THE brief was to pick his best side from the men he’d played alongside or managed and John Brennan, having played for Derry, managed Derry and won championship titles with five clubs in three counties, had plenty of players to choose from. After much deliberation, the Lavey native has selected an Allstar side and he tells Andy Watters how he’d “love to sit back in the stand and enjoy watching them play”.
1 Shane McGuckin (Loup)
HE could vary his kick-outs and we had a small midfield so he was able to place the ball very well. He was ahead of his time and in 2009 he was outstanding for Loup. He made a point-blank save against Kilrea. His kick-outs against Dungiven and Bellaghy were superb in that championship. His presence and communication were very good and he could drive the players on all over the pitch.
2 Francis McEldowney (Slaughtneil)
A BRILLIANT tackler who was very pacey and teak-tough with it. Francis is a born leader and we have seen that in recent years with how he has gone on to captain Slaughtneil to Ulster titles and in All-Ireland finals. He was there in 2004 when I managed the club to their first Derry title and it meant so much to him. A great team man and a great player.
3 Anthony Scullion (Lavey)
A POWER-HOUSE of a full-back. I tried to persuade Eamonn Coleman to bring him into the county panel. He was a great leader and a motivator who captained Lavey to the Ulster title in 1992 and the Derry title in 1993. His first championship was with me in 1988. A powerful player who was plagued by injuries but he is a role-model for all players because he came through so much to play football. The pride he had and the passion he had to play for his club was immense. Just keeps out Kevin McCloy, another great Lavey player and an Allstar.
4 Conor Gormley (Carrickmore)
CONOR could play any defensive position. At the age of 20 I gave him the easy task of keeping Peter Canavan quiet in the 2001 Tyrone final. Peter had his usual moments but Conor did an excellent job and he made a crucial interception late on in that game when we were down to 14 men and we won by a point. He went on to become a multi-decorated player: an Allstar and an All-Ireland winner.
5 Johnny McGurk (Lavey)
I CAN’T go past Johnny. He started off in 1988 with me and one of his outstanding attributes was that he ran less than any other player on the pitch, yet he had more possession and that was due to his marvellous positional sense. He was a very, very intelligent final and he captained Lavey to the All-Ireland final in 1991. For Derry he scored a crucial winning point against Dublin the 1993 All-Ireland final and in the final against Cork, Derry were under pressure and Johnny scored their first point and got them going. A wonderful player who went on to win and Allstar and it was pleasure to manage him like these other great players.
Another player I considered for this position was Ronan McGarrity from Carrickmore but I had to give it Johnny because… Well, Johnny was Johnny and that was it.
6 Henry Downey (Lavey)
MY God son. He captained Lavey in 1988 at the age of 20. I made him captain because the year prior to that he had suffered a terrible leg fracture playing for Derry U21s against Donegal but came back from it. He was quiet at that time but he became an excellent leader and motivator. He captained Derry to the All-Ireland in 1993 and one of the greatest compliments I could give him was this: Eamonn Coleman phoned me when he was in his last days and said: ‘Your best decision as a manager was making Henry captain (of Lavey) because it made it easier for me’.
7 Anthony McGurk (Lavey)
THE elder of the McGurks and I had the pleasure of playing with him. He was a physical player and we won the championship in 1977. He went on to win one Allstar as a forward and another one as a defender. He also starred for Queen’s University in the Sigerson Cup. He was still playing in 1988 when I was managing and he came on as a sub in the 1991 All-Ireland club final. A fantastic person and an unbelievable player. It was a pleasure to play with him and know him.
8 Patsy Bradley (Slaughtneil)
A NATURAL midfielder. He was outstanding as a 20-year-old when his club won their first championship in 2004 and he progressed into the inter-county game. We all know the leader that he was and, to sum him up, he was a role-model for younger players in how to behave and how to live a footballers’ life. He was plagued by a terrible back injury but he played through the pain barrier. It was a great privilege to manage him.
He had competition from Eugene Laverty and James Shivers, from my own club. They had certain attributes but Patsy just had everything.
9 Seamus McCallan (Carrickmore)
HE had a unique ability; he could catch the ball with one hand while holding off an opponent with the other. He’s the only man I ever saw doing it. He would go up in the air and the ball would roll down his arm into his hand. He gave an outstanding display in the 2001 Tyrone final against Errigal Ciaran. He was massive in that game when we were reduced to 14 men in the second half. He was an unbelievably powerful player and sometimes he didn’t really believe how good he was.
He had competition from two Cargin men I managed: Sheeny McQuillan and Eddie Quinn, who were Antrim stars as well, but I went for Seamus because he had that unique ability. There was something about him and he stood out.
10 Mark Lynch (Derry)
THERE wasn’t a stronger runner in possession. His performance against Armagh in the Ulster semi-final of 2011 still stands out, I remember he ran about 60 metres, beating four defenders. He was a pleasure to manage and he’s still outstanding for his club.
11 Michael McCann (Cargin)
A VERY gifted player and a natural number 11, even though he prefers midfield. When on form he was unmarkable. His performances throughout the 2015 Antrim championship games were a treat to watch, especially against St Gall’s and then Lamh Dhearg in the final when he scored two penalties. He was a real leader for Cargin that year.
12 Johnny McBride (Loup)
ANOTHER natural leader and he had a great year playing for Loup in 2009 in midfield. Johnny’s great strength was that he could position himself to gain possession from kick-outs when he was up against bigger opponents. He was at his very best against Kilcoo in the Ulster club semi-final at Casement Park and also St Gall’s in the Ulster final. He went for the Derry manager’s job recently and it was a disgrace that he didn’t get it.
13 Eoin Bradley (Derry)
‘SKINNER’ was a character with whom I got on well. On his day, there was none better. He was a very intelligent footballer, he was comfortable with either foot and who can forget his performance against Armagh in the 2011 Ulster semi-final? He was unstoppable, he scored a wonder goal and five different Armagh defenders couldn’t deal with him on the day. He was an outstanding player and unfortunately he suffered a cruciate injury before the final and the team’s performance in the final dipped as a result. It was so disappointing for him because Derry hadn’t been to an Ulster final for 12 years before that and they haven’t been to one since.
His brother Paddy was a contender too but Paddy suffered a cruciate injury earlier in the year so he didn’t play.
14 Seamus Downey (Lavey)
HE was the only player I saw who could point to other players while he had possession of the ball and show them where he wanted them to run. He was so comfortable on the ball, he would hold it in one arm and bounce it and solo it and point to fellas to show them what he wanted them to do. He was massively intelligent as a full-forward and he won a championship with Lavey at the tender age of 19. He suffered a horrific knee injury in a league game in 1989 but he had massive willpower to return to the game. The effort he put in in his own house when there wasn’t the medical back-up that there is today was immense. He came back to win championships in 1992 and 1993 with Lavey, an All-Ireland in 1991 with the club and the 1993 All-Ireland with Derry. An outstanding individual.
15 Tomas McCann (Cargin)
ONE of the most talented players I’ve had the privilege of working with. I managed him for two years and he captained Cargin to the 2015 county title. Against St Gall’s in the 2016 final at Corrigan Park he scored a fantastic goal as only he could. He had a great football brain and very skilful.
Another player I thought of for this position was Conleith Gilligan from Ballinderry who played for me for Derry. But Tomas is there because he won a championship with me.
Overview
THERE are a whole lot of other players I could have picked but I based this on those I had the pleasure of winning championships with. There were other great players I had but all these players I have picked really were role-models. They all lived footballers lives and every one of them was so easy to manage. I had total support from them and respect even to this day.
When you look back at these players and all the other names that are on the list that I made out, you realise the good friends you made over the years (I made enemies as well, but only football enemies). It was a pleasure to work with them all and think of the talent these people had and the injuries some of them had… They played through pain barriers and they did everything possible for their clubs and counties.
I feel honoured and proud to have worked with every one of them, they are all great people. I would have loved to see Patsy Bradley and Seamus McCallan playing in the middle of the field together or Mark Lynch teaming up with Michael McCann and Johnny McBride or Skinner and Tomas McCann… If you were able to put that team out on the field it would be great to just sit back in the stand and enjoy watching them play.
