Tyrone County Football and Hurling

[restorepride]

It's been a pleasure to follow Mickey Harte's Tyrone teams over the years. Yes there have been frustrating times but that will always be outweighed by the best of days in 2003, 2005 and 2008. Thanks for the memories, Mickey! Lets hope he gets the respect he deserves over the coming days.

Can I also say that it has been a pleasure as an Ulsterman/Derry man to have enjoyed those years and some of the performances were simply outstanding - Stephen O'Neill, Dooher, Brian McGuigan, Cormac, Mulligan and Canavan etc - quality stuff.  He will of course get the respect he deserves - anyone who knows the soul and grassroots of the GAA has utmost respect for what he achieved.  As for the rest - either jealous or ignorant.  I supported Tír Eoghain in Croke Park in 1984, 1986, 1989, 1995 and 1996 but it was under Mickey that the  breakthrough was made and for that he will always be honoured.   Gael go smior.

[Lamh Dhearg Alba]

He did stay too long and the manner of his departure is unfortunate, but Mickey Harte will forever be a legend in Tyrone GAA. Yes he did have hugely gifted players in his first decade as manager but he also played a significant role in developing those players, on and off the field. Those teams had talent but they also had a belief that previous Tyrone teams had lacked. Mickey was key to that.

His 2005 team was one of best I've ever seen but perhaps his 2008 team was his greatest achievement. PtG was gone, SON retired, Mugsy out of form and shape, and Brian McGuigsan reduced by his injuries. Yet Mickey made the very most of his remaining marquee players while also getting more than seemed possible from others on the panel. Truly a team which was greater than the sum of it's parts. A remarkable achievement.

In a way that greatest achievement also marked the start of the decline. He then, understandably perhaps, went back to his tried and trusted lieutenants rather than letting the team develop, and didn't have great success in bringing through players from other successful underage teams. Losing to the McGuinness Donegal team got to him badly and shaped the way he tried to rebuild the new team of the past few years, a team to me which never really had a clear identity or consistent plan after being thumped by the Dubs in 2017. All that said, his teams were consistently involved in the latter stages of the championship.

A man who was absolutely pivotal to the greatest era in Tyrone's history and a man who has handled himself with such integrity and dignity, and through times of huge personal loss. Thanks Mickey.

[Aaron Boone]

Farewell Mr Harte, just as a potentially great forward-line is coming through. 

Ironically in his final year, Tyrone finally beat Dublin, Kerry and Mayo (in  the League). 

[RedHand88]

Farewell Mr Harte, just as a potentially great forward-line is coming through. 

Ironically in his final year, Tyrone finally beat Dublin, Kerry and Mayo (in  the League).

I would have liked to see one more year, with mckenna. Canavan and mcshane in full swing.
Hopefully whoever replaces him is able to utilise those lads well.

[sam03/05]

He should have got one more year - this year was a mess with 6 months of it in lockdown, he was owed another year really.
The mouth pieces on here (minority of Tyrone people, but very loud)
Well those mouth pieces - buy into the English Football mentality of just sacking people.
They will be the same mouth pieces who will be calling for the new management team to be sacked if they lose their first game. They will be the same mouth pieces who will call for him to be brought back in 3/4 years time.
They contribute nothing to Football in Tyrone, except hiding their names on a message board, saying things they would not say face to face.
He will be spoke off in a 100 years time, people will still know his name.

[Localexpert]

He should have got one more year - this year was a mess with 6 months of it in lockdown, he was owed another year really.
The mouth pieces on here (minority of Tyrone people, but very loud)
Well those mouth pieces - buy into the English Football mentality of just sacking people.
They will be the same mouth pieces who will be calling for the new management team to be sacked if they lose their first game. They will be the same mouth pieces who will call for him to be brought back in 3/4 years time.
They contribute nothing to Football in Tyrone, except hiding their names on a message board, saying things they would not say face to face.
He will be spoke off in a 100 years time, people will still know his name.

I think you overestimate the power and reach of this message board 

[phpearse]

I also think he deserved another year. He showed as a manager that where he had great forwards he would let them play and we now have the makings of a decent forward line again. This year was a write off and another year of football and with a dry sod next summer and a full panel to pick from, would have allowed him to show what he could do with a quality forward line. I do think he got the best out of the players he had in recent seasons and kept Tyrone football ultra competitive. It is so easy to slip down the pecking order and be a forgotten county. He was always going to step aside at some time but given that year that we have had, I think another season would have been entirely justified.

You would have to imagine that he won't step away from football altogether. Can't see him going to another county. Is it a clean break?

[omagh_gael]

Harte will forever be a legend in Tyrone who brought so much to all our lives. I was lucky enough to be 18 when we won our 1st AI and for the rips to Dublin alone and the memories created i owe him a huge debt of gratitude. We were spoilt beyond anything we'd experienced.

That man has been touched by enough tragedy to floor ten men and he still stood tall. Some may have disagreed with him and, especially one here, personally dragged his name through the mud but he still kept us on the edge of the top table during an unprecedented time of domination by one team.

I'll finish off with this stolen from Paul Fitzpatrick on twitter:

If Mickey Harte had only taken over Tyrone in 2009, his subsequent four Ulster titles and one All-Ireland final appearance would still make him their greatest ever manager.

Sums it up, really

[Take_her_back_ref]

What a fantastic servant Mickey has been to Tyrone football at all levels. Under his stewardship he has taken Tyrone to the highest level and ensured that expectations are now always on achieving things we just dreamed off before his arrival. Ultimately that success has been his downfall though.

With that greater expectation comes the demand for continued success. Granted we lost a once in a lifetime group of players from the noughties, and rebuilt to still consistently be in the top 4/5 years year out, but we never looked like challenging the top teams on the big day since 2008.

I'm glad to see he didn't put his name forward for the interview process. Things have ended badly enough for him without going through that possible failure.

That being said, with all the sentimentality you will read on here and in the pagers over the coming days, I do think it was the right time for a change of management. I feel there are 5/6 players of this team that have went a bit stale the last few years. Though still in their mid to late 20s, I believe now is the time to to kickstart another push. Donnelly, Harte, Sludden, McKernan, Hampsey don't  seem to be the same players they were. I believe we've a team that can really push on. Now's the time to see if we can do that.

[Localexpert]

Harte will forever be a legend in Tyrone who brought so much to all our lives. I was lucky enough to be 18 when we won our 1st AI and for the rips to Dublin alone and the memories created i owe him a huge debt of gratitude. We were spoilt beyond anything we'd experienced.

That man has been touched by enough tragedy to floor ten men and he still stood tall. Some may have disagreed with him and, especially one here, personally dragged his name through the mud but he still kept us on the edge of the top table during an unprecedented time of domination by one team.

I'll finish off with this stolen from Paul Fitzpatrick on twitter:

If Mickey Harte had only taken over Tyrone in 2009, his subsequent four Ulster titles and one All-Ireland final appearance would still make him their greatest ever manager.

Sums it up, really

Considering art macrory won 5 ulster titles and got to 2 all ireland finals with no back door available shows paul fitzpatrick and you are both wrong....

[Angelo]

I'd say it was time for a change alright. Although, I can't help thinking that there will be a "you don't know what you've got til it's gone" feeling in Tyrone over the next few years. The next man in has some job on his hands. Harte's Tyrone lost some games that they could have won in the past few years but they weren't complete gimmes. He consistently brought Tyrone to their potential IMO and maybe didn't get a pile of luck along the way. To go beyond where he has taken the current team is probably to win the AI. I don't think the players they have are good enough to do that and perhaps the expectations are simply too high. A few years of ripping through managers and regressing as a result might be the reality check that is required.

The expectations will be high for the new man. Next season we will probably have our best forward unit since 05.

I hope a change can take some of the pressure off Peter Harte's shoulders now and he is able to fulfill his potential on a more consistent basis.

When you have been in a job that long you naturally have some loyalty to certain players and there's quite a few there that probably haven't been good enough that Harte has persisted with. In saying that Harte has proven an awful lot of people wrong over the years with faith in guys like Colm Cavanagh and more recently Cathal McShane and how much they improved under his faith and patience.

The squad needs an overhaul and I'm not sure if Harte would have been the man for that.

Many people have laid the blame at his door for guys like Lee Brennan, Coney, O'Neill not developing as they should but we'll see now. We should definitely see Lee Brennan back in a Tyrone jersey and we'll see if Harte really was the reason for things not working out.

Do we see anyone from the club scene getting a nomination? Maybe O'Hagan?

[Goals_Will_Come]

Personally think the time is right to step aside. Leaves whoever the new management set up with the oldest players on the panel Mattie Donnelly and Peter Harte at 30 - so the age profile of the squad is very good with them boys still a good age with a few years left in the tank, the 2015 U21 team at the peak of their powers and the last 2 Under 20 teams also there.

[Mikhailov]

Harte will forever be a legend in Tyrone who brought so much to all our lives. I was lucky enough to be 18 when we won our 1st AI and for the rips to Dublin alone and the memories created i owe him a huge debt of gratitude. We were spoilt beyond anything we'd experienced.

That man has been touched by enough tragedy to floor ten men and he still stood tall. Some may have disagreed with him and, especially one here, personally dragged his name through the mud but he still kept us on the edge of the top table during an unprecedented time of domination by one team.

I'll finish off with this stolen from Paul Fitzpatrick on twitter:

If Mickey Harte had only taken over Tyrone in 2009, his subsequent four Ulster titles and one All-Ireland final appearance would still make him their greatest ever manager.

Sums it up, really

Considering art macrory won 5 ulster titles and got to 2 all ireland finals with no back door available shows paul fitzpatrick and you are both wrong....

Think you maybe wrong also. What were the years of the 5 ulster titles you refer to? By the way, I agree on your sentiment about Big Art who was a brilliant manager in a dog fight era of Ulster KO football but I think he only has 4 USFC titles - 84, 86, 95 & 96. Maybe I am wrong and apologies if I am

[Mikhailov]

There are a lot of smart people on this board. The kind of people who would get a job in Stormont! And I mean both the Harte supporters and the knockers.
All of the names mentioned from Harte to Holmes Logan to McGleenan Dooher to Cush are great Tyrone people. Dont be rude about them.

Just reading this page after the MH announcement to see the comments. Scrolled through several pages and Agree totally with above comment - some people on here are just ignorant. 

[Gaagaagaa20]

Harte will forever be a legend in Tyrone who brought so much to all our lives. I was lucky enough to be 18 when we won our 1st AI and for the rips to Dublin alone and the memories created i owe him a huge debt of gratitude. We were spoilt beyond anything we'd experienced.

That man has been touched by enough tragedy to floor ten men and he still stood tall. Some may have disagreed with him and, especially one here, personally dragged his name through the mud but he still kept us on the edge of the top table during an unprecedented time of domination by one team.

I'll finish off with this stolen from Paul Fitzpatrick on twitter:

If Mickey Harte had only taken over Tyrone in 2009, his subsequent four Ulster titles and one All-Ireland final appearance would still make him their greatest ever manager.

Sums it up, really

Considering art macrory won 5 ulster titles and got to 2 all ireland finals with no back door available shows paul fitzpatrick and you are both wrong....

Think you maybe wrong also. What were the years of the 5 ulster titles you refer to? By the way, I agree on your sentiment about Big Art who was a brilliant manager in a dog fight era of Ulster KO football but I think he only has 4 USFC titles - 84, 86, 95 & 96. Maybe I am wrong and apologies if I am

2001 Also, as well as our first national league in 2002