Paddy Heaney of the irish news!

[Wee Roddy]

Paddy will not be welcome in Carrickmore after his comments today. He more or less said that Carrickmore kicked there way to their latest Tyrone titles because they only have 1 county player. People from Carrickmore and the majority of football people outside will know that their last title were in 2004 and 2005. In 2004 Carrickmore were a kick off the ball from reaching an Ulster Club final and really won the Tyrone championship with very attacking football. In 2005, because the club championship was put on hold Carrickmore played in four successive weeks, and fell weary legged to St Galls. In any other county a team that wins 2 championships and was denied 3 in a row after a replay in the 2006 final would have a good sprinkling off players on the squad. Not in Tyrone
This is a fact, under Mickey Hartes 13 year as either minor, U21 or Senior manager, only Peter Loughran (who was the outstanding minor in the county) and Conor Gormley have represented Carrickmore. In that space off time Carrickmore have won 6 senior titles, 1 minor title and 3 U21 title as well as numerous SFLs. Under previous managers, McRory and Danny Ball, Carrickmore always had a sprinkling of quality players through the squad.
I am not taking it away from Mickey Harte. He is obviously a footballing genius, but Tyrones play is all about systems and without naming names I know there are Carrickmore players who are better footballers than some of those on the panel.
Rant over..................and i will be sending something similar to his to Paddy beardy Heaney

[Maximus Marillius]

Wee Roddy would ye wind yer neck in...he never said that ye kicked your way to it...he said the same thing about bellaghy...its all about the belief. Our clubs were able to bt better teams because we believed we were better and the team we were playing did not have that belief

[Estimator]

Paddy will not be welcome in Carrickmore after his comments today. He more or less said that Carrickmore kicked there way to their latest Tyrone titles because they only have 1 county player. People from Carrickmore and the majority of football people outside will know that their last title were in 2004 and 2005. In 2004 Carrickmore were a kick off the ball from reaching an Ulster Club final and really won the Tyrone championship with very attacking football. In 2005, because the club championship was put on hold Carrickmore played in four successive weeks, and fell weary legged to St Galls. In any other county a team that wins 2 championships and was denied 3 in a row after a replay in the 2006 final would have a good sprinkling off players on the squad. Not in Tyrone
This is a fact, under Mickey Hartes 13 year as either minor, U21 or Senior manager, only Peter Loughran (who was the outstanding minor in the county) and Conor Gormley have represented Carrickmore. In that space off time Carrickmore have won 6 senior titles, 1 minor title and 3 U21 title as well as numerous SFLs. Under previous managers, McRory and Danny Ball, Carrickmore always had a sprinkling of quality players through the squad.
I am not taking it away from Mickey Harte. He is obviously a footballing genius, but Tyrones play is all about systems and without naming names I know there are Carrickmore players who are better footballers than some of those on the panel.
Rant over..................and i will be sending something similar to his to Paddy beardy Heaney

Where the hell in the two short paragraphs mentioning Carrickmore did he write this?
He does state that they have no county standard forwards - but they still have the ability to win matches because of who they are. Its all about their reputation as winners. Same with Bellaghy in Derry.

[screenexile]

Yeah Roddy I think you're looking at the whole thing a little sideways!

He said that Carrickmore and Bellaghy have a winning mentality bred into them that when up against any side means they always have a more than even chance of winning. Whilst Carrickmore have maybe a lot less 'stars' on their team than an Errigal Ciaran or a Dromore team it doesn't matter because the players that they have a stronger belief and mentality in themselves given where they've come from and the success that has gone before.

I thought it was a well written piece that seems to commend the way both yourselves and Bellaghy breed that winning mentality into their players. No better evidence than a couple of weeks ago when Ballinderry should have pulled away from Bellaghy in the Cship QF but for some reason Bellaghy wouldn't lie down and nearly won a game that they shouldn't have... winning mentality is something very few teams have and is EXTREMELY difficult to get. You should count yourself lucky you have it in your club!

[Drumanee 1]

Paddy will not be welcome in Carrickmore after his comments today. He more or less said that Carrickmore kicked there way to their latest Tyrone titles because they only have 1 county player. People from Carrickmore and the majority of football people outside will know that their last title were in 2004 and 2005. In 2004 Carrickmore were a kick off the ball from reaching an Ulster Club final and really won the Tyrone championship with very attacking football. In 2005, because the club championship was put on hold Carrickmore played in four successive weeks, and fell weary legged to St Galls. In any other county a team that wins 2 championships and was denied 3 in a row after a replay in the 2006 final would have a good sprinkling off players on the squad. Not in Tyrone
This is a fact, under Mickey Hartes 13 year as either minor, U21 or Senior manager, only Peter Loughran (who was the outstanding minor in the county) and Conor Gormley have represented Carrickmore. In that space off time Carrickmore have won 6 senior titles, 1 minor title and 3 U21 title as well as numerous SFLs. Under previous managers, McRory and Danny Ball, Carrickmore always had a sprinkling of quality players through the squad.
I am not taking it away from Mickey Harte. He is obviously a footballing genius, but Tyrones play is all about systems and without naming names I know there are Carrickmore players who are better footballers than some of those on the panel.
Rant over..................and i will be sending something similar to his to Paddy beardy Heaney

my god man have you lost the run of yourself?,he was actually paid carmen a compliment,your the one who mentioned kicking your way to a county title.

[the green man]

my god man have you lost the run of yourself?,he was actually paid carmen a compliment,your the one who mentioned kicking your way to a county title.

Never let the facts get in the way of Derry-bashing.

[D4S]

Agree with you all, where's wee roddy to defend his stance, or is he a little embarassed now he's read the article a second time!!!

[billy the kid]

He shit his pants
Done a merry dance
Wee Roddy ran away

[Wee Roddy]

Billy Boy I will tear the heed of ye
Lads maybe I could be wrong but I did not take it as a compliment. Paddy Heaney said that very average players won All Irelands with Kerry and it was the same at club level with Carrickmore teams winning titles with only 1 county man. My opinion is that Carrickmores last 2 championship winning teams were not average teams and had it not been for Mickey Harte then we certainly would have had more county players. (having said that it is my opinion that if Harte had not been given the job we would have no All Irelands).

[ziggysego]

I didn't think he was being too complimentary of Carrickmore either, or Bellaghy.

[screenexile]

To be honest it's the way most perceive Carrickmore. Maybe it is all down to Mickey Harte but with only 1/2 max County players it would seem that Carrickmore are a great team with maybe not great individuals or not as many great individuals as other teams have. Is it a slur to suggest that Carrickmore won due to their teamwork/attitude and belief rather than natural footballing ability or is it a compliment to say that Carrickmore played to their strengths to win a number of County titles. I suppose it's a glass half full situation and people will view it whatever way they want but I certainly don't think Heaney meant to slag off Carrickmore and he DEFINITELY didn't say they kicked their way to any of the titles.

I don't watch much Tyrone football but have Carrickmore maybe been accused of this in the past Wee Roddy which is why you jump to conclusions in defending them so staunchly?

[brokencrossbar1]

I have played against Carrickmore a number of times and they can be very dirty.  Late slaps, off the ball tackles, sneaky trips, and these were just in challenge games!  I know Cross are no angels.  The thing is though they are actually a good footballing team and I know where Roddy is coming from when he says they don't get the footballing recognition they deserve.  I think it is more  case that they have not too many weaker players and are all around a similar level, but maybe not just reaching the very top individually.

[tyssam5]

Paddy will not be welcome in Carrickmore after his comments today. He more or less said that Carrickmore kicked there way to their latest Tyrone titles because they only have 1 county player. People from Carrickmore and the majority of football people outside will know that their last title were in 2004 and 2005. In 2004 Carrickmore were a kick off the ball from reaching an Ulster Club final and really won the Tyrone championship with very attacking football. In 2005, because the club championship was put on hold Carrickmore played in four successive weeks, and fell weary legged to St Galls. In any other county a team that wins 2 championships and was denied 3 in a row after a replay in the 2006 final would have a good sprinkling off players on the squad. Not in Tyrone
This is a fact, under Mickey Hartes 13 year as either minor, U21 or Senior manager, only Peter Loughran (who was the outstanding minor in the county) and Conor Gormley have represented Carrickmore. In that space off time Carrickmore have won 6 senior titles, 1 minor title and 3 U21 title as well as numerous SFLs. Under previous managers, McRory and Danny Ball, Carrickmore always had a sprinkling of quality players through the squad.
I am not taking it away from Mickey Harte. He is obviously a footballing genius, but Tyrones play is all about systems and without naming names I know there are Carrickmore players who are better footballers than some of those on the panel.
Rant over..................and i will be sending something similar to his to Paddy beardy Heaney

my god man have you lost the run of yourself?,he was actually paid carmen a compliment,your the one who mentioned kicking your way to a county title.

Maybe he's seen more of C'more than Heaney and could clarify the point? 
Can some-one post it up.
I'd say there'd be a few in C'mor who would prefer Gormley not to be in the squad either, most of their players would take club over county any day (and rightly so) but unlike at other clubs to a degree which nearly excludes the county. Plus not having more county men allows them to cultivate a chip on their shoulder which they then use effectively.

[Hoof Hearted]

thought this was a good piece yesterday, apologies if alredy posted in another thread

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Arranging an interview with one of the all-time greats of Gaelic football couldn't have been much easier.

Icons of the game don't come much bigger than Mick O'Connell, yet getting in contact with him was a doddle. His telephone number was in the local phonebook. No ex-directory requests for this prince of footballers. It's there in black and white: O'Connell Mick, Glenleam, Valentia Island.

Two calls did the trick. When I rang, as requested, at 9am yesterday morning, he agreed to meet me in Cahirciveen at 10.30am.

Mick supplied the venue and the directions. He would be in a café in the Cahirciveen Shopping Centre. The title of shopping centre is somewhat misleading, as it constitutes a Eurospar, a clothes shop, a hairdressers and the café.

Unlike his playing days, when he had to row to the mainland, Mick can now make the 15-mile journey by car. When I entered the café, he was already seated – the matinee idol of the radio age, the man who set the standard for all midfielders.

Captain of the All-Ireland-winning side in 1959, he was the Texaco Footballer of the Year when they won again in 1962. Ten years later, at the tender age of 34, he was selected as an Allstar when he won his fourth All-Ireland medal. He was on the Team of the Century (picked to mark the GAA's 100th anniversary) in 1984 and the Team of the Millennium.

It's 50 years since Mick O'Connell made his debut in Croke Park, against Derry in the All-Ireland semi-final of 1958, yet the 70-year-old is in remarkably good health.

At the peak of his powers, he stood six feet tall and weighed 13-and-a-half-stones. He has gained a pound in weight since he hung up the boots.

I had been forewarned that 'Micko' could be a handful to interview. It was good advice.

When the tape started rolling he came out all guns blazing. He's not a fan of the modern game, which he described as "basketball on grass".

There's too much hand-passing, too much negativity. He can't tolerate obstruction and third man tackling.

"When I was playing I loved to get a run up. Nowadays a man would stand in front of you and block your run and he'd get away with it," he fumed.

Mick pointed to Darragh Ó Sé as one of the few

midfielders who upholds the tradition of high catching. He also believes that the absence of players like Ó Sé from other county teams is an indictment on the current state of Gaelic football.

"There are county teams with midfielders who can't catch the ball or certainly never attempt to catch the ball. What does that say to you about the game?"

But those who have read the various interviews that O'Connell has given down through the years will realise that this is all familiar ground.

I wanted to know was there anything about the current game that he likes. Does he still attend big matches?

It turns out that he still goes to Croke Park, but not for any selfish interest.

His 31-year-old son, Diarmuid, who has Down's syndrome, is "fanatical" about Kerry.

"He is the joy of my life,'' says Micko. Father and son take a day to travel to Dublin, a day to watch the game, and a day to return.

Diarmuid is also a rabid Arsenal fan, and therefore, so is Mick. "I got into following them through Diarmuid," he explained, "They play great football, but they don't have enough money to compete with Man United and Chelsea."

Pure football and sportsmanship are constant themes with Mick O'Connell. When he attended an English league game featuring Sheffield Wednesday in the 1960s, he was hugely impressed by the way both sets of supporters applauded good play.

"The supporters mingled together as well, but that has all gone now,'' he sighed.

The Kerry legend clearly loves his sport. The man that rowed from Valentia Island now has Sky TV. The previous night he started to watch the final of the US Tennis Open but went to bed because it was on too late. (He rises at seven o'clock).

Before the tennis, he watched some American

Football although he's not a huge fan of the game. He also claimed "a good, pure game of rugby stirs me more now than a Gaelic football match".

Readers should take that last comment with a pinch of salt. He still watches a fair bit of the game in which he excelled.

When asked if there were any footballers outside Kerry that he particularly admires, he named two.

The first was Galway's Michael Meehan. "Now he is a good footballer. He played Kerry on his own. He can kick with both feet and he can also kick off the ground."

The second man mentioned was Tyrone's Stephen O'Neill -– and he wasn't being

mischievous.

Again, the ability to kick effortlessly with both feet was considered the trademark of a class act.

At this point during the interview, another man entered the café. It was Ned Fitzgerald. Mick O'Connell and Ned Fitzgerald are good friends. Ned was Mick's best man. I later discover that they meet every morning of the week.

Ned is 73-years-old. He has a strong, squat build and a square head covered by a huge clump of grey hair.

"This is another Kerry captain,'' says Mick.

"Yes, I captained them when we lost to

Waterford,'' said Ned with a chuckle.

Ned takes orders for tea and coffee and

refuses to allow The Irish News accounts

department to pay for it. He asks Mick if he would like a croissant. This provokes wide grins from both men. The tea arrives shortly afterwards with a plate of buttered toast. The Kerry captains dig in.

Ned has sallow skin and brown, brooding eyes. The family resemblance is obvious and by way of the conversation, I soon establish that he's the father of another Kerry legend, Maurice Fitzgerald.

But Ned is no giant and Maurice Fitzgerald is six foot two. Ned informs me that Maurice "got his mother's legs".

And so the fun begins. Ned has absolutely no interest in talking about his own playing career.

After a few verses of song, and a smattering of poetry, he tells me about his exploits as a kicking coach. He had two excellent pupils

– Mick O'Connell and his son, Maurice.

He went to Australia with Maurice for a

competition that featured the best kickers from various sports and various countries and they came home with a cheque for Aus $10,000.

He also went to America and acted as

mentor to his friend, Mick, who had been

pitted against Roy Gurelo, the kicker for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The competition took place during the interval of a Gaelic football match in the States. Both Gurelo and O'Connell had to take kicks with an oval ball and a round ball. Micko won.

As Ned regaled me with tales, out of the

corner of my eye I see Mick O'Connell

blessing himself when he finishes his toast. These men are old school.

They are also two seriously tough Kerry hombres. Ned had not been well recently, but he still swims in the broad Atlantic Ocean every day of the year.

Not surprisingly, these men take a dim view of the GPA's complaints about the hardship of the modern day players.

"I can't understand these men who talk about sacrifice,'' says Mick. "I loved playing football. And when I played football it didn't cost me anything. I got my passage paid anywhere I went. I only had to pay for my boots. If anyone thinks it's a sacrifice to play football then they should quit."

Ned keeps his counsel, but he doesn't

disagree. As his friend gives vent on another topic, Ned takes out his mobile phone and makes a call.

A few minutes later, Maurice Fitzgerald

enters the café and pulls up a seat. The table now features a former Kerry captain whose best friend and son are former Footballers of the Year� and me.

Maurice allowed his elders to take centre stage. It's hectic stuff. All topics are up for

discussion. We eventually come to the

All-Ireland final. Micko wants Kerry to win, but not at any cost: "I would hate to see a

repeat of what happened in the closing stages of the 2005 final,'' he said.

"Kerry were trying to get the ball down the field when a Tyrone player made a blatant foul. He just dragged a Kerry man down. There was no attempt to tackle him. He just wanted to stop the play."

Once again, Micko's distaste for gamesmanship has risen to the surface: "I am not just talking about Tyrone. I know Kerry could do the same thing and I'd hate any team to play that way. If you're not going to do something properly then you shouldn't do it all."

Micko's serious demeanour doesn't last long when his son, Diarmuid comes into the café.

Diarmuid lives in a home on Valentia Island with other Down's syndrome children. It's called Tíg An Oilean. Mick O'Connell donated the land for the building (estimated by Maurice Fitzgerald, an estate agent, to be worth about E1m) and devotes a good deal of his time fundraising for it.

Diarmuid is with his friend Alan and a

member of staff from Tíg an Oilean. The

already raucous atmosphere in the cafe rises to another peak when Diarmuid stands at the table and is posed a series of rapid-fire questions.

Ned asks: "What year did Mick O'Connell captain Kerry?" "1959"

A roar of approval.

Ned asks a second question, a trickier one. "What's my car's registration plate number?"

There's another cheer when the correct

answer is promptly delivered.

Maurice asks: "What was the score in the hurling final?"

"Kilkenny 3-30 Waterford 1-13."

Another cheer and Diarmuid beams with

delight.

His father then asks him: "What will the score be in the football final?"

"6-16 to 3-10," says Diarmuid. Then, after a considerable pause: "To Kerry."

And then – bedlam.

[orangeman]

A very nice piece by Paddy again this week - those men in Kerry are legends and gentlemen as well.