torrent of personal abuse from keyboard warriors and sunshine supporters.

We'll I'm not buying it for one second. And I'm certainly not buying it from people like McGinley who have achieved nothing with Donegal and have no right to pontificate from their ivory towers.

The fact of the matter is this- Gallagher failed to make the best of what was available to him in 2015. Then he did the same in 2016. Then he did the same in 2017.

He has been criticised heavily because it has not been good enough. In terms of 'personal abuse' i'm not sure about that. There is a parody page who put up the ' Couldn't mange Supervalu' post and while that may be embarrassing for him and hurtful it is satire and we need to wise up.

The comments on social media I have seen go to his ability or lack thereof. And I think those comments are fair.

There was and is a clear groundswell in Donegal for new management.

But yet, all that being said, he still had the support of the county board. The County board have also embarrassed themselves massively this week with Dunnion commenting on something that didn't need commenting on and the same from the PRO.

I await a statement on why he has stepped down but it says alot to me that Gallagher wasn't willing to ride out the storm. I have the misfortune to know far too many Tyrone people and I can tell you Mickey Harte has got pelters for years from some quarters - and this is Mickey Harte winner of 3 Senior Al Irelands. But Harte didn't listen to the detractors quietly kept Tyrone getting to the latter stages and now has them primed for a crack at the Dubs.

Gallagher has gone at the first sign of turbulent waters and ultimately I think we are better off.

boxer.fan

There will be all kinds of names bandied about. The list of those who actually want the job will be very short. There's a whole generation of previous IC managers who should be left out I think. Kernan, McGrath et al.

To name a few contenders:
Declan Bonner (likely)
Martin McHugh
James Horan (very unlikely)
SP Barrett
Gary McDaid
Maxi (oh dear)
Kevin Cassidy (hahaha)

Minister Boyce

Declan Bonner's prominent position in both co-commentary on highland and his DN article gives him an unfair advantage. It is hard not to hear his opinions (or as someone else said on here, manifesto) given his access to the local media.

During commentary of the Galway match, he finished up by having a wee cut at Rory about not getting access to the U21s. His DN Article last week? He appears to have it all figured out! It was the best pre-interview broadcast ever!

He has done a lot with underage players, but, he has had his fair share of disappointments with them, including the Tyrone debacle. These are the same lads he needs to motivate to scale new heights in their Senior Careers. Is he the man to do that? I don't think so.

ArnoldJRimmer

boxer.fan wrote: »

There will be all kinds of names bandied about. The list of those who actually want the job will be very short. There's a whole generation of previous IC managers who should be left out I think. Kernan, McGrath et al.

To name a few contenders:
Declan Bonner (likely)
Martin McHugh
James Horan (very unlikely)
SP Barrett
Gary McDaid
Maxi (oh dear)
Kevin Cassidy (hahaha)

Well Kevin is the only one who was able to recognise that Jim underachieved and held the team back from winning two more All Irelands. That combined with his stellar managerial record with Gaoth Dobhair and his fascinating insights on Twitter and the TV makes him the standout candidate IMO

Seriously though, I think we're kidding ourselves if we think the county board will fund anyone from outside the county no matter what their suitability for the job.

boxer.fan

ArnoldJRimmer wrote: »

boxer.fan wrote: »

There will be all kinds of names bandied about. The list of those who actually want the job will be very short. There's a whole generation of previous IC managers who should be left out I think. Kernan, McGrath et al.

To name a few contenders:
Declan Bonner (likely)
Martin McHugh
James Horan (very unlikely)
SP Barrett
Gary McDaid
Maxi (oh dear)
Kevin Cassidy (hahaha)

Well Kevin is the only one who was able to recognise that Jim underachieved and held the team back from winning two more All Irelands. That combined with his stellar managerial record with Gaoth Dobhair and his fascinating insights on Twitter and the TV makes him the standout candidate IMO

Seriously though, I think we're kidding ourselves if we think the county board will fund anyone from outside the county no matter what their suitability for the job.

Bean counters will have the last day no doubt. Sure who cares about the football

boxer.fan

ArnoldJRimmer wrote: »

boxer.fan wrote: »

There will be all kinds of names bandied about. The list of those who actually want the job will be very short. There's a whole generation of previous IC managers who should be left out I think. Kernan, McGrath et al.

To name a few contenders:
Declan Bonner (likely)
Martin McHugh
James Horan (very unlikely)
SP Barrett
Gary McDaid
Maxi (oh dear)
Kevin Cassidy (hahaha)

Well Kevin is the only one who was able to recognise that Jim underachieved and held the team back from winning two more All Irelands. That combined with his stellar managerial record with Gaoth Dobhair and his fascinating insights on Twitter and the TV makes him the standout candidate IMO

Seriously though, I think we're kidding ourselves if we think the county board will fund anyone from outside the county no matter what their suitability for the job.

Bean counters will have the last day no doubt. Sure who cares about the football

BonnieSituation

MactheKnife90 wrote: »

He deserves our respect for taking the job no one really wanted after Jim and for the work he done under Jim. Thats ae far as it goes for me. Tactically out of his depth. As a man manager he was poor from the outside looking in. The 2nd Ulster final loss was the nail in the coffin for me. The league gave me hope. And the championship comfirmed my opinions since the 2nd Ulster final.
Small list and opinions I compiled from the names being bounced around.
Martin Mc Hugh-No
James Horan-Yes but unlikely
Declan Bonner-No
Pete Mc Grath-A reluctant no
Joe Kernan-Yes
A.Molloy- No
Oisin Mc Conville-Yes
Micky Moran-Yes
A joint partnership of ex players named above. Id add, Rory K, Neily G,

Outside of age etc, would be interested to know why?

Minister Boyce

boxer.fan wrote: »

Bean counters will have the last day no doubt. Sure who cares about the football

And mores the pity...

If we are to give ulster another rattle in the next 3 - 4 years then a someone like Tony Mc Entee or Malachy O'Rourke would be good candidates. The only drawback is that the above men may have little interest in what is going on in the county below the U20s.

doc_17

BonnieSituation wrote: »

Outside of age etc, would be interested to know why?

I'd like to know why the Fermanagh players deemed him not good enough for them.

Jayop

doc_17 wrote: »

I'd like to know why the Fermanagh players deemed him not good enough for them.

Very interesting interview with him here giving his side of the story.

http://feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/333862448-user-412264382-ep16-exclusive-with-pete-mcgrath-and-are-tyrone-the-real-deal.mp3

BonnieSituation

doc_17 wrote: »

I'd like to know why the Fermanagh players deemed him not good enough for them.

They were good enough a couple of years ago when they got to the QF and when he got them into Division 2 and kept them there until this year.

I'm not saying he should get the job, but given what he had done with Fermanagh... just seems mad to dismiss. Who said he would take it anyway!

harpsman

Murphy14 wrote: »

I don't believe that Declan Bonner is the right man at this time for the job or indeed Martin Mc Hugh was very close to Rory anyway, I would go for another 92 hero Anthony Molloy he would carry the respect of all Gaa people in the county and rebuild confidence in our younger players over the next 2-3 years while is back room team of coaches could consist of the younger breed of coaches from within Donegal men like Gary Mc Daid,Martin Regan,Joe Mc Brearty, while also looking at a few players from the recent past Damien Diver,Paul Mc Gonigle,Barry Monaghan for example. We really need to choose wisely has the next 2-3 years are going to have a big bearing on Donegal football for the next 10 years

Unite the county, like John Joe. I remember being in Croke Park in '96 when the minor team he managed kicked away a great chance to reach an all-ireland final and he brings on a sub to kick a last minute 50 metre free. Needless to say he missed it. so no,thanks: Anyway im pretty sure hes not interested for personal reasons.

Boom__Boom

Paddypower's current odds on the next manager.

Declan Bonner 4/7
Pete McGrath 7/1
Sean Paul Barrett 9/1
Tony McEntee 9/1
Martin McHugh 10/1
Mickey Moran 10/1
Maxi Curran 12/1
Gary McDaid 14/1
James Horan 14/1
Ryan Porter 16/1
Dessie Farrell 20/1
Brian McIver 20/1
Martin Regan 20/1
Kevin Cassidy 25/1
John Haran 33/1
Brendan Devanney 33/1
Jim McGuinness 33/1
Shay Given 100/1
Daniel O'Donnell 200/1

MactheKnife90

BonnieSituation wrote: »

Outside of age etc, would be interested to know why?

Not sure he is up to the modern game and keeping up with it. Maybe with a very good no.2. Massive respect for the man.

downthemiddle

Boom__Boom wrote: »

Paddypower's current odds on the next manager.

Maxi at 12/1. I'd prefer Daniel.

Boom__Boom

I think Pete McGrath would be a very sensible option if it was an outside manager.

I think the issues he had with the Fermanagh lads were ones that he is very unlikely to have with the Donegal lads.

The appointing of county managers in GAA often seems to remind me of some sort of weird cross between the appointing of a new pope, a Fianna Fail convention for appointing candidates to run for the Dail and some weird ancient rite where a bunch of druids head off to the hills eat/smoke/drink some magic mushrooms and somehow come up with a name.

harpsman

Minister Boyce wrote: »

He has done a lot with underage players, but, he has had his fair share of disappointments with them, including the Tyrone debacle. These are the same lads he needs to motivate to scale new heights in their Senior Careers. Is he the man to do that? I don't think so.

Tyrone debacle?

boxer.fan

The more I think about it the more I believe Declan is the right man for the job. He would likely steady the ship & put a halt to the downward spiral.
It's not like anyone is expecting the team to be challenging the all Ireland final next year. A bit of structure & organisation would take them a long way.

retalivity

Rory g statement

I would like to thank those that have contributed to my involvement with Donegal over the last 7 years.

To my wife Nicola and family, I could never have given the time and effort required without the unconditional support from you all.

I'd like to thank all the County Board Officers I have both met and worked closely with particularly County Chairmen, PJ McGowan & Sean Dunnion, County Secretaries, Aodh Martin O' Fearraigh and Aideen Gillen, County Treasurers, Grace Boyle and Cieran Kelly. I appreciate the contribution everybody makes as volunteers.

A massive thanks to all the management and backroom who have supported myself and the players. Your contributions have been invaluable.

The County's supporters have been outstanding throughout the 7 years particularly when we needed you most, days like Carrick on Shannon in 2013, Croke Park v Cork in 2016 and Navan in 2017 stand out. Having come off defeats the team really appreciated it.

I do not have Facebook or Twitter accounts. I have no interest in Social Media whatsoever. It has no impact on my life or my decision to step away from the senior team.

Only the players and their families, the management and County Board officers can appreciate the effort that the 2017 squad made this season. We understand fully the road we are on. It is the beginning of a new team. It will continue to need huge levels of commitment over the next number of years.

To the players who I have coached and managed thanks for your hunger and desire to be better for Donegal. You should be very proud of yourselves. It made the training pitch a special place to be. We have had tough days and great days. Along the way we have had lots of fun.

Your total support and loyalty throughout the 7 years means a lot.

I'd like to wish all those involved with Donegal GAA the very best in the future.

Rory Gallagher

Redsoxfan

KEYBOARD WARRIORS was trending last night among the hacks and the sanctimonious.

It would make your tit puke. All of them seem to want to lay the blame at the feet of the 'young players'. Well, Rory Gallagher picked those players. There nobody forcing him to pick so many, there are other more experienced players that could have helped with transition. In fairness, maybe he tried some of them in training and challenge matches etc and felt that they fell short of what was required. Fair enough. But he also presided over experienced players who were good enough walking away. Again, that can't be laid solely at his feet, but he shoulders at least some responsibility.

It was the absolute lack of intensity in all Championship games this summer that was the issue. We got away with it against the likes of Antrim, Longford and Meath, but there was no hiding from it against Tyrone and Galway. How many of those who are bleating about the KEYBOARD WARRIORS were actually at those games? I can't believe anyone who was there could defend the performances, they weren't acceptable. Not saying for a second that we have any right to beat Tyrone or Galway, but it was well short of what is reasonable to expect IMHO.

Plenty saying 'sure who would want the job' on the basis that it's such a young team and supporters have become so entitled that it will be impossible to meet expectations. Absolute bollix. I am not sold on the generation coming through, but there is enough there for a decent manager to work with. Supporters are, in general, much more reasonable than is being made out.

I couldn't give a fiddler's **** what Rory says in his statement. I honestly don't know where this 'abuse' narrative has come from. I'm not one for conspiracy theories but it feels like there's something very odd about it all. Maybe it's a case of Purple Monkey Dishwasher or something.

I'll be retiring the #roryout hashtag now. Hopefully won't need a new one.

Donal55

harpsman wrote: »

Tyrone debacle?

Or Tyrone Lannister.

ProudDUB

Maybe this might give ye a bit of a chuckle after a bitch of a week.

https://askmetank.wordpress.com/2017/08/01/how-to-write-like-jimmy-mcguinness/

dxhound2005

Donegal had a run of success in recent years. But before that no Ulster title for 19 years. That is more typical of their past history and things could just be reverting to their natural order. And maybe McGuinness had something which no other manager will be able to recreate.

Murphy14

With regard to the selection process I wouldn't have the greatest confidence that the county board will select or even target the best candidate for the job this is the same committee that gave RG an extension to his term despite losing two Ulster finals that Donegal could and should have won.

BonnieSituation

dxhound2005 wrote: »

Donegal had a run of success in recent years. But before that no Ulster title for 19 years. That is more typical of their past history and things could just be reverting to their natural order. And maybe McGuinness had something which no other manager will be able to recreate.

I'd say it's a case that Donegal underperformed for years after.

1993: Got beaten by Dublin in League Final after finishing top of the regraded National League Group B. Got beaten by eventual All Ireland Champions, Derry in Ulster Final

1994: Got beaten by Tyrone in USF. Down win AI. Beaten by Laois in League QF.

1995: Beaten by Derry in League Final. Beaten by Monaghan in UQF.

1996: Finish top of Division 1 and beaten by Derry in League Final. Beaten by Down in UPR.

1997: Relegated to Division 2 by a point. Tyrone qualify for knock out stages after defeating meath in play-off. Beaten by Ulster Champions, Cavan in USF.

1998: Win Division 2 to qualify for knock-out phase and get to League SF. Beaten by Derry in Ulster Final.

---

That was a cursory glance. Ulster was an absolute hoor as we all know. We all know of Donegal in the earlier part of this century having the reputation that ye did. I'd wager Jim got ye to where you should always have been.

Your statement above reads like you're referring to Offaly or something!

Now that ye are at the top table it's imperative that you don't fook it up and return to the doldrums.

Nidgeweasel

dxhound2005 wrote: »

Donegal had a run of success in recent years. But before that no Ulster title for 19 years. That is more typical of their past history and things could just be reverting to their natural order. And maybe McGuinness had something which no other manager will be able to recreate.

Donegal have been in 15 Ulster finals in the last 30 years.

Granted the return from those finals leaves much to be desired but we're always milling around.