WHEN Kieran McGeeney was installed as the new manager in Armagh, his appointment generated a tidal wave of optimism.
While Orchard County fans didn’t expect McGeeney to be an overnight success, there was a general belief that he would extract the maximum possible return from his players.
So far, it hasn’t quite worked out like that. A year into McGeeney’s reign and Armagh have been knocked out of the Championship. But it’s not necessarily the exit from the Championship which has perturbed Armagh’s supporters. It has been the nature of their performances.
A poor display against Donegal was followed by a nervous victory over Wicklow which was followed by another stilted performance against Galway. Needless to say, some of the natives are getting concerned.
‘Paul from Lurgan’ said: “I would like to complain about the ridiculous performance of the Armagh team on Sunday. They never learned one thing from the Donegal match. They went out and played the exact same way again.
“They put 14 men behind the ball yet Galway were still fit to run through them and score 1-12 and they should have scored another five or six points. We won two clean catches at midfield during the whole game. Our free-taking was desperate.
“McGeeney needs to change his plan and start playing attacking football. Tony Kernan should have been on at half-time. Whenever Kernan came on and kicked the ball in long, you could see the difference in the Armagh team. It was a ridiculous performance. If I got in for nothing, I wouldn’t go back to see that team again – certainly not if they were going to play like that.”
‘John from Armagh’ said: “I was deeply disappointed and frustrated with Armagh on Sunday. It was a bizarre team structure and bizarre tactics insofar as there weren't any tactics. It was a bizarre team selection, as was the refusal to make any changes until it was too late. There is no excuse for that level of obstinacy.
“Imagine waiting until the 60th minute before making any change to a midfield sector that was getting wiped out. Ciaran O’Hanlon and Gavin McParland could have made a difference to an Armagh forward line that spent most of the game in defence.
“The team has gone back so much since last year. Then, to add insult to injury, McGeeney states to reporters that the team played well for most of the game. What an insult to people’s intelligence. What would Armagh supporters not give to have Tony McEntee in charge of the team.”
Like the previous contributor, `James from Killeavy’ didn’t agree with Kieran McGeeney’s assessment of Armagh’s display.
“I was disgusted when I heard Kieran McGeeney saying that Armagh played well against Galway. I thought his comments were a total disgrace.
“The defensive football Armagh played was totally scandalous. It was the exact same way that they played against Donegal. Why not play a bit of attacking football? We also need to get a free-taker.”
Paddy Heaney's response:Not every manager can achieve dramatic success in their first year. Last year, Pete McGrath endured a rocky first season with Fermanagh. Look at the Ernemen now.
As a player, McGeeney absorbed lessons and improved with each season. His management career has been similar. When he took over Kildare, he lost his first match to a Wicklow side that had never won a Championship game in Croke Park. Kildare went onto to reach that year’s All-Ireland quarter-finals. If Armagh’s supporters are prepared to be patient, McGeeney can improve.
While Fermanagh’s supporters celebrated a famous victory against Roscommon, their great day ended on a sour note when they tuned into The Sunday Game. Keen to relive their brilliant comeback against Roscommon, the screen time on The Sunday Game was an opportunity for Fermanagh fans to showcase the achievements of their valiant team to a wider audience. But that’s not how it worked out.
‘Fermanagh Supporter’ summed up the anti-climax of Sunday night’s viewing experience when he said: “Many thanks to The Sunday Game for squeezing us into their two and a half hour schedule at the end. The two minutes and 13 seconds really encapsulated everything about one of the best ever comebacks in the All-Ireland Qualifier Series.”
`Manus Maguire’ drove from Westport to Enniskillen on Sunday, a 200 mile round trip. Driving back home, Manus looked forward to watching his team’s fantastic victory on The Sunday Game. He, too, was disappointed.
“Why do they give priority to the matches which they have already shown earlier in the day? All they showed was a measly three minutes of the game on the backside of the programme."
Paddy Heaney's response: Apparently, it was two minutes and 13 seconds.
‘Seana from Fermanagh’ was so outraged that she fired off a complaint to RTÉ. A producer from The Sunday Game replied to ‘Seana’. Here is an edited version of that response.
“Fermanagh versus Roscommon was played in Enniskillen. The game was fixed for Sunday at 3.30pm. The game finished at 5pm. It would’ve been 5.30pm by the time the interviews would’ve been completed. It would’ve then taken at least two hours to edit down the sequence into a report [7.30pm]. It would then have taken another two hours at least to drive the tapes back to Dublin so it was 9.30pm when the tapes finally arrived back to base by which time the show had begun and the guests were in studio. We have limited resources. Last weekend, we had the ability to send an outside broadcaster to one game and it was sent to Armagh. That decision was based on the fact that we thought it was going to be a more interesting game for the audience.
If we had a time machine, we would have made a different decision.”
Paddy Heaney's response: Even with the benefit of an outside broadcast unit, the highlights of the game between Armagh and Galway were condensed into a few minutes. It appears that the show runs to a pre-ordained template – and it doesn’t matter what happens – the script is not allowed to be changed.
Yes, the producers of The Sunday Game are working under time constraints. But ultimately, it boils down to judgement. What's the most newsworthy result on Sunday? It was Fermanagh’s victory over Roscommon and the game in Brewster Park was afforded approximately two minutes of screen time.
Finally, amid the rumblings of a plot to unseat Jim McCorry as Down manager, a couple of readers have voiced their support for the Mourne boss.
‘Red and Black’ said: “I would like to congratulate Kevin McKernan for the way he has come out and backed Jim McCorry. Kevin McKernan is 100 per cent right. I don’t know what these ex-players are talking about in their newspaper columns. None of them have ever done anything in management. When these players have taken a club to a county final, their opinion will mean something.
“These ex-players, who have their own agendas, need to stop pulling Jim McCorry apart. Jim McCorry has proved himself. At least Jim wants to manage Down. The same can’t be said for the players who aren’t willing to play for their county.”
‘Patsy from Down’ said: “I think Jim McCorry should be given another chance for next year. He got them into Division One. It will just take a bit of time until he gets a settled team. I think he will make a job of the Down team yet. It will just take a bit of time. Give the man a bit of time.”
Paddy Heaney's response: There is no suggestion of Kieran McGeeney being sacked in Armagh. This year, McGeeney’s main achievement came when Armagh won Division Three. McCorry took Down into Division One. Sacking McCorry makes the same sense as sacking McGeeney.
