FORMER Tyrone player Shay McGuigan has hit out at Mickey Harte for “destroying his confidence” in an explosive rant at his ex-manager.
The Ardboe forward took to social media yesterday to respond to comments attributed to the Red Hands’ boss last week.
Harte had hinted that there would be no return for those who left the Tyrone squad earlier this year.
McGuigan, along with PJ Lavery, Dwayne Quinn, Paddy McNeice and Emmett McKenna all left at the end of their National League campaign.
McGuigan was among those who cited a lack of game time as the reason for his departure.
The Red Hands’ boss was quoted in the Irish Star as saying: “There is something about the people who stay and bide their time and have the patience.
“They were probably the people who were going to serve you best in the long run anyway.
“The people who feel they’re not getting as much game time as they want, they tend to be a bit of a drain on the energy of the group, because they feel they should be getting more game time.
“If that [energy drain] is not there and the people who are there have the patience to bide their time and grab the chances that come their way, then I think that is a better place to be.
“And maybe that is a place we find ourselves in now.”
McGuigan, whose father Frank and brothers Frank, Brian and Tommy all played for Tyrone – the last two of them having won All-Irelands under Harte – responded by publicly airing his frustrations on Monday afternoon.
The 24-year-old started Tyrone’s first two McKenna Cup games in January but made just two further substitute appearances, the last of them in the opening round National League defeat by Monaghan in early February.
He voiced his frustration via social media yesterday, saying [sic]: “Last week Mickey Harte made a statement about the players who decided to leave the Tyrone panel in 2015. Yes I was one of them.
“He went on to say “that they were a drain on the energy within the panel”.
“He also stated that men should just hang around and when there chance comes then they should take it.
“I hung on and hung on fully fit and injury free all year. Done all the pre season training from November and through the cold winter nights to sit there seeing the same men week in and week out get there chance and see a player come back into the squad one week before the last league game of 2015 and get on before me just make my decision a whole lot easier.
“When I seen the article last week it made my blood boil and has annoyed me since and that’s why I am posting this now cause I’m not going to sit about and say nothing and let him give his view.
“I busted my balls at training every week even when I didn’t get on I never say with a face on me nor did I huff and any Tyrone player could tell you that.
“Mickey Harte you are a great man and what you have done Tyrone GAA is unbelievable, but do you know what else your great at is destroying a players confidence.”
Mickey Harte was unavailable for comment when contacted yesterday.
