Cody vs Loughnane

[Bord na Mona man]

This one could run and run.
I can't see Ger backing down either. 


--

Kilkenny handed final glory on a plate
Monday September 03 2007

Kilkenny manager Brian Cody has launched a blistering attack on Ger Loughnane in the aftermath of his side's fifth All-Ireland title of the decade yesterday.

Bristling at Loughnane's inference all season that Kilkenny stand accused of cynicism, Cody returned fire dramatically by suggesting there was "inferiority" in his remarks and describing it as "sad" to see him to "descend to that level of silly talk".

In a no-holds-barred attack on the current Galway manager on RTE radio last night, Cody took off the gloves and laced into Loughnane's assertion that the champions are a cynical side that live on the edge.

Publicity

Describing him on air as "a lunatic from Clare talking rubbish at the moment" Cody said he is convinced Loughnane would now say anything to attract publicity.

Loughnane attacked Kilkenny's methods prior to their All-Ireland quarter-final and, according to Cody, repeated his words on radio last Saturday.

Loughnane believes Kilkenny have a propensity for flicking their hurls across opponents.

But Cody has hit back hard.

"I know Ger very, very well, obviously, and it's sad to see him descend to that level. Inferiority is what I believe it is, a serious sense of inferiority to descend to that silly talk," he said. "We are a good team. He is suggesting that we are a dirty team and that's wrong."

Stupidity

"He was an analyst on the 'Sunday Game' for a number of years and he never once uttered those statements. Now, he's manager of the Galway hurling team before the Galway game he came up with that stupidity.

"I'm told he said it on radio again yesterday. That's not right. It's sad to see it. He is a man who is craving publicity and is prepared to say anything to stay on the airwaves."

Kilkenny won their fifth title in nine years, but had to do so without captain Henry Shefflin for the second-half.

Shefflin was replaced at the interval on medical advice after suffering a suspected torn cruciate ligament that could keep him out of the game for months.

But Cody was gushing in his praise of Shefflin who he says "has brought hurling to a new dimension".

"I feel happy for Henry Shefflin but I also feel sorry for him," he said. "He couldn't finish the game because of what looks like a very serious injury.

"He's brought hurling to a new dimension, I believe, it is right to recognise greatness and special talent and such skills levels.

"I constantly talk team and panel, and will continue to do that, but he has set milestones, he adorns the game of hurling and he is such an influence."

[didlyi]

Im looking forward to next year already.

[mouview]

I don't think Loughnane is the man to lead Galway to the promised land; as we've seen he is incapable of picking a settled team and the one he does pick he can't organise or motivate them properly. Also his pronouncements in the media get the opposition hackles risen when he should be doing the opposite. All in all, a liability.

However, these is a grain of truth in his assessment of Kilkenny being borderline dirty; look at Brennan's elbow in Lucey's mouth in the early minutes yesterday; Tommy Walsh's shoulder slap on O'Connor (?) later on, while Seamus Hickey also came in for rough treatment. KK are worthy winners and in particular have a great set of backs and very effective midfield. But Loughnane's point that they are no angels isn't too far off the mark.

[magpie seanie]

Kilkenny are not a dirty team but they are well able to mix it as all teams that have an iota of hope of succeeding must do.

To me its a non-issue. Lads wouldn't want to be worrying about what Loughnane says. He loves stirring it up. Its all for the benefit of his own team. His target is to get Galway believing in themselves and introduce a bit of a mean streak, a killer instinct. For years Galway have matched KK in terms of underage talent produced. However KK went on to hone it and develop the winner philosophy that Galway lack. Maybe I'm wrong but that's the only way I can see it making sense.

[orangeman]

Agree with you Magpie - deep down Loughnane REALLY admires KK - He wants Galway to be like them - unfortunately for Loughnane, they never will - but Cody is a great manager - he could have forgotten about Loughnane as he won his 5th AI out of 7 - but instead, he was winding up his OWN players already in the immediate aftermath of the AI win - he was saying to them that there are people out there that think you are a team of hackers - so next year you have to go out and prove them wrong !!!!!! Class -

[Bord na Mona man]

PUSSY or alley CATS

Tuesday September 04 2007


Brian CODY tolerated it when Ger Loughnane first highlighted Kilkenny's propensity to hit hard and "push the rules to the limits" when they hurled. He put it down to "gamesmanship".


That was after Galway's easy All-Ireland qualifier win over Antrim in July, a game where Loughnane had threatened beforehand to walk away if he didn't get a performance.

Afterwards when Loughnane spoke about Kilkenny's tackling style, how he felt they flicked across opponents wrists and hands and hurt in the process, Cody sensed a bait, stretching all the way from the west to the south east, that he wasn't willing to take.

But when he raised the topic of Kilkenny's style again in a radio interview with Radio na Gaeltachta presenter Sean Ban Breathnach, aired on RTE's 'Saturday Sport' at the weekend, Cody saw it as stepping way beyond the bounds of sportsmanship.

Loughnane again accused Kilkenny of "pushing the rules to the limits and described some of their tackles and wild swings as "dangerous".

He suggested that "aspects" of their play bordered on the illegal, but admitted that all champion teams rode the boundaries of the rules or laws of their respective games and that's what added to the greatness. He cited the All-Blacks as the perfect example.

But what was also evident from the interview was the respect he holds for this style of play.

He compared it to the hardness of his own Clare team of the 1990s.

It wasn't so much a complaint as a eulogy even if there was a veiled request to administrators and referees to address it in the future.

Cody wasn't buying into that, however, and despite being reluctant to "get sidetracked" from the joy of another magnificent All-Ireland title success there was still issues to air.

"That (Loughnane's initial comments in July prior to the quarter-final) was a bit of gamesmanship," said Cody.

"He is the manager of Galway and we were playing Galway, and he decided to use a bit of gamesmanship there. That wouldn't unduly worry me too much.

"What he said was untrue, but I mean, so be it. There was method in his madness if you like.

"But to come out again before the All-Ireland final when his team were not involved went way beyond any sort of sportsmanship in any make or shape whatsoever and it was completely out of order.

"I don't want to become sidetracked by any other comment at all. Yesterday was about the Kilkenny players, the Kilkenny team and showing the quality they've got.

"But it was blatant garbage. It's wrong and untruthful. It doesn't hurt me because it can't hurt me. We are a very clean team. Interestingly, and I'm not breaking any confidence by saying this, but when he came out and said what he said before the Galway game, our team doctor (Tadgh Crowley) got a text from the Cork team doctor (Con Murphy) saying that in 30 years treating Cork senior hurling teams he has never treated a hand injury after playing Kilkenny.

"That's the respect that's there between all of the hurling teams. Opposition teams respect our players, we respect them.

"But for whatever reason -- and I'm not really interested in talking about it any more -- this was a step beyond the lines of all sorts of decency."

Cody accepted that Loughnane is also regularly lavish in his praise of Kilkenny and up to early on Monday morning he still hadn't heard Loughnane's interview.

"Sure he has praised us in the past, but somewhere along the line he has completely changed his tune," said Cody, once great friends when they were together on Fitzgibbon Cup teams at St Patrick's teacher training college in Drumcondra in the 1970s.

Loughnane issued a brief statement to the 'Sunday Game' where he synopsised his views aired the day before.

"As well as being the most skilful team, Kilkenny have become the hardest team in the past two years in the country," he said. "When they do hit you and you're not ready, they hurt you.

"Every great team in every sport will indeed push the rules to the limit, which makes them great."

Loughnane insisted on Saturday that "hurling people" knew what he was talking about and that one manager had pointed it out to him as far back as 2004.

Comments

He also felt his comments in July were "blown out of proportion" in the context of how he had made them.

He stood by his initial comments though, and accepted that he should have raised this when he was an analyst with the 'Sunday Game' and when footage to support his argument may or may not have been available.

[Maximus Marillius]

Loughane has gonr from being a top man, with respect...to a real Tom Fool

[orangeman]

It's starting to look now that Clare their success un the 90's almost in spite of Loughnane - he's now a dinosaur and unless he wins the AI will go down as a man that started well and ended up ranting and raving like a lunatic.

[bottlethrower7]

But Loughnane's point that they are no angels isn't too far off the mark.

maybe these sour grapes are a Galway thing, and not just limited to Loughnane. If so its very rich coming from a county that gave us Slyvie, Tracey, etc.

[Pull Hard Hes No Relation]

Might suit Ger to a bit better to sort out some of the antics in the Galway senior hurling championship! Never saw a Kilkenny player try to stamp on a 19 year old face! Galway need to address their problems at home before talking about anyone else. Kilkenny hit Cork just as hard last year in stopping them doing the Three in a Row but Cork took their beating without "crying" just as Kilkenny did in 2004. From what I have heard from Cork players Cody gave as gracious a speech as they heard in the aftermath of the 04 final and I beleive Allen did the same in 06 and that's the way it should be.

I'm no massive fan of Kilkenny by any stretch of the imagination but credit where credit is due they are a great team and not the bunch of hackers some people are trying to make them out to be. Loughane ha clearly lost the plot and is simply looking for soundbites to keep himself in the public eye - Lohan, Baker etc were no shrinking violets or has he forgotten!

[orangeman]

Loughnane I see isn't prepared to back down - he says he's sticking to his guns  - pity really as he is coming across as being out of touch, unreasonable and ill advised.

Ok - some of his Clare team were hard nuts - but to start saying that Lohan and Baker were no shrinking violets ( which I agree with ) merely brings the argument down to Loughnane's level  - and at the same time it does a diservice to the outstanding talents of a player like Brian Lohan especially, who was one of the greatest defenders of this era.

[bottlethrower7]

....and at the same time it does a diservice to the outstanding talents of a player like Brian Lohan especially, who was one of the greatest defenders of this era.

Lohan was an incredible defender, but he is one that such charges could most definitely be levelled against. Ironically, the man who arguably got the worst treatment at his hands was Galway's Eugene Cloonan. Perhaps Ger would like to come out and tell us what he thinks of all that now.

[imtommygunn]

Loughnane is losing credibility - and fast.

Brian Cody is an admirable man who deserves a lot of respect. Loughnane spouts a lot of publicity hunting sh**e at times. What he said about Antrim and what he said about Kilkenny this year have been most unsporting.

I think even some of Loughnane's great team have lost respect for him and from a man who had a team with Colin Lynch and Brian Lohan in it the "pushing boundaries" comment is a bit much.

You could see the respect in Eddie Brennan for Cody during his interview.

Kilkenny have some strong hard hurlers and fair enough Eddie Brennan's hit was maybe a bit dirty at the start of the game but that aside I didn't see much in them on Sunday in that regard. I would have said it was out of character for Eddie Brennan too.

[orangeman]

If we start going on about Lohan, Baker, Lynch, Slyvie, etc. etc. we just bring the argument down to Loughnane's level - so we should really bring the argument back to where it started  - Loughnane's poor judgement and ill advised comments.

I do believe that Loughnane's integrity has been severely compromised first of all by going to Galway in the first instance - then when it starts to go wrong, he threatens his team by saying he's going to leave if he doesn't get a big performance in the next game - now come on - is this man for real ?? And then to come out with this dribble about KK - a team that is admired by everyone in the country - thet're even admired by their fiercest rivals.


I'm sorry - but Loughnane is the real loser here  -

[ormondeboy]

It's this pure hurling sh!te that gets my goat. Of course any All-Ireland winning team are no angels. You don't win an All-Ireland with 15 pure hurlers. Kerry didn't win 34 odd, Cork or Kilkenny didn't win 30 and we didn't win 25 without being able to mix it. Sylvie, Ollie Kilkenny, Treacey, Pa Dillon, Noel Hickey, Lohan, Doyle, Hells' Kitchen could mix it and hurl. Some more than others. Some nastier than others. Anyone thinking otherwise is a fool. Tipp haven't had any cut about them for years. More's the pity. The purest hurling you'll see will be up to minor, check out the free-count for the minor final last Sunday. And even that at times can be cynical. Wake up and smell the coffee gentlemen.