From BBC
Brian McIver is due to meet Donegal players on Tuesday as speculation mounts that he could be about to make a dramatic return as county manager.
McIver stepped down as team boss in July after Donegal crashed to Monaghan in the All-Ireland qualifiers.
Ending his two years in charge, Tyrone man McIver insisted he would not return to county management.
However, according to reports, McIver is considering the county board's offer to come back for another year.
This year McIver guided Donegal to the National League title but they lost to Tyrone in the Ulster semi-finals.
Strange situation here, Donegal realise the errors of their ways and repent??
WTF? :o
I'm not sure how I'd feel about this to be honest. He did well overall, no question, but I wasn't too impressed with his sideline work on occasion, particularly the last day against Monaghan. Will the county board accede to his demands regarding playing club games without the county men? He also would appear to have quite a bit of work to do on the discipline and morale side of things.
Looked like against Monaghan that his players totally let him down and betrayed any game plan he had instilled. Seemed almost betrayed by the players and he just walked away with his reputation almost intact.
The county board are apparently huge fans of McIver and the players have probably recieved serious flak for their attitude in defeat and realise maybe they should listen to a manager for a change, who knows.
Don't think it's a wise move for him though
Harte dropped the bomb on him by staying on for another year,
no choice but go crawling back to the hills ;D
thanks be to god he reconsidered.. wouldn't fancy mulgrew making a balls of it for 3 years
would this be one of the biggest changes of heart in management if correct? or was pressure exerted to have him return?
any word on the meeting
Quote from: overcarrying on August 14, 2007, 06:43:26 PM
would this be one of the biggest changes of heart in management if correct? or was pressure exerted to have him return?
certainly would after the slating he gave the players publically
Donegal board and players have realised that it was nothing to do with Brian Mc Ivor and it was clearly a case of the players not been committed enough - Mc Ivor is a top man but there seems to be a culture among some players of drinking between games which will be difficult to erradicate - If Mc Ivor can't do it, nobody will.
Mc Ivor and any other top man needs their head looked at by a shrink if they want to take Donegal...they will win nothing in championship football...they are missing what is essentially known as 'Balls' the biggest shower of gutless footballers I have seen for some time.
That's what you'd call a poisoned chalice -- poisoned with methylated spirits... and Smirnoff, and Jamesons, and...! ;)
My guess is he's played a blinder and put himself in a position of strength to take whatever steps necessary against non-performing, maggot-acting primadonnas and Donegal will be a force next year as a result.
As well as the star turn semi finals 2007 will be remembered as a classic year for the Uturn and tank emptying. What with Geraghty for meath and McIver for Donegal doing uturns, and the farney men emptying the tank at the Ulster final and then emptying another tank against Kerry. Its like heart removal without anaesthetic.
What tank exactly gets emptied ? Gas tank ? Beer tank ? Oxygen tank ? Are there any other tanks ?
Sounds now like Brian isn't going back at all ?
QuoteMy guess is he's played a blinder and put himself in a position of strength to take whatever steps necessary against non-performing, maggot-acting primadonnas and Donegal will be a force next year as a result.
People said that last year after the Cassidy and Boyle fiasco... better off out of it if you ask me. Unless he's in a position to get more money but from what I gather he isn't about the money so he should just take the Derry job with McGuckin and win the AI next year... easy!
Quote from: screenexile on August 16, 2007, 11:40:54 AM
QuoteMy guess is he's played a blinder and put himself in a position of strength to take whatever steps necessary against non-performing, maggot-acting primadonnas and Donegal will be a force next year as a result.
People said that last year after the Cassidy and Boyle fiasco... better off out of it if you ask me. Unless he's in a position to get more money but from what I gather he isn't about the money so he should just take the Derry job with McGuckin and win the AI next year... easy!
Why would he want to go from one team of chokers to another team of chokers? Take off the oak leaf tinited glasses, Derry currently dont have the quality required to win the All Ireland - they have yet to beat a quality side at the business end of the championship. They have some fantastic players namely Doherty, Bradley and McCloy but after that they are at much the same level as a handful of other counties.
I'd say the only other job he'd want would be the Tyrone job.
QuoteWhy would he want to go from one team of chokers to another team of chokers? Take off the oak leaf tinited glasses, Derry currently dont have the quality required to win the All Ireland - they have yet to beat a quality side at the business end of the championship. They have some fantastic players namely Doherty, Bradley and McCloy but after that they are at much the same level as a handful of other counties.
Aye dead on! I'll chat to you this time next year ;)
Quote from: orangeman on August 16, 2007, 11:17:50 AM
Sounds now like Brian isn't going back at all ?
According to Hogan Stand he's applying again for the job, which, assuming the county board has been encouraging him, means that it should just be a formality.
Maybe and maybe not - nothing should surprise us any more. What's the story with Jim Mc Guniness ?
I heard he's interested in the position. That's all I know so far. He managed a young Glenties side to a county championship two years ago.
Would he not be TOO close to the current team / panel ?
Three men up for the job, McIver, Jim McGuinness and Charlie Mulgrew, with choices like that, please God let McIver resume commend.
The only possible reason for McIvor not getting it might be the reasoning that, in recent years, the most successful managers have hit the pot of gold in their first year. At the same time, Brian is odds-on.
Charlie did well will limited resources in the Wetlands and could possibly add a wee bit of championship steel that Donegal have lacked recently.
McGuinness, now that'd be a shock.
Surely if the players want McIvor back then the job is his regardless of what the county board thinks?
Quote from: inisceithleann on August 17, 2007, 11:13:23 AM
Surely if the players want McIvor back then the job is his regardless of what the county board thinks?
No. Thats like saying that after you hand in your notice at work and then you change your mind and all your mates want you back, that your employer has no say in the matter.
County board have final call on this one.
Valid point but this isn't an employment issue, what sort of a dressing room would mulgrew or mcguinness walk into if the players deep down wanted McIvor? Surely the county board has a duty to consult with the players?
What side of Ballinderry Bridge is Mc Iver actually from lads, north or south? I always thought he was the Tyrone side, but he was described as a Derryman in one of the papers during the week (not that they're gospel or anything).
He's a Tyrone man - Ardboe man actually living in Tyrone.
Sláinte om, more sloppy reportage.
McIver wants his Donegal job back
Brian McIver has told the Donegal GAA board that he wants to manage the county's senior football team in 2008.
County PRO Seamus O'Donnell confirmed on Thursday that McIver is one of three people to apply for the position even though he quit the job last month. "The position now is that we have to look at all three applicants equally," added the Donegal official.
The other two applicants are believed to be ex-Fermanagh boss Charlie Mulgrew and Jim McGuinness.
The Donegal PRO refused to reveal the identity of the two other contenders but he did confirm that they had submitted their applications prior to McIver's shock announcement of his u-turn.
Mulgrew stepped down as Fermanagh boss in July after a four-year stint which included an All-Ireland semi-final place appearance in 2004. Former Donegal midfielder McGuinness guided Gweedore to the Donegal title two years ago.
Speculation emerged last weekend over McIver's change of heart over the Donegal job.
The Tyrone man stepped down as team boss in July after Donegal had crashed out to Monaghan in the All-Ireland qualifiers. McIver's decision was something of a surprise as he had steered Donegal to the county's first ever Allianz National Football League title in April.
Despite this week's surprise events in Donegal, the county is unlikely to have a manager in place until early next month. One of the candidates is on holiday for another 10 days while county secretary Crona Regan, who will be centrally involved in the appointment of the next manager, is also on a break at the moment.
When he announced his decision to quit, McIver insisted he would not return to county management. However, there has been speculation that his backroom team convinced him to change his mind.
The Donegal board has not imposed any deadline for applications so, in theory, other candidates could also put their names forward for the job. However, with strong candidates such as McIver and Mulgrew in the race, that appears unlikely.
From BBC page, Thursday 16 August 2007
In yesterday's Irish News Joe Kernan said he had been approached by 2 counties - would Donegal have been one of them?
Did the Donegal County board come begging to Mc Ivor ? Or has had he just a change of heart ? Knowing Mc Ivor I'd say Donegal came knocking on his door.
Did the Donegal County board come begging to Mc Ivor ? Or has had he just a change of heart ? Knowing Mc Ivor I'd say Donegal came knocking on his door.
I dont think so orangeman. Mc Iver stikes me as a man who likes to keep himself in the limelight. He seems to like to attract plenty of media attention on himself !!!
Quote from: amigo on August 17, 2007, 04:26:06 PM
Did the Donegal County board come begging to Mc Ivor ? Or has had he just a change of heart ? Knowing Mc Ivor I'd say Donegal came knocking on his door.
I dont think so orangeman. Mc Iver stikes me as a man who likes to keep himself in the limelight. He seems to like to attract plenty of media attention on himself !!!
You obviously dont know him too well then amigo, he is an absolute gentleman. Donegal really begged him to reconsider from what I hear.
Amigo - that statement couldn't be further from the truth. He is far from being a man who seeks publicity.
he shouldnt go back. it is a poisoned chalice. he should go for a good club job and then tyrone when mickey goes.
He's on a hiding to nothing. Has done well with Donegal but there are too many players in that team who cannot get the handall out of their system as witness the last 15 minutes of their championship this year which they should have really shaken up and it was obvious that the players had abandined McIver's gameplan which had been working well up until then.
From the Donegal News
McIver seeks return as Bonner queries the U-turn
BY HARRY WALSH AND CHRIS MCNULTY
FORMER Donegal manager Declan Bonner has questioned the decision by Brian McIver to rethink his position and seek a return to the Donegal hotseat, just a fortnight on from his resignation after the Championship.
McIver, it is known, sought a meeting with the outgoing panel this week after deliberations with his backroom team last week and he met with the players on Monday night last where he is reported to have finalised his decision to seek another year at the helm.
But, with other applicants having their names in the ring for the job, it is not just a matter of McIver stepping back into the breach and he will now be treated like the others who have expressed an interest.
"Brian did resign in front of a County Board meeting and as a result he will have to be treated like any other candidate. Brian has no problem with that, but as Chairman of the County Board, I want to ensure that respect is shown also to the other people who applied," County Board Chairman Sean Kelly told the Donegal News.
Mr Kelly would not be drawn on the other names that are in for the job, but it has been widely reported that two definites are Jim McGuinness, current boss of Naomh Conaill, and former Fermanagh manager Charlie Mulgrew.
Another man who was said to be considering making an application was Gaoth Dobhair manager Declan Bonner, but he has since ruled out making a return to the position he vacated after a three-year term in 2000.
"When McIver walked away from the job two weeks ago a line should have been drawn in the sand. Other guys have applied for the job and now they'll probably withdraw their applications. Looking down the road in a year's time what will happen?
"In fairness, McIver he won a National League with Donegal but I thought it was downhill after that.
"Looking at it from the outside you have to wonder whether their attitudes were right. That's down to management too. In the games they played they didn't seem to move on from the National League. They were playing second fiddle to Monaghan, Tyrone and even Armagh," he said.
When asked about 'off the field' rumours which have dogged the Donegal squad in recent seasons, Bonner pointed to the Monaghan squad.
"Their players decided themselves back in March or April that there would be no more beer until they were knocked out of the Championship.
"Management can set down rules but unless players have the will power to do it you're helpless. You can't have seven or eight players meeting up on a Monday to go on a session. That sets them back and they're not fit to play the following week - regardless of what they may think.
"The Donegal squad have to be really hard on themselves if they want to get onto the next step of the ladder. Just look at how Monaghan have progressed in the past twelve months - their attitude, commitment and will to win. The sacrifices they were prepared to make - that's the big think.
"There's no harm having a few beers after a match but let's get back to work on a Monday morning and meet up at training that evening (Monday). Maybe management placed too much trust in the players but...
"Discipline is a problem in the Donegal camp but whether it is that big I don't know. It's probably a small number of players who are tarring the entire bunch with the one brush. There is a very good nucleus of players in Donegal and they've already proved that. The big secret is being able to move it on to the next level. The next level is the crucial one. Ultimately players will determine the result on the park. It's up to them"
Quote from: Leo on August 17, 2007, 10:36:15 PM
He's on a hiding to nothing. Has done well with Donegal but there are too many players in that team who cannot get the handall out of their system as witness the last 15 minutes of their championship this year which they should have really shaken up and it was obvious that the players had abandined McIver's gameplan which had been working well up until then.
Whatever about other games, the players abandoning McIver's gameplan was not really an issue in the Monaghan game. A half-fit and out-of-form full-forward pairing who were completely outplayed by the Monaghan backs, along with an inexplicable delay in replacing them on the day, was a big part of the reason for the poor performance. McIver has to take his share of the blame for that, as well as leaving an aging Niall McCready to chase Hanratty around the Omagh pitch. Devenney wasn't replaced until the game was gone, while McFadden should have been gone fairly early too. Quite a few decent long balls were delivered into the corners, especially after Christy Toye came on, but the two boys up front couldn't win any, unlike Hanratty and Freeman at the other end. Maybe the likes of McMenamin and Sweeney or even (remember him!) Michael Doherty wouldn't have done much better, but they sure as hell couldn't have been any worse!
The players have to take the blame for lying down and accepting defeat with more than 20 minutes left, I'll grant you that! :P
The attitude of the Donegal players stinks - they must accept the blame - Mc Ivor should just let them at it !!!