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Marty Morrissey sounded totally fed up and you couldn't blame him. At least it didn't go to extra time. Might have been the first time RTE might have just said we'll just knock it on the head and not show extra time. How in good God can anyone think that stuff is good to watch or play in.

Those in positions of power in Derry have made an absolute balls of the selection of a new manager. The recent  Cahair O'Kane article covers it. Making Malachy O'Rourke their second choice twice was a really wise move by them. You can only disrespect someone so many times. It was clear from the Ulster minor final v Armagh when the people involved in making these decisions had Gallagher and his family ushered in to sit beside them who they wanted. Now everyone they approach knows that they are at least 5 or 6th choice after the rest have turned them down. Far too much player involvement in the decaion process all along as well.

O'Rourke NEVER wanted the Derry job, it was never going to happen. He had been asked 5 times previously, had no interested, none, nada. And how precious do you think men are that they wouldn't take a plum job as they weren't first choice, not exactly the kind of shrinking violet you'd want in charge is it?

I'll take a journalists word on it and his sources rather than some fella on a forum. Only the 5 times ? So you think a man with his CV and standing would be alright with being second choice to a character like Gallagher. So you think they are doing a great job with the selection ?

Those in positions of power in Derry have made an absolute balls of the selection of a new manager. The recent  Cahair O'Kane article covers it. Making Malachy O'Rourke their second choice twice was a really wise move by them. You can only disrespect someone so many times. It was clear from the Ulster minor final v Armagh when the people involved in making these decisions had Gallagher and his family ushered in to sit beside them who they wanted. Now everyone they approach knows that they are at least 5 or 6th choice after the rest have turned them down. Far too much player involvement in the decaion process all along as well.

Just another example of the folly of Sinn Fein proping up the failed statlet. They have no influence or power and the place is still run by the faceless men and women as before. They may have nice titles and big offices but it means nothing. They can do nothing unless their masters allow them to. For weeks they have have been promising Casement, City deals, road builds etc,etc.

Good man Gary Coleman. Fair dues to him for speaking up.

Players obviously want him back & have done since last year, difficult subject alright but where do you draw the line? RG obviously has had some heinous accusations thrown his way but unfortunately the GAA is littered with proven scumbags, didn't hear the same outrage when Gleeson took over Antrim, Hayes & Gillane on the Limerick team, Rian O'Neill, our own centre forward etc. Also Tyrone ones have some cheek considering what a lot of their former players & managers have done (don't remember Tyrone ladies going on strike around 2013)

Let's set a standard.

Derry's reputation isn't great at the moment with this, McFaul and a former player and his wife throwing fists.

Agree. Also add to that a player standing on a lads ankle this year who has previous history.

Seems like a few tyronies, who couldn't wait for the downfall of Harte now can't wait for the outrage the RG return will get

What people from Tyrone or anywhere else think shouldn't come into it. If we think that a man like Gallagher represents us it says a lot about some people in Derry. It shouldn't come down to players wanting him or thinking he can do a good job. I for one will not be near another Derry match or put one penny into the coffers of Derry GAA if he's reappointed.

What happens when Derry Camogie/Ladies football down tools? Is this likely to happen?

Hopefully it does. Many will support them fully if they do that.

Just looking back at the Ulster u20 final between Armagh and Derry in 2018.Only mcgrogan and McCloskey from that team have made significant breakthrough at senior level for Derry.Brian and Declan Cassidy kicked 2-02 and 0-05 in the game whatever happens lads like this and why do they not seem to step up at senior level?I remember at the time thinking Armagh had a right side then from that team rian o Neill,Mc Cambridge, Duffy, Mcquillan, Turbitt will all get significant minutes next week and Conor o Neill would probably have started had he not been injured.
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Conor Doherty in that team as well and Shea Downey though he hasn't really nailed down a starting place. The point is right though, we haven't got enough players through from those squads. Armagh have had the same manager who has been able to keep fellas there give them game time and develop them for the long term. Doubt RG will be the man for doing that. He wasn't the first time round.

Any word on a new manager ?

Plenty of chat of RG being put nominated by at least one club. Pressure being put on other clubs from some in positions of influence for them do the same. Why they would do that only they know. A disaster for the reputation of Derry GAA if that man is back. Will create a split and have big implications outside the County.

There's an article about Dougan and his job in Irish examiner or times or something today. It sounds like he travels a lot with his work. I couldn't read it as it's behind a paywall.

Cahair and the Irish News online have it as well yesterday about him only coming back in July and traveling and working for a few months. Also a few of the other lads being away and only coming back about then. It shows that O'Rourke has trust in lads to keep in half decent shape and come back and do the hard yards when it really matters. Warnock in another Irish news interview last week said that they are not being run into the ground early on in the year. By the time the important time in the season comes round a lot of lads just want it all to be over to get a break is is his view on training. Probably a good few clubs have lads flogged at this time of the year thinking that's what they need to do to compete with Glen in September/October time.

With the absence of the Glen players and the possible unavailability of the not fully recovered Odhran Lynch, Padraig McGrogan and Gareth McKinless from long term injuries, it will be interesting to see what Mickey Harte's first Derry selection for the McKenna Cup opener will be against Cavan on January 3rd. Perhaps it could be along the following lines.
                       Ryan Scullion
Paul McNeill           Chrissy McKaigue           Conor McCluskey
Shea Downey            Eoin McEvoy                Conor Doherty
               Dan Higgins       Brendan Rogers
Niall Toner            Lorcan Murray              Paul Cassidy
Enda Downey            Shane McGuigan             Niall Loughlin

Subs: Peter Stuart,Marty Bradley,Diarmuid Baker, Padraig Cassidy, Declan Cassidy,Mark Doherty, Oisin McWilliams(if fit), Ben McCarron, Matthew Downey, Cahir McMonagle, Niall O'Donnell

McKenna should be a chance to give some other lads a chamce to show what they can offer. If they don't now they are unlikely to in the league. What have the Downeys done at club level recently to warrant starting or even be in the squad in front of others. Hopefully Harte will not care what the surname is or what club you are from.

The game in Owenbeg on Sunday is in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. The Ref pushed and linesman assulted. Maybe Ulster will come down hard when Derry would usually brush these things under the carpet. The result and behaviour sums up the level of a lot of Junior football in Derry.

Well done to Glen and Magherafelt but most of the football that is being played is brutal stuff to watch. That Newbridge score just shows all that is wrong. No wonder there are so few top forwards in Derry with lads spending most of the game in their own half.

[a complete non runner.]

Lads I recall being at a meeting on behalf of my club at the time of the Games development strategy and divisional teams were very strongly part of it, whatever happened to it? It was promoted by the County Board, they haven't followed through on it.  I thought it was a excellent idea. Surely getting divisional teams into the senior league for a start and have their games on Wednesdays to allow junior and intermediate teams to play away in their own club league at weekends is a sensibly starting point. Its a decent pathway for developing and exposing players to a higher standard of football?

You want lads to train with their clubs twice a week & play a senior divisional game midweek and a junior / intermediate game at the weekend, along with two competing managers & the fixtures headache that would bring - a complete non runner.

That's the spirit! 

The harsh reality of the situation is the vast majority of players who will play for Derry over the next decade will come through the development squad route, if that exceptional junior player or intermediate player is to progress it will through an environment within the county setup their already part of, as opposed to any divisional team playing league football against senior clubs (midweek) who are still playing without their county players for the best part of the league season. The systems within the county are clearly now in place to do that

That's the case alright. A lot of those Kerry players have come through their minors since 2014. Clifford is a senior player based on what he did for Kerry minors not a divisional set up. All of the lads who have come into the Derry panel in the last couple of years are from the minor panels of 2015 and after. Few are now going to break into a senior panel if they have not been in that set up since they were 14 or 15..  Someone mentioned before about Devolpment squads and how its not easy to get into those if lads are not from certain clubs. They are already known from club and school games. No doubting they have been successful with 2 minor All Irelands in 3 years but there must be talent being missed if the bulk of it is from two schools and a few of the same clubs. If it's seen as a closed shop players and clubs will not get involved. The.same stuff being said about north Derry had been put forward about Inishowen and they now consistently have 2 or 3 players starting for Donegal that are from Junior and Intermediate clubs.