Time for Gilroy to go

The Minstrel

I've said it from day 1 and while I know many of you will disagree, here's why I think he should go:

Firstly, the inexplicable failure of last year. Getting battered by Kerry but not taking any responsibility for the defeat. Using Whelan etc as impact subs seemed to be the only trick up his sleeve and Kerry knew what to expect.

This summer: waffling on the whole time about being underdogs. He may have deflected some of the usual pressure, but so what?? Can anyone imagine how we would have done if Bernard Brogan was injured? Gilroy left us exposed by not putting enough point scorers in the forward line.
Does anyone think David Henry at full forward was taking it a bit far with the defensive tactics?

There's more to it than the 70 min intense workrate. A couple of intelligent point scorers like Keaney and Quinn would have made the difference. Perhaps their experience would have told?

Tommy Carr and Lyons both left after 2 years....one pushed, one walked. Gilroy's record isn't as good as either.

Ian_K

Ridiculous question, this has argueably been the Dubs best year since they last won Sam and Gilroy deserves huge credit considering the inexperience of his squad and his policy of bringin young lads through

Its not pretty to watch but he's getting the best out of the players at his disposal and that's all you can ask of him

Syferus

Who said the boo boys had packed it up for the season?

tonc76

What a rediculous statement. This Dublin team will learn from yesterday and have youth (in the main) on their side. Expect a good push for Sam in the next year or two. If you get rid of Gilroy now you will ruin all that he has done.

Kneejerk reaction or what???

Dublin were beaten by a Cork team that have contested AI and AI semis over the past 5/6 years. They've only been beaten by Kerry in championship football in the last 4 years ffs.

listermint

For instant thread fails, just ad a sprinkle of bulls^&£

FastFuse

Is that the sound of a knee jerking?

The game against Cork was very tight. Small things went against us.Lets say for argument sake those things went for us and we were in the All Ireland final. Would this thread exist at this stage? Would it wait until Dublin were beaten in the final? Or if Dublin went on to win the final, would this be in existence then?

aidan24326

Gilroy has made huge strides with this team. Not the word TEAM here. That's what he's built. It's a big change from the over-hyped prima donna days of the Caffrey era, when it seemed to be all about egos and who could become the new darling of the hill. Very few people liked that Dublin team with their taunting and goading of the opposition.

But Gilroy has built in a new ethos of teamwork and everyone pulling together, with no nonsense, and he deserves credit for turning Dublin's season around after a nightmare start. Whatever you think of his defensive system it has worked (after a few teething problems) and yesterday they came agonisingly close to beating Cork having already disposed of Tyrone. A little bit of indiscipline in defence cost them in the finish and that comes down to inexperience. He deserves another year to see if he can bring this team on a bit further. With Kerry and Tyrone possibly heading into a transitional phase there's an All-Ireland to be had in the next couple of years.


EDIT one thing I'd agree with is that he definitely needs more scoring forwards on the pitch, as Bernard Brogan can't be expected to carry the burden on his own the whole time.

Raedwald

He has had 2 years. He has 1 year left on his contract, I expect him to finish his term in charge at the end of next season.

ShamoBuc

Op - like knee jerking much?

deancogan28

Why should Gilroy go??? Dublin have only won 1 all Ireland in 30 years, there is no law stating that Dublin have the right to win.. Gilroy has done great work with a bunch of average players (excluding B.Brogan).. Take O'Gara for example, probablythe worst forward in the country.. The Dublin County board should be begging Gilroy to stay, and as for the Dublin fans, well lets just say always the bridesmaid....

listermint

deancogan28 wrote: »

Why should Gilroy go??? Dublin have only won 1 all Ireland in 30 years, there is no law stating that Dublin have the right to win.. Gilroy has done great work with a bunch of average players (excluding B.Brogan).. Take O'Gara for example, probablythe worst forward in the country.. The Dublin County board should be begging Gilroy to stay, and as for the Dublin fans, well lets just say always the bridesmaid....

Hold your horses,

Typical ONE POSTER attitude, take your tarring brush back to the shop.

Newtown90

Gilroy go??

No way!!...

Im a Kerry man and honestly i laughed when i heard he had ye training twice a day in the winter... I said you couldnt make race-horses our of donkeys but he has gone very close to it..

He got beat badly by us last year and a lot of managers would say f*ck it, its not worth the grief...

He started with a blank canvas, brought in young unknown players who honestly have become stars... I think he is the one manager ye have had in a good while who has the right attitude, given ye do need one or two more scoring forwards but in a county like Dublin that should be no problem..

I have great respect for him and honestly i feel the Kerry management need to take a leaf out of his book and forget about who you are and what you've done and start from scratch..

I'm sure the Dubs will be back...

deancogan28

deancogan28 wrote: »

Why should Gilroy go??? Dublin have only won 1 all Ireland in 30 years, there is no law stating that Dublin have the right to win.. Gilroy has done great work with a bunch of average players (excluding B.Brogan).. Take O'Gara for example, probablythe worst forward in the country.. The Dublin County board should be begging Gilroy to stay, and as for the Dublin fans, well lets just say always the bridesmaid....

Dean mate, time to re-sit leaving cert maths.

That or it's time to get a clue.

Het-Field

The Minstrel wrote: »

I've said it from day 1 and while I know many of you will disagree, here's why I think he should go:

Firstly, the inexplicable failure of last year. Getting battered by Kerry but not taking any responsibility for the defeat. Using Whelan etc as impact subs seemed to be the only trick up his sleeve and Kerry knew what to expect.

This summer: waffling on the whole time about being underdogs. He may have deflected some of the usual pressure, but so what?? Can anyone imagine how we would have done if Bernard Brogan was injured? Gilroy left us exposed by not putting enough point scorers in the forward line.
Does anyone think David Henry at full forward was taking it a bit far with the defensive tactics?

There's more to it than the 70 min intense workrate. A couple of intelligent point scorers like Keaney and Quinn would have made the difference. Perhaps their experience would have told?

Tommy Carr and Lyons both left after 2 years....one pushed, one walked. Gilroy's record isn't as good as either.

1.Tommy Carr got four years. He won no silverware, and it is a bit of a myth that he was building a side which was on the cusp of an All Ireland Final. When Dublin stormed the 2002 season, many of his stalwarts were dropped. Tommy Lyons got three years, and managed to lose to Laois and Westmeath in successive Leinster Championship games. Both were given ample opportunities, and they didnt rise to the challange.

2.Dublin Football has managed to ween itself off relying on players like Conal Keaney and Tomas Quinn, who were serial underachievers. Both players missed many glaring chances in the mid noughties, which heavily contributed to failing against Mayo and Kerry in those crucial semi-finals. Their experience may well have told. But their past failings would also suggest that it is not something to be relied on

3.Henry has become the equivalent of a "box to box" soccer player. He can drop deep, and his strength in running is crucial when you have only two forwards in advanced positions.

4.The saying "Rome wasnt built in a day" was almost blown out the window this year by Gilroy and his panel. Yesterday, a side which had suffered two pastings in the sharper ends of the 2008/2009 tournament, were within seconds of entering it's first AI Final in 15 years. This was with a bunch of players who only really started playing together in the Armagh game.

Gilroy deserves credit this term, not the sack.

DARK-KNIGHT

every year when dublin exit the championship this same thread is sure to pop up - we should sack the manager..???? why???

absolutely fairweather follower i reckon op!!

an absolute joke of a thread..

gilroy deserves at least another year as who else is there even?

and people wonder why so many ABD supporters? its because of fans like this starting threads like this for me.

op get a clue

btw hard luck to dublin yesterday

girvtheswerve

He's definitely done the best he can with a limited group. He has installed a great attitude to the team.

They're not even as annoying and unlikeable anymore! Cant help but respect the hard work and commitment they've shown this year.

hisholinessnb

The Minstrel wrote: »

Does anyone think David Henry at full forward was taking it a bit far with the defensive tactics?

Given that Henry is a forward and plays in the forwards for his club and was playing OUT OF POSITION in defence on previous occasions I actually think you have no idea what you are talking about.

rightwingdub

No way should they get rid of Gilroy he's done a great job this summer after the debacle of the Meath match, Dublin beat Tyrone against all the odds and they should have beaten Cork yesterday but a lack of discipline cost Dublin badly in the end.

Dublin simply aren't good enough to win an All Ireland.

j8wk2feszrnpao

Gilroy deserves another year, at least.

It may be tougher next year if he uses the same negative tactics though. A sweeper system would have nulified a lot of Dublin attacks.

Fandango

deancogan28 wrote: »

Why should Gilroy go??? Dublin have only won 1 all Ireland in 30 years, there is no law stating that Dublin have the right to win.. Gilroy has done great work with a bunch of average players (excluding B.Brogan).. Take O'Gara for example, probablythe worst forward in the country.. The Dublin County board should be begging Gilroy to stay, and as for the Dublin fans, well lets just say always the bridesmaid....

Another knee jerk post. Only 1 person on this thread has said that Gilroy should walk and its the OP. Strange that for something that is supposedly a "typical attitude".

As for Gilroy, I was questioning whether he was the right man at the start of the year alright. Hadnt decided on a definate starting 15 and the team didnt seem any better than the one that got destroyed by Kerry. This showed against Wexford and Meath in the championship. Since then however he has improved a huge amount and learnt from those mistakes. He has taken egos out of the team and made sure every plyer knows that hard work and graft is what will keep them on the pitch and that has shown in the games since. It seems alot of people expect instant results from a new manager. If i may change sport for a second, remember that Alex Fergusson, widely accepted as one of the best managers of all time in any sport got off to a horrible start at Man U. If people took the same attitude as the OP, he would have been shown the door decades ago but look what patience has brought.

Flukey

Only one team can walk away with the Sam Maguire each year. That does not mean that the managers of all of the others should go. Some should, but of the managers of teams that are out for this year, Pat Gilroy is certainly amongst those that should stay. The first half against Wexford was the worst I have ever seen in a championship match by Dublin. It looked like they had picked up where they left off against Kerry last year. What I saw yesterday was very different. Pat Gilroy has to be given credit for that. So it is time for him to go... and have a good rest and then start preparing his team for the challenges of 2011, starting with the Blue Stars match in January, where people like the OP won't be there to support their team. Many of us will be there and the dream, which may well be dashed again in 2011, will continue.

existential

Gilroy has brought Dublin on further than Caffrey has and should definitely stay. The Dubs were unlucky on the day but they are on the right track to make a serious challenge for Sam in the next couple of years. This Dublin team certainly won't get hammered like former Dublin teams were prone to do at the business end of the Championship by the likes of Kerry, and Tyrone.

super_furry

Jesus wept. He's building a new squad, building a new system and only halfway through that project. This year they surpassed expectations in what was esentially a 'free' run because of the time it takes to put together a new team.

DH2K9

The Minstrel wrote: »

I've said it from day 1 and while I know many of you will disagree, here's why I think he should go:

Firstly, the inexplicable failure of last year. Getting battered by Kerry but not taking any responsibility for the defeat. Using Whelan etc as impact subs seemed to be the only trick up his sleeve and Kerry knew what to expect.

This summer: waffling on the whole time about being underdogs. He may have deflected some of the usual pressure, but so what?? Can anyone imagine how we would have done if Bernard Brogan was injured? Gilroy left us exposed by not putting enough point scorers in the forward line.
Does anyone think David Henry at full forward was taking it a bit far with the defensive tactics?

There's more to it than the 70 min intense workrate. A couple of intelligent point scorers like Keaney and Quinn would have made the difference. Perhaps their experience would have told?

Tommy Carr and Lyons both left after 2 years....one pushed, one walked. Gilroy's record isn't as good as either.

The one time Bernard didn't play well was against Louth when he scored 3 points. Yet the Dubs still scored 2-14 so that proves that the dubs aren't a one man team.

Keaney and Mossy had their chances on the big stage and failed miserably. they aren't "intelligent point scorers" and are simply not as good as you think they are.

Finally as for Gilroy's record well if you actually looked at it you would see its fairly impressive. 1 Leinster SFC, 1 All-Ireland Quater-Final, 1 All-Ireland Semi-Final. The two times we have been eliminated under Gilroy from the championship has been against the champions last year(Kerry) and the favourites for the championship this year(Cork). So it speaks for itself really.

He has a great young team that will win many all-Irelands for years to come. It is a bright future and that is down to one man Gilroy.

teednab-el

nonsense thread. Gilroy has done excellent this year for the group of players he had. I think he is a good manager completely different to pillar who did nothing for the dubs.

rooney111

the previous 2 years the dubs were hammered by kerry and tyrone the year before.all talk and no football.this year was low key and they came within a kick of the ball away from the final.all down to gilroy,just came up short this year

chinguetti

Gilroy to go? He built a new team (6 remained from last year's starting 15against Kerry)a new system and nearly got them to an AI final. Why in heaven's name would anyone look for his head?

He needs to keep working and have a plan B, get a new forward who can shoot for scores and get O'Gara to work all winter on his shooting and general play.

Don't know if anyone was listening to 'Off the Ball' earlier but people were sending texts in blaming Brogan for not scoring enough to win the match yesterday. I nearly lost control of the car on the M50 when i heard it.

teednab-el

chinguetti wrote: »

Don't know if anyone was listening to 'Off the Ball' earlier but people were sending texts in blaming Brogan for not scoring enough to win the match yesterday. I nearly lost control of the car on the M50 when i heard it.

Its funny how people see things. B. Brogan best player on the field but the majority of Dubs will judge him on the one mistake he did do in the end in going for a point instead of lobbing the ball into the square. Harsh but reality.

Its a bit like Ray Cosgrove in 2002. Unreal footballer that year and good scorer but he will be always remembered for missing the equalising point against Armagh in the semi final of 2002 eventhough he was one of the main reasons for getting them there in the first place. Sometimes players can be harshly criticised.

deancogan28

Oh I am so sorry... not 30 years.. 28 years... semantics. I am not a matemician, but the numbers are there for all to see... 1 all Ireland in 28 years.......

Tristram

I'd like to see Gilroy get a year tagged on.

jordainius

deancogan28 wrote: »

Oh I am so sorry... not 30 years.. 28 years... semantics. I am not a matemician, but the numbers are there for all to see... 1 all Ireland in 28 years.......

Um, wrong again!!

Colm R

Right now, 11 months or so out from the quarter finals of 2011, and if Cork are there, the team I would want to avoid most is Dublin. Thats my endorsement of Gilroy.

The last deccade was about Kerry and Tyrone (and Kilkenny). With the underage strength shown in both counties, this decade might be about Cork and Dublin (and alas...Kilkenny)

rpurfield

shared a link to this thread on a friends facebook page,now hes die hard dublin and a few of my mates are and seen it and the general consensus is the OP hasn't a clue what hes on about.i thought id get the feeling among true dublin fans instead of commenting myself on it!!

KenJG

Rubbish, actually can't believe I'm dignifying it with a response. I have been attending Dubs games for 23 years now and not once have I called for a managers head. Real supporters support the team and the management through thick and thin. Pat Gilroy has carried himself through defeat and victory with dignity and honour, he has stuck to his convictions and beliefs where others may have faltered and has brought a young team to within a whisker of an AI final,. Sack him now and you could set Dublin football back another ten years.
Grow up and get behind the team and management from next January on.
UP THE DUBS

deancogan28

deancogan28 wrote: »

Oh I am so sorry... not 30 years.. 28 years... semantics. I am not a matemician, but the numbers are there for all to see... 1 all Ireland in 28 years.......

This post is so beautiful in it's stupidity. Just brilliant.

Stevecw

I clicked into this thread expecting it was posted after the Meath game by a p!ssed off Dub.
Can't believe it was yesterday!! How can anyone say he should go, when he brought Dublin a couple of stupid defensive fouls away from reaching the AI final??? The man has worked a miracle there to make them such a hard team to beat, brought in so many new guys, beat Tyrone....just think back what was it 2 years ago? What Tyrone did to Dublin.

The OP must be having a laugh here and stirring things if he thinks its time for Gilroy to go.
You should be thanking your lucky stars this guy came in and did what he did. You now have a new young team,already in last 4 in country.
Give him next season, and then decide...but I think Gilroy is doing great, except for keeping playing O'Gara that guy is no more a footballer than Steven Irelands 7 dead grannys were.

overmantle

I would have thought the Dubs would be delighted with the progress of Dublin under Gilroy this year.

blackbelt

overmantle wrote: »

I would have thought the Dubs would be delighted with the progress of Dublin under Gilroy this year.

We are,well the vast majority of us anyhow.

Fandango

Stevecw wrote: »

I clicked into this thread expecting it was posted after the Meath game by a p!ssed off Dub.
Can't believe it was yesterday!! How can anyone say he should go, when he brought Dublin a couple of stupid defensive fouls away from reaching the AI final??? The man has worked a miracle there to make them such a hard team to beat, brought in so many new guys, beat Tyrone....just think back what was it 2 years ago? What Tyrone did to Dublin.

The OP must be having a laugh here and stirring things if he thinks its time for Gilroy to go.
You should be thanking your lucky stars this guy came in and did what he did. You now have a new young team,already in last 4 in country.
Give him next season, and then decide...but I think Gilroy is doing great, except for keeping playing O'Gara that guy is no more a footballer than Steven Irelands 7 dead grannys were.

What Tyrone did to us (and in his time) what Kerry did to us, what Wexford did to us in the first half, what Meath did to us. Most managers wouldnt be able to turn that around but for the first time in close to a decade, after the qualifiers i thought we had a half genuine shot at the AI. Not cos we were the best team, we certainly werent! But the work ethic and steel he has put into the team and everyone working for eachother, which has been seriously lacking in recent years. IMHO, GAA managers never get enough time to prove themselves. If it doesnt work in 2 years, it will never work.... brings me back to Alex Ferguson. Managers need a few years to build the squad, get the tactics right etc. Gilroy walk? Not a hope! He has done alot over a few months, whatever about what happened before. Id happily see him there for another 2 years and see what he can make of the guys we got who we have to remember are on paper not AI winners by a mile, but he has got something extra out of them recently and they are young lads for the most part who i think he could turn into real contenders given the chance.

Fandango

blackbelt wrote: »

We are,well the vast majority of us anyhow.

agreed!

Barlett

deancogan28 wrote: »

Oh I am so sorry... not 30 years.. 28 years... semantics. I am not a matemician, but the numbers are there for all to see... 1 all Ireland in 28 years.......

They've won two All Ireland Senior titles in the last 30 years, 1983 & 1995.

blackbelt

Fandango wrote: »

What Tyrone did to us (and in his time) what Kerry did to us, what Wexford did to us in the first half, what Meath did to us. Most managers wouldnt be able to turn that around but for the first time in close to a decade, after the qualifiers i thought we had a half genuine shot at the AI. Not cos we were the best team, we certainly werent! But the work ethic and steel he has put into the team and everyone working for eachother, which has been seriously lacking in recent years. IMHO, GAA managers never get enough time to prove themselves. If it doesnt work in 2 years, it will never work.... brings me back to Alex Ferguson. Managers need a few years to build the squad, get the tactics right etc. Gilroy walk? Not a hope! He has done alot over a few months, whatever about what happened before. Id happily see him there for another 2 years and see what he can make of the guys we got who we have to remember are on paper not AI winners by a mile, but he has got something extra out of them recently and they are young lads for the most part who i think he could turn into real contenders given the chance.

Experience

He had no managerial experience when it came to clubs let alone managing Dublin.Everybody said Mickey Whelan was the one pulling the strings and Gilroy was the face to the setup.I think we are starting to see Pats influence more and more and he does in fact have more to do with the setup than what pub talk suggested.He has made some brilliant decisions and while one or two were questionable,he put a lot of pride back into the team by gelling experience with the young players.

Commitment

Always gives 100% whether it comes to his family,his business,his club and his job as Dublin manager.How many managers would be up at graveyard hours to attend 6am training sessions in the depths of winter and having the players test their mental psyche and physical limits training at terrible hours on frozen pitches and have them come back again at 6pm to do it all again.

Defiance

We rued the absense of Ryan,Whelan and Sherlock when things didn't look so good in the earlier parts of the championship.We also slated the gameplan which made us look so vulnerable.The Dublin fans were calling for his head if we didn't revert back to type or get those players back.I admit I doubted his ability to bring the team on or build foundations for years to come.

However against public pressure he stuck to his guns and gelled the team together more.He got performances that improved game on game.The Armagh game was a signal of the turnaround and by the Quarter Final end we were all convinced Gilroy was onto something special.

No Bullsh1t

He has got rid of a lot of deadwood in the team and players known for indiscipline or lack of commitment.He has this unit playing more as a team.Mark Vaughan and Dermot Connolly are gone and Pat has proven that he won't be biased to his own club St Vincents.

Gilroy In.

shiibata

Time for Gilroy to go?:eek: Amazed at that suggestion. So close to getting to an AI final which I reckon the Dubs would win had they got through.

Fandango

Experience, i agree. We cant deny it started very badly but with each match he has learned. His tactics early on seemed like "throw this man in and hope" but as the games went on, he started making the right decisions and decisions that impacted the game.

He got rid of the dead wood altho i do still think Sherlock would have alot to offer from the bench. Understand he is thinking a few years ahead tho where Sherlock wouldnt be available. He has also got rid of the egos. I hate to say it as i played with him and he is a great player, but players like Keaney who think their position is safe. He has made them realise they have to fight for places on his team which should help the players hunger.

I think all Dublin fans with half a brain can see he has set a good starting point, even tho its a year or so after he planned. Compared to the last 8 years the team are younger, team are better, the team work together better. We looked like we could be beaten by a division 3 team from Kilkenny at the start of the championship but came within a few bad misses of beating Cork and reaching an AI final in the end. Not expecting an AI next year either but can see us having a serious shout in the next 3-5 years if he stays on.

blackbelt

Fandango wrote: »

Experience, i agree. We cant deny it started very badly but with each match he has learned. His tactics early on seemed like "throw this man in and hope" but as the games went on, he started making the right decisions and decisions that impacted the game.

He got rid of the dead wood altho i do still think Sherlock would have alot to offer from the bench. Understand he is thinking a few years ahead tho where Sherlock wouldnt be available. He has also got rid of the egos. I hate to say it as i played with him and he is a great player, but players like Keaney who think their position is safe. He has made them realise they have to fight for places on his team which should help the players hunger.

I think all Dublin fans with half a brain can see he has set a good starting point, even tho its a year or so after he planned. Compared to the last 8 years the team are younger, team are better, the team work together better. We looked like we could be beaten by a division 3 team from Kilkenny at the start of the championship but came within a few bad misses of beating Cork and reaching an AI final in the end. Not expecting an AI next year either but can see us having a serious shout in the next 3-5 years if he stays on.

Players like Keaney and Cahill were seen as sacred cows.Paul Casey was another under Pillar.I still think Ross McConnell could possibly be one floating around.I really do feel Fennell needs to get his fitness back up,start playing club football again and really push Ross for his place.This year he started missing out again after a very impressive start in the league.When he won the throw in against Kerry in the league down in Killarney,it started a very good year for us.

I always felt that 3 players such as the two Brogans and Keaney would only pass the ball amongst themselves.I think Alan is becoming a lot less selfish as Gilroy's tactics are forcing him to think more wisely about who he puts the ball in for but I just feel it is a little un-natural for him to try and pass the ball to create scores.Alongside his brother,we could have a better scoring threat than this year.I hope Gilroy really considers the prospect of the two Brogans being our 2 forwards left there to collect the counter attack ball.

As for Jayo,I though this year would be his last one but the fact he wasn't recalled effectively means he is retired even though he never done so himself.I watched him back in May playing for SOPER and while the legs were noticeable not the same,his footballing brain was a sharp as ever.

An Citeog

blackbelt wrote: »

Experience

He had no managerial experience when it came to clubs let alone managing Dublin.Everybody said Mickey Whelan was the one pulling the strings and Gilroy was the face to the setup.I think we are starting to see Pats influence more and more and he does in fact have more to do with the setup than what pub talk suggested.He has made some brilliant decisions and while one or two were questionable,he put a lot of pride back into the team by gelling experience with the young players.

Just on this point; when things weren't going so well, everyone was talking about Whelroy and how Mickey Whelan was poisoning Dublin football again. While Gilroy's no puppet, Mickey Whelan has played a massive part in Dublin's turnaround this year and deserves a lot of respect for it imho.

event

blackbelt

An Citeog wrote: »

Just on this point; when things weren't going so well, everyone was talking about Whelroy and how Mickey Whelan was poisoning Dublin football again. While Gilroy's no puppet, Mickey Whelan has played a massive part in Dublin's turnaround this year and deserves a lot of respect for it imho.

He does but every Dublin fan who is old enough to remember the 90s will know that he dismantled an All Ireland winning team in 1996.We could possibly have had one or two more All Irelands post 1995.

The decision to leave Ryan on the bench in 2009 after a great 2008 season was baffling and taking Jason Sherlock off 20 minutes into the Kerry match was another decision that wreaked of Mickey Whelan's disbelief in Jason Sherlock.He had no time for him in his stint as manager and many feel the treatment of Sherlock back then and now is no coincidence.

I do believe in Gilroy and Whelan and what they are doing.I now see that we can't go back to the well with regard to the old guard (Whelan,Ryan and Sherlock) but it was forgiveable that when things weren't going well,we missed those three players influence.

I wouldn't judge Gilroy on 2009.He had to pick up the mess from the Pillar era.He placed his faith in those same players last year and they let us down after a promising victory over Kildare.After the full time whistle against Kerry,he turned and was rubbing his face.I knew from that moment on that a lot of players had played their last game for Dublin and that we'd be rebuilding for real in 2010 and we far surpassed any expectation that we had especially since June.

The Minstrel

I'm astonished the amount of guff I am reading here. Gilroy got us into the last 4....what's the big deal? It's simply not good enough. All his objectionable crap about "anything else being a bonus" after beating Tyrone. I don't like him one bit and I don't buy into the crap he talks. Cork have been in the semis for the past 4 or 5 years. Remember this people: Dublin have the most GAA clubs in Ireland. Dublin should not and cannot EVER be considered to be a team in transition. The league is your "transition" ...cop onto yourself Gilroy!

Throw your stones, say fair-weather fan...all of that nonsense. You should get a 2 yr stab at Sam.

The Minstrel

An Citeog wrote: »

Just on this point; when things weren't going so well, everyone was talking about Whelroy and how Mickey Whelan was poisoning Dublin football again. While Gilroy's no puppet, Mickey Whelan has played a massive part in Dublin's turnaround this year and deserves a lot of respect for it imho.

Are you joking me or what? For what turn around??? We had a handy run to the semis and then got knocked out. Turn around from what? Sure it was GIlroy/Whelan who got us battered in the quarters by Kerry last year. They deserve almost no credit. We have the best young players in the country to pick from in the 21s and minors...so it's not like they uncovered unknown gems from junior or intermediate clubs. They were all on the radar.

Lu Tze

The Minstrel wrote: »

Remember this people: Dublin have the most GAA clubs in Ireland. Dublin should not and cannot EVER be considered to be a team in transition. The league is your "transition" ...cop onto yourself Gilroy!

Galway has probably the best hurling clubs in the country - it doesn't translate in to a successful intercounty team automatically.

The Minstrel wrote: »

We have the best young players in the country to pick from in the 21s and minors...so it's not like they uncovered unknown gems from junior or intermediate clubs. They were all on the radar.

What are you basing this on?