Football

Off the Fence: What goes around, comes around say the readers

Devastation for Tyrone's Darren McCurry. Picture by Philip Walsh
Devastation for Tyrone's Darren McCurry. Picture by Philip Walsh Devastation for Tyrone's Darren McCurry. Picture by Philip Walsh

THE only way our non-Tyrone readers would have been happier this week was if Sky Sports’ closing montage on Saturday evening had featured Justin Timberlake’s What Goes Around Comes Back Around.

When I lifted the receiver to listen to the Off the Fence line yesterday morning, smoke started billowing from the machine.

The email inbox was throwing exclamation marks around itself, saying items needed deleted to make way for the gloating of the rest.

The revelry from the rest of Ulster over Tyrone’s exit from the All-Ireland series was off the scale.

Most of it centred on the comments made by Mickey Harte and Sean Cavanagh around the Red Hand skipper’s dismissal for two second-half yellow cards.

We were just about able to make out ‘Down in Kilrea’ through the choked-back tears.

“Mickey Harte’s comments are a wee bit rich coming from a county that selectively stopped Mayo from playing the game in Croke Park back in the mid-2000s whenever they won one of their All-Ireland titles.

“It was no problem with Mickey then, so why’s it a problem now with Sean Cavanagh? What goes around comes around and you reap what you sow. I’m glad to see Tyrone beat.”

And ‘John from Fermanagh’ was only audible once he turned down the rave music and stopped dancing around his hallway.

“I’m just after reading The Irish News and Mickey Harte’s comments regarding Sean Cavanagh’s situation at the weekend. When I read that, it made me think that I didn’t hear a lot of condemnation from Mickey Harte about the treatment that was handed out to Michael Murphy when Donegal played Tyrone in Ballybofey last year.

“It seems ironic that Mickey Harte should talk about what happened to Sean Cavanagh at the weekend. “Sean Cavanagh’s a wonderful footballer and I felt sorry for him on Saturday, being sent off.”

One good tip if you’re ever thinking of calling Off The Fence: have your alias pre-prepared. Otherwise you go in as ‘Er… Paddy from, er…Lurgan’, and people know you’re not Paddy from Lurgan.

Himself and ‘John from Newry’ both engaged their memories to call on Gregory McCartan-gate, or Diarmaid Marsden-gate.

We chose the submission from ‘Seamus’ simply on the basis that it was a more recent memory.

“I fully understand the frustration and anger expressed by both Mickey Harte and Sean Cavanagh at the latter’s treatment last Saturday in Croke Park. The way influential players are targeted to secure a first yellow card for them has almost become an art form.

“As a Fermanagh man I have been studying this closely this season following the semi-final of the McKenna Cup. Eoin Donnelly, the Fermanagh and Ulster captain, was completely dominating the game in the first half and Fermanagh were comfortably in front.

“He suffered a similar fate as Sean, although it took two players to wrestle Eoin to the ground.

“He had to watch the end of the game from the sidelines after a second yellow card in the second half and for the record, yes, Tyrone won the game.”

Like big Sean, Eoin Donnelly’s second yellow card in Clones that day was avoidable.

Equally, though, the Tyrone fans rallied themselves. ‘Paul from Ardboe’ had this message:

“I’d like to thank Mickey Harte and the Tyrone players for their efforts this year. Though very disappointed at Saturday’s defeat, they have had a fine year. Some great football was played in winning the O Fiaich Cup, McKenna Cup, League and Ulster Championship.

“The fact that we beat Derry five times in the one season will ensure that 2016 will always be fondly remembered by all Tyrone Gaels.”

Just you wait until Derry’s 2002 minors hit their peak, then we’ll see.

And after the initial shock of defeat, ‘Lifelong Tyrone fan Declan’ was in high spirits as well.

“That’s it over for another year. Before we look forward, a few reflections. Was it a good year? Yes it was. McKenna Cup winners, Division Two winners, Ulster champions. On closer inspection, our system needs tweaked.

“Twenty-five points scored over our two most important games of the year; only one shot on goal in those two games; no out-and-out reliable free-taker. Maybe we were better than we showed against Mayo, but not as good as we thought we were.

“Now to the future: We do have leaders, but another year of Sean Cavanagh’s experience is still required. There’s no doubt as we go forward with this young group of players, there’s only one man to lead them. That man is Mickey Harte.”

One ‘Anonymous’ caller did, however, withdraw his membership of the Neutral Mayo Supporters Society.

“I’m not really a football fan. I’d be a hurling fan more than football, but I’d watch it. I’d always have been a supporter of Mayo, as I like to see an underdog winning and I would have liked to have seen them win an All-Ireland.

“But not any more after I watched Aidan O’Shea gesturing with a card in the famous incident where Sean Cavanagh got sent off... I’ve watched his antics over the last couple of games and, for that reason, I’d like to see Mayo continue their run of defeats in All-Ireland semi-finals and finals. I don’t think O’Shea deserves to win an All-Ireland after that kind of gesture.”

An eye for an eye leaves everyone blind.

‘Kieran from Randalstown’ must have The Sky in, and makes a very valid and neutral point about the ‘sledging’ that is now unfortunately an accepted part of the game.

“Jim McGuinness was speaking on Sky about ‘sledging’ and appeared to accept it as just a part of the modern game. A bit like super defensive systems that are perhaps not pretty but ‘hey, it’s where we are today’.

“One thing I do know and it proves itself the older we get – there was huge respect for your fellow players which endured into old age and many of the funerals attended around the country spark recollections of battles fought and won or lost.

“But above all the striving is recalled as manly, even noble. So how will modern players handle this coming phase of their lives? Can you imagine them offering sympathy or condolences to a family member who were the butt of their ‘sledging’ on the field of play.

“Real men have no difficulty in these matters because they know their tongues have not betrayed them earlier in life. Maybe the answer for them is ‘don’t attend any funerals’.

“No-one would deny that modern players aren’t fit and tough. They are definitely fitter and I don’t see many ‘wilting violets’ amongst them.

“Many of them, however, partake in this modern practice called ‘sledging’ and it really diminishes them. Terms like ‘manly’ or ‘noble’ don’t apply, for sure.”

Unless you’re full-back for Laois and Sean Quigley is telling you about his pre-match pizza, there really shouldn’t be much communication between opposing players during a game. It’s supposed to be a black card offence, but there are visible instances of it going completely unpunished. More must be done to cut the bad manners out from all sides.