The Diva

[Hardy]

Seán Boylan never received a penny for his services to football and the GAA. As far as I know, neither did Mickey Harte. Nor has either of them ever stood before a camera to proclaim "I stand for good clean football" or indeed to aggrandise themselves in any way. It would be good if people would remember those facts before making spurious comparisons.

[Main Street]

A thread that turns into a sprint for begrudgers to get in a queue.

What a reality check for today, there are no saints in the GAA without a blemish

Micko's focus is to beat Laois, everything that is uttered even in his sleep, is geared to that end.

[AZOffaly]

A thread that turns into a sprint for begrudgers to get in a queue.

What a reality check for today, there are no saints in the GAA without a blemish

Micko's focus is to beat Laois, everything that is uttered even in his sleep, is geared to that end.

I resent being called a begrudger MS. I don't begrudge him a thing, but I am not going to swallow pure spin from him or anybody else about him. And as for the reality check, exactly. Some people need to take a reality check about Micko. Nobody, apart from the media and Micko, claims to be perfect, or claims perfection for somebody else. That's what I'm saying.

[magpie seanie]

everything that is uttered even in his sleep, is geared to that end

Someone that has bought into the hyperbole so much as to make this comment really proves a lot....

[Zapatista]

everything that is uttered even in his sleep, is geared to that end

Someone that has bought into the hyperbole so much as to make this comment really proves a lot....

Absolutley. Micko is also a great ambassador for world peace and he loves little puppies. Whereas that Boylan fella

[North Longford]

AZ,
its good to disagree every now and then.............
I actually have no particular gra for Micko. I didn't mean to imply that he was exactly the same as Harte or Boylan in all respects, its more that they all play the media and anyone/thing else they think that will get them an advantage. It's all about spin, spin and more spin. It goes on in club football in Longford. Leading up to a county final last year I don't think there was a word of truth told by the management of the 2 clubs involved for 3 weeks leading up to the game. Whatever Micko has done he has done a good job of it because for some reason the media have basically bought into it. Everything he has done has been for the benefit of 2 entities, the team he is with and himself. He has almost always done the trick for the team he is with and he has always done the trick for himself so everybody is happy.
The following list has something in common......John O'Mahony, Luke Dempsey, John Maughan, Eamon Coleman (RIP),  Eugene McGee, Tommy Lyons, Tommy Carr, Paudi O'Shea etc etc.they've all trained more than one team and I'd say in most cases because of this fella ....$ .  None of the above will say it and if asked they would give plenty of other reasons for doing it, some valid and some not. There's only a couple of differences between them and Micko. He will proclaim to be doing it for the love and good of the game more frequently but because of his longevity he has been asked why much more often. Do we think if John O'Mahony was asked why he has trained multiple county teams he'd say ah sure the few bob is great. Would we all be up in arms if he said he loved the games, he loved new challenges, he felt he had something to offer county X etc etc.....I doubt it. I really don't believe anyone expects Micko to say the money is great and more than anything else I'd say most of the GAA hierarchy would have a complete seizure if he did!
I suppose what I'm saying is that there's isn't that big a difference between them all in some ways...Micko is just at it longer and is better at it and has been as sucessful as them all put together probably.

And AZ being stuck between Kildare and Laois I can appreciate your frustration .........ya never know he could be available next year

[Hound]

I'm no fan of Micko. Apart from games against Meath or against Micko trained teams, I think Dublin have only lost one Leinster championship match in 25 years!

I think the main reason he gets little criticism is because he rarely under achieves. Yes he's "hungry", but no more so than Paidi O'Se, or half of Kerry for that matter. You can hardly blame Micko if the media ignore his bullshít

[The Real Laoislad]

And AZ being stuck between Kildare and Laois I can appreciate your frustration .........ya never know he could be available next year

Their actually above us on the map but i see what your getting at  
Too be honest I can see where AZ is coming from if not maybe being overly harsh about Micko but is it the media's hype over him you have a problem with or the man himself or both?
Obviously i wouldn't say a bad word against him after what he done for my county it might have been only a Leinster Final win but for a county that hadn't won it in over half a century i can honestly say no one in Laois would have cared what kind of a man or what tactics he used to win once we won,and i have no doubts AZ if he was to win an All Ireland for Offaly you wouldn't care what he was like either,and by all accounts it was Laois players who acted the f**k with him in the end that made him leave us

[AZOffaly]

And AZ being stuck between Kildare and Laois I can appreciate your frustration .........ya never know he could be available next year

Their actually above us on the map but i see what your getting at 
Too be honest I can see where AZ is coming from if not maybe being overly harsh about Micko but is it the media's hype over him you have a problem with or the man himself or both?
Obviously i wouldn't say a bad word against him after what he done for my county it might have been only a Leinster Final win but for a county that hadn't won it in over half a century i can honestly say no one in Laois would have cared what kind of a man or what tactics he used to win once we won,and i have no doubts AZ if he was to win an All Ireland for Offaly you wouldn't care what he was like either,and by all accounts it was Laois players who acted the f**k with him in the end that made him leave us

I have a problem with the image he is selling of himself, and the media's apparent delight to buy it, hook line and sinker. Most of my 'problem' is with the media though. They have created him, with his help, as something he isn't and are continually spouting rubbish about him.

So, I suppose the short answer is both, but with far more 'criticism' of the media. You almost have to admire his ability to play them. Almost

[Billys Boots]

What about this complaint he has about Celine Dion and WestLife?

This is simply a tactic to motivate his players, who may feel that they've already overachieved.  I imagine Micko feels that it may be much harder to get the same type of commitment out of them without some feeling that they've been wronged.  Boylan had this to a fine art.

[stephenite]

The fact is that the media do a poor job of portraying the man - if he gets away with it, then of course he is going to play on it, and he doesn't give 2 hoots what anyone thinks of him. Surely it's not his job to tell the media that they've got him all wrong and if it's been working for him for this length of time then he's hardly going to stop now, I agree with most of the negatives already written about his media antics but to pinpoint all the blame on Micko and not at the insipid media that fawn all over him is to put the blame in the wrong corner

Mercenary or not he has bought some counties up by the scruff of their necks to enjoy some of their finiest days in living memories - and he has broken no rules in the process (he may have instructed his players to but if anyone here thinks that Sean Boylan, Mickey Harte, John O'Mahoney or Kevin Heffernan were instructung their own players to play to the true spirit of the game at the expense of winning then they shouldn't be discussing this issue)

I don't doubt that money has changed hands but this has been the case for plenty of managers that have trained multiple county teams

[AZOffaly]

He may have broken no rules, but his record for imported players is one area that makes me raise my eyebrows. His chasing of Dan Doona ('negotiations are ongoing') was a bit distasteful in itself.

But by and large I agree with you stephenite. He's trying to win, and the media are letting him away with stuff because they love him, and they love the 'story'.

[stephenite]

OK AZ - I agree that his ability to entice players across borders leaves a sour taste but again, no rules were broken. My issue would be that it is permitted under the rules and he is let get away with it

[The Real Laoislad]

AZ is right. Why Micko is a sacred cow is beyond me.

North Longford - because he has won all those things do you beleive he should be beyond reproach? You seem to be suggesting that if you achieve enough then you shouldn't be questioned. I'm sure CJH and Bertie would agree.

Sorry to go off topic for a second but i actually find those statements tremendously funny

Micko was a great player who won many things and a great manager who brought great success to teams that weren't use to it..
The media treat him as a darling and canonise him at every opportunity,Everyone should worship at the Altar of Micko so too speak and anyone that says a bad word against him is shot down
And this is what gets under magpie seanies skin about Micko.....

But on the other hand magpie seanie won't hear a word said against Roy Keane   

[AZOffaly]

OK AZ - I agree that his ability to entice players across borders leaves a sour taste but again, no rules were broken. My issue would be that it is permitted under the rules and he is let get away with it

I agree. I'm not saying he's a blackguard or anything. I'm saying he'll do anything to win, and will skirt with rules and will employ cynicism if he feels the need. Again, none of that would annoy me unduly, plenty of managers would do it, but he gets painted as being quite the opposite of that, and he plays on it too. Reinforces the myth at every opportunity, and that's what annoys me about him and about the media wrt him.