Brian McGuigan and Phillip Jordan announce their retirement

[BennyHarp]

It's fair enough to say that Tyrone's minor teams haven't been progressing through to the senior team, but we have to acknowledge that that was an exceptional team to break into. Ok, they haven't won the all Ireland in a few years but you are replacing multi all iteland winners here. It would take an exceptional 19 year old to be deemed better than Jordan, Dooher, McGuigan et al. So the progress had been a little slower than perhaps it might have been. Maybe now these young lads will have their chance, they have waited a long time - let's hope they are chomping at the bit to prove they are good enough.

[nrico2006]

[
I agree but these lads deserve to be able to call time on their county career without the pressure of staying on or coming back in order to bleed in the next batch. They've been on the go for 14 years now and many have begun a new phase in their lives through marriage and children. There's more to life than playing ball for Tyrone.

Totally agree ONeill. If you have a case however when a player wants to continue and is still good enough to make the team then I would hope that can be accomodated. A couple of lads returning to training in March shouldn't be a problem.

I see where you are coming from Indiana and progress at under 21 is certainly important. The failure of the 2008 team to really kick on at under 21 is worrying but that minor team will still provide good players for Tyrone. Let's see how the 2010 boys get on at under 21. Either way it's plain wrong to look at the under age success in Tyrone over the past few years and say there is a "lack of talent coming through in Tyrone".

spuds, you're havering a load of p*sh.

They wont be as good as the previous incumbents. Thats the reality for Tyrone fans.

If they were somewhere close they'd have done damage at u21 level. i'd be quite confident in making that prediction.

really its up to the 2010 minors to prove themselves up to the 21 grade first which I agree they could do yet. i'd literally write the 08  team largely off for senior county football.. Coney was the best player on that team and he still hasnt nailed down a place yet. County careers are getting shorter not longer.

Coney and a few others on that team are already around the squad and members of the 2008 team will play key roles over the next few seasons.

[EC Unique]

I would expect at least 5 from the 08 and 10 Tyrone minor teams to have big rolls for Tyrone this year.

[nrico2006]

I would expect at least 5 from the 08 and 10 Tyrone minor teams to have big rolls for Tyrone this year.

The like of Coney, McKenna, McNabb, Gervin, Mattie Donnelly, Grugan and O'Neill should make a good push this year.  Peter Harte has already made the step.

[tyssam5]

Been successful at U-16,Minor or U-21 level confrims talent is coming through & IMO it doesn't matter which level you succeed, it's up to the Senior management to take risks as some younger players take longer to develop & TBH Harte is one of the best at getting it right.

Its matters hugely I'm afraid. the strike rate of 21'd making it ahead of minors is far higher. 21 is the key grade. The rest are largely irrelevent IMO.

IMO YO is overrated and overstated.

[Lamh Dhearg Alba]

They wont be as good as the previous incumbents. Thats the reality for Tyrone fans.

If they were somewhere close they'd have done damage at u21 level. i'd be quite confident in making that prediction.

really its up to the 2010 minors to prove themselves up to the 21 grade first which I agree they could do yet. i'd literally write the 08  team largely off for senior county football.. Coney was the best player on that team and he still hasnt nailed down a place yet. County careers are getting shorter not longer.

I don't recall anybody suggesting they would be. Not being as good as the previous incumbents however does not equate to "a lack of talent coming through".

[nrico2006]

They wont be as good as the previous incumbents. Thats the reality for Tyrone fans.

If they were somewhere close they'd have done damage at u21 level. i'd be quite confident in making that prediction.

really its up to the 2010 minors to prove themselves up to the 21 grade first which I agree they could do yet. i'd literally write the 08  team largely off for senior county football.. Coney was the best player on that team and he still hasnt nailed down a place yet. County careers are getting shorter not longer.

I don't recall anybody suggesting they would be. Not being as good as the previous incumbents however does not equate to "a lack of talent coming through".

Whether they will be as good as will be determined in the years ahead.

[OverThePostsAWide]

I would expect at least 5 from the 08 and 10 Tyrone minor teams to have big rolls for Tyrone this year.

I'm sure you're right. Which is a shame because you'd think Tyrone would give up the playacting by now.

[blewuporstuffed]

I would expect at least 5 from the 08 and 10 Tyrone minor teams to have big rolls for Tyrone this year.

lads the thing you need to remember , is that it took quite a while for lads from that 2004 minor team to break through (cassidy,mccarron,red sean etc) are really only making an impact now, 5-6 years on.
there are also alot of big players form that team that never made it , like marlow, cunningham etc

You also have to remember that fellas like jordan & gormley wher not stars on the 98 minor team, players develop differently and players that maybe dont tand out as much at minor ,go on to senior football, and other minor stars disappear into obscuity

being a good minor isnt always a traightforward path into the senior squad, this isnt something thats unique to Tyrone

[redhandloo]

Could someone please pop up the Irish news article on mcguigan today. Cheers

[The Trap]

I think the biggest comment to come out of todays interview was Brian's take on the effort that Dublin put in this year and in how difficult it will be to match that. I have heard that McCusker doesnt really want to play county, some lads are bound to be put off by the type of life you are expected to live. I get a feeling the hunger has gone out of the county, we have had our 3 All Irelands and the people arent as hungry for it any more. Yes we all like to go to Croke Park for big games but do our players want to train twice a day and live like monks to get there?

[NaomhBridAbú]

I think the biggest comment to come out of todays interview was Brian's take on the effort that Dublin put in this year and in how difficult it will be to match that. I have heard that McCusker doesnt really want to play county, some lads are bound to be put off by the type of life you are expected to live. I get a feeling the hunger has gone out of the county, we have had our 3 All Irelands and the people arent as hungry for it any more. Yes we all like to go to Croke Park for big games but do our players want to train twice a day and live like monks to get there?

that was a 2 page article today and maybe at best a paragraph devoted to the dublin game - in the same way cork did the job on tyrone a few years ago, Dublin were brilliant but the trick now is to sustain that effort for 2012. Dont read anything from the article other than McGuigans greatness - a good article on a great player, and nice compliments coming from Kerry too....he'll be missed and v hard to replace

[ONeill]

I get a feeling the hunger has gone out of the county, we have had our 3 All Irelands and the people arent as hungry for it any more. Yes we all like to go to Croke Park for big games but do our players want to train twice a day and live like monks to get there?

But many now have no All-Irelands apart from minor and that should be enough in itself to create that drive for one. The new batch will need to stand on their own or they'll be unfavourably compared to the 03-08 brigade.

Since the good Galway team that reached All-Ireland finals in 98, 00 and 01 (winning 2) broke up, the county haven't even sniffed a final. Apart from Kerry repeatedly, the only county to reinvent themselves quickly as All-Ireland contenders were Meath. (87, 88, 90, 91 - then '96, '99 and '01). That's the challenge which faces Harte. Boylan did it.

[never kickt a ball]

I get a feeling the hunger has gone out of the county, we have had our 3 All Irelands and the people arent as hungry for it any more. Yes we all like to go to Croke Park for big games but do our players want to train twice a day and live like monks to get there?

But many now have no All-Irelands apart from minor and that should be enough in itself to create that drive for one. The new batch will need to stand on their own or they'll be unfavourably compared to the 03-08 brigade.

Since the good Galway team that reached All-Ireland finals in 98, 00 and 01 (winning 2) broke up, the county haven't even sniffed a final. Apart from Kerry repeatedly, the only county to reinvent themselves quickly as All-Ireland contenders were Meath. (87, 88, 90, 91 - then '96, '99 and '01). That's the challenge which faces Harte. Boylan did it.

Go on Mickey lad!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Nally Stand]

Aye but Boylan was using performance enhancing herbs/natural remedies