Moyna blasts McGuinness

lala88

Moyna blasts McGuinness

23 January 2012

DCU manager Dr Niall Moyna was scathing in his criticism of his Donegal counterpart Jim McGuinness after the students booked their place in the O'Byrne Cup final on Saturday night.

Moyna claimed that McGuinness had demanded Martin McElhinney to play a challenge match for Donegal against Monaghan in Clones - just five hours before DCU's O'Byrne Cup semi-final against Meath in Navan.
To compound the situation, McElhinney suffered an ankle injury in the warm-up before the Monaghan match and was unable to play in DCU's 2-8 to 0-6 victory over the Royals.

"We lost Martin McElhinney on the morning of the game," Moyna explained.

"This was on the same day as he was supposed to play an O'Byrne Cup semi-final. He turned over on his ankle and that meant that we didn't have him.

"I don't think that Martin had any intention of playing in the challenge game until he got a call from Jim McGuinness saying he would be thrown off the Donegal panel if he didn't turn up for the game.

"I think it's appalling that an inter-county manager would take a guy in a week that he is doing his exams and demand that he go to play a game in order not to be thrown off the panel."

If its true that McGuinness said he would trow the lad off the panel if he didn't play then thats just not on. What do people think?

Drummerboy2

There seems to be a lot of bad will towards the college teams from certain intercounty managers. I presume all these players are on scholarships and feel obliged to play for the colleges when requested. I see Kildare have refused to play the O'Byrne Cup final in midweek which will probably force DCU to play a shadow team next Sunday as they play in the Sigerson on Tuesday.

eigrod

On the basis of what's set out above, then it does look as if McGuinness placed undue demands on the player.

The GAA really need to take a look at the whole Colleges thing. So many players now will be in College until they are 24 or 25. If they've broken into the Inter County panel at 19 or 20, then it's fair to say they'll be in college for half of their inter-county careers in many cases.

Add to that, U21 demands and club demands and it really shows how crazy it is.

If the player is a dual player, then it makes the problem even worse.

It's small wonder that players are burned out at 29 or 30

Gophur

I would love to see a study of the effect College Football has had on players' careers. I think it is possibly the most competitive football played and has to be good for the inter-county game. Players should be giving priority to their colleges without any adverse effects on their inter-county careers.

2003 All Ireland, I think, had over 20 ex-Queens players between the two panels.

keane2097

There's been enough stories at this stage that it's tough not to believe that McGuinness is way over the top.

If the story above is true - and I've no reason to think it isn't - then it's pretty disgraceful tbh.

blackbelt

Its akin to going to the gym and going too far with workouts.

Very unreasonable request from McGuiiness but as Donegal manager, its going to be his way or the highway.

aidan24326

blackbelt wrote: »

Its akin to going to the gym and going too far with workouts.

Very unreasonable request from McGuiiness but as Donegal manager, its going to be his way or the highway.

But that's part of the problem with McGuinness though, that he seems very inflexible and overly demanding of his players. If I was the player in question I'd be telling him to fcuk off to be honest.

Totally out of order to threaten to throw a guy off the panel for not playing in a meaningless challenge match when he had an O'Byrne Cup Semi to play with his college.

You'd want your players getting good tough competitive matches and that O'Byrne Cup game was going to give him that, moreso than a poxy challenge game (which personally as a player I always found to be a waste of time anyway. they tell you very little because that competitive edge just isn't there)

We've all played with the guy who'll be sh1t hot in a challenge match and score 2-6 and then be anonymous come championship time.

Alaska1

Sounds like blackmail to me ! I have gotton him a conditioning coach and pretty much saying if he didn't turn up he wouldn't be involved in the first league game.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/mcguinness-hits-back-at-moyna-bully-claims-181295.html

8k2q1gfcz9s5d4

Drummerboy2 wrote: »

There seems to be a lot of bad will towards the college teams from certain intercounty managers. I presume all these players are on scholarships and feel obliged to play for the colleges when requested. I see Kildare have refused to play the O'Byrne Cup final in midweek which will probably force DCU to play a shadow team next Sunday as they play in the Sigerson on Tuesday.

If its a scholarship, then they have to play for the college!

deconduo

My dad managed DIT for a while and the same sort of carry on was happening. There was a clash between a Kildare friendly and an O'Byrne cup match, and the Kildare players played in the O'Byrne cup. In revenge, a certain Kildare manager arranged for mandatory training every morning that DIT had a match for the rest of the year. By the time of each match the players were too wrecked to play.

Zzippy

Didn't Jim McGuinness stay in college til he was in his late 20s, and play Sigerson for many years himself? Seems to have forgotten his roots if this is true...

deconduo

Zzippy wrote: »

Didn't Jim McGuinness stay in college til he was in his late 20s, and play Sigerson for many years himself? Seems to have forgotten his roots if this is true...

Yeah, there was an ITT dream team with McGuinness, Seamus Moynihan and Padraic Joyce :P

keane2097

deconduo wrote: »

Yeah, there was an ITT dream team with McGuinness, Seamus Moynihan and Padraic Joyce :P

And that's only scratching the surface! Unbelievable team Tralee had that time.

deconduo

keane2097 wrote: »

And that's only scratching the surface! Unbelievable team Tralee had that time.

Found a lineup from 1998:

G Cremin; K Leen, B O'Shea, M Galvin; K O'Shea, S Moynihan, F O'Connor; M Cloherty, W Kirby; P Joyce, P Sullivan, M F Russell; S Cloherty, J McGuinness, M Liddane.

lala88

Kildare refuse DCU request for midweek final

23 January 2012

Kildare have turned down a request from DCU to have their O'Byrne Cup final played on Wednesday night.

The final is fixed for next Sunday in Newbridge, but the students were hoping to have it brought forward to midweek to give them more time to prepare for their Sigerson Cup opener against Cork IT next Tuesday. However, Kildare don't have floodlights at St. Conleth's Park, and it's unlikely that the Lilywhites would be prepared to play the game in another venue or give up home advantage.

"It really is nothing to do with inter-county teams. The Sigerson - I don't see any reason for it to be changed," Kildare boss Kieran McGeeney said after yesterday's win over Dublin.

There is now a strong possibility that DCU will field an understrength team next Sunday as progressing in the Sigerson Cup would be their number one priority.

McGeeney is another manager who seems to have a problem with players playing with there college. I can see players getting sick of him and McGuinness and walking out

klairondavis

Kildare cannot move the game to a weeknight because Newbridge does not have floodlights.

Don't know what it has to do with McGeeney's attitude towards players playing with colleges?

The O'Byrne Cup Final date was obviously set months ago and DCU would have known this long in advance. If they can't fulfill fixtures on those dates then they should not enter the tournament.

Nevermind_

I really cant understand his position, the sigerson and fitzgibbon teams at this time of year are peaking for their competitions hence their showing in provincial competitions such as the o byrne cup.
when I played sigerson we often beat inter county teams in challenges at this time of year as they were only starting back whereas we were peaking for the sigerson cup.
I remember the sigerson in 2000 when McGuinness was "studying" at jordanstown i.e. registering for a course without actually attending it in order to qualify to play sigerson, and he wasnt the only one at jordanstown that year. It made it all the sweeter when NUIG beat them!
My how his attitude has changed, the whole thing smacks of hypocrisy.

the sigerson often provides a player with no inter county credentials to be discovered by his respective inter county manager, or a fringe player to show his potential worth to his county. In my opinion it is the closest you can get as a player to inter county standard. Often college teams have full inter county players on the subs bench.

Its not as if a player will lose fitness or sharpness due to playing with their college especially when the inter county season is only starting out. By delaying joining up with their county by a month or so does it really make a difference when the chamionship is months away?

theoneeyedman

they must be under pressure to win a bit of silverware when they are taking advantage of the college's fixture list to gain an advantage in this way.....maybe there is a bonus of some sort involved in the 'expenses' package of the 'Geezer'.

lala88

theoneeyedman wrote: »

they must be under pressure to win a bit of silverware when they are taking advantage of the college's fixture list to gain an advantage in this way.....maybe there is a bonus of some sort involved in the 'expenses' package of the 'Geezer'.

Was half thinking that myself! If you look at it since he took over Kildare that has he actually won?

Alaska1

lala88 wrote: »

Was half thinking that myself! If you look at it since he took over Kildare that has he actually won?

A sole O'Byrne Cup.

klairondavis

theoneeyedman wrote: »

they must be under pressure to win a bit of silverware when they are taking advantage of the college's fixture list to gain an advantage in this way.....maybe there is a bonus of some sort involved in the 'expenses' package of the 'Geezer'.

Kildare County Secretary has confirmed that Kildare have received no official request to change the date of this fixture.

If DCU want the game moved then why has no such request been made to Kildare??

howiya

klairondavis wrote: »

Kildare County Secretary has confirmed that Kildare have received no official request to change the date of this fixture.

If DCU want the game moved then why has no such request been made to Kildare??

I thought I read somewhere that the Sigerson game has been moved

And I don't get Moyna's attitude either, mentions the lads exams but still wanted him to play in Navan. Could they both not give the lad a break

rebel girl 15

howiya wrote: »

I thought I read somewhere that the Sigerson game has been moved

And I don't get Moyna's attitude either, mentions the lads exams but still wanted him to play in Navan. Could they both not give the lad a break

Yeah, the Sigerson game has been put back a week

lala88

McGuinness threatens McKenna Cup withdrawal

26 January 2012


Donegal manager Jim McGuinness
Jim McGuinness has threatened to pull Donegal out of next year's Dr McKenna Cup if third level colleges continue to have first call on players.

While the Ulster Council recently relaxed the rule - allowing players to choose who they wished to play for in the pre-season competition - Donegal were still forced to line out without the likes of Michael Murphy, Martin McElhinney and Michael Boyle who are studying in DCU, Eoin Waide and Leo McLoone at UUJ, and Mark McHugh who is a student at IT Sligo.

"I think we are going to have to seriously consider whether or not we enter the Dr McKenna Cup next year if we don't have the college players available to us," McGuinness said in the Irish Examiner.

"I think this is something the GAA is going to have to look into and who the college players are available to.

"It is certainly not working and I would urge the GAA to look at the whole subsidiary competition and if there is no change we will have to seriously consider not playing in the Dr McKenna next year."

The Ulster champions lost all three games in the McKenna Cup and McGuinness admits it has been difficult to prepare for the National League without their college players.

"We're at a slight disadvantage because of that and heading to Newry for a first league game without the students having played a competitive game for us is a difficult situation.

"We're a young squad and a year down the track and we're still trying to develop them and develop cohesion in what you want to do. It's not easy going into a game against Down and then we have Laois the week afterwards. We'd prefer to have them."

Now he says Donegal will pull out of the McKenna Cup! As you can see he says "I think this is something the GAA is going to have to look into and who the college players are available to.'' If there college players should they not be made available to the college? How many college players is he missing anyway? Cant be more then 3/4 surely he can cope with out then for a mouth or 2! He has them for the next 6 or so months

keane2097

Who does he think he's at a disadvantage compared to?

howiya

lala88 wrote: »

McGuinness threatens McKenna Cup ]If there college players should they not be made available to the college? How many college players is he missing anyway? Cant be more then 3/4 surely he can cope with out then for a mouth or 2! He has them for the next 6 or so months

Are there not enough competitions for colleges without them participating in intercounty competitions?

lala88

howiya wrote: »

Are there not enough competitions for colleges without them participating in intercounty competitions?

Is that you Jim?

lala88

McGuinness senses witch-hunt

31 January 2012


Donegal manager Jim McGuinness.
Jim McGuinness feels that Donegal have been victims of a media witch-hunt.

McGuinness' side came in for endless criticism last year despite winning Division Two and the Ulster championship and - speaking at the launch of this year's Allianz national football league - the Donegal manager says it all began when Ryan Bradley won the Man of the Match award on The Sunday Game for his performance in the Ulster SFC preliminary-round win over Antrim, only for pundits to later state that nobody should have been honoured for their role in that particular match:

"There is a lot of crap going on. There's a lot of people who have an agenda and they're using the pen as power and trying to have a go consistently at us.

"I think from the moment I stood up for Ryan Bradley that there was a media witch-hunt for myself personally and for the team. Some of the things that were said about the team - they were called the Taliban at one stage - was extremely disrespectful.

"These boys, a lot of them not in work, are training and training for the good of their county. I'm an unpaid volunteer; if I told you what I was getting for my expenses for the year you wouldn't believe it. I'm getting nothing out of the game only the love of coaching the boys.

"Some other people now feel that because we're being abused in the public domain so much, they can join in and give us a kick when we're down.

"There are a lot of things going on that are not football-related, but in fairness to the boys none of it has taken a fizz out of them. They just get on with the business and look forward to staying together and training.

"At the end of the day it's not that important. We don't want to be going to war with people but there's boundaries and there's respect. There was always boundaries in the GAA but now it seems some people feel they can overstep those boundaries.

"A lot of the time it's ex-players, who are making an awful lot of money on the back of people who are out of work and trying their best for their county in a voluntary capacity. Morally, I don't think that's correct."

Poor Jim everyone is out to get him :rolleyes:

elefant

Jeebus, tin-foil hat time. Strange...