Mickey Harte joins the Irish News

[longball]

Antrim feel benefits of the love of the game

Against the Breeze
By Paddy Heaney
30/06/09

Liam Bradley's success in steering Antrim into their first Ulster Senior Football final in 39 years was laced with irony.

The day before Antrim created history in Clones the GPA announced that a media ban will be enforced during this year's Leinster Football and Munster Hurling finals.

Liam Bradley and his Antrim players must have scratched their heads when they heard this news. Bradley and his happy Saffrons inhabit a very different world.

This was evident in the immediate aftermath of Antrim's victory over Donegal in Ballybofey when Bradley let rip on the journalists who enforced their own media ban on his players ahead of the game.

In typically 'Baker' fashion, the Glenullin man asked where all their microphones were the previous Tuesday when journalists from just two newspapers (The Irish News and The Andersonstown News) attended Antrim's press night.

The snub was keenly felt. Press nights are good for managers because it allows all interviews to be completed in one fell swoop and it's good for journalists because there's no need to spend hours tracking down players on their mobile phones.

A bit of media coverage is one of the small perks of playing for Antrim. The players don't crave the attention, but it is appreciated by their family, friends and clubs. An interview is something that can be kept in the attic, proof that granda used to play for the county.

The typical Belfast

inter-county footballer has got little in common with some of his city counterparts in Dublin and Cork.

James Loughrey is a good example. At that press night in Creggan, Loughrey revealed how he turned his back on a career in basketball because all his friends played for St Brigid's. A gifted athlete, Loughrey graduated to the county senior team, but only to become the butt of the jokes and jibes from those same loyal friends.

Like his Antrim team-mates, James Loughrey plays football for the love of the game. There is nothing else. No sponsorship deals, cheques for appearances, or financial incentives to join other clubs.

The GAA in Dublin is a very different animal. Last week I was speaking to a club footballer living and playing in Dublin. His latest club provides him free accommodation and pays him E300 a week.

Then we wonder why there are individuals in Dublin who have signed for three different clubs, all within a 15-minute drive of each other.
In an environment where the GAA is acting as a revenue stream, it's not surprising that some people now hold a topsy-turvy view of what it's all about. If a footballer is getting a signing on fee, then of course he'll believe that: 'it's not what you can do for your club, but what your club can do for you.'

Those who believe that the GAA owe them a living would feel bewildered that Bradley is not getting paid to manage Antrim. And don't take my word for it.

Antrim chairman John McSparran made an unequivocal statement to this newspaper a few months ago, stating Bradley is not being remunerated for his services.

Nope. The real reason Liam Bradley is managing Antrim is because, one day, he wants to manage his native Derry. He has already been overlooked for the job twice.

But Bradley is refusing to go away. As Derry manager, he would have two sons on the team. This can pose problems. There would also have been some confusion over his ability to do the job. When he led Glenullin to the county title in 2007, some of the credit was attributed to Kevin Madden, who Liam brought in to assist him. There may also have been some doubts about Bradley's temperament. He's no lamb, and he'll say exactly what he thinks to anyone.

A lesser man might have simply accepted that the Derry job was always going to remain beyond his grasp.

But by taking the Antrim post, Bradley set out to prove that he can manage a county team, and that he can do it successfully. Now, his stock is soaring and his detractors must view him in a different light.

Antrim have played 11 League and Championship games this year and lost just once. They've gained promotion from Division Four and have progressed to the last 12 teams in the All-Ireland Championship.

Bradley deserves huge credit. His strength of personality lies at the heart of his success.

Weak, insecure managers surround themselves with weak, insipid, 'yes' men. A strong manager likes to surround himself with strong people, who may sometimes challenge him.

At Glenullin, Bradley took on Kevin Madden, and has now harnessed Niall Conway's expertise. Conway led the Derry minors to the 2007 All-Ireland final. His teams play 'heads up football'. It's fast, it's slick and it's effective. Conway coaches, Bradley calls the shots.

His conviction is unshakeable. His nickname, 'the Baker' was earned due to the white sports jacket he was fond of wearing at a time in the 1980s when a brown leather jacket, a moustache, and a pint of Bass was the standard leisure wear of most self-respecting North Derry men.

And, unlike a few other managers, Bradley hasn't turned into a Mickey Harte mimic. He will not be found standing on the sideline in thoughtful repose. After Sean Brady won Cavan's first three kick-outs, Liam could be seen addressing this state of affairs with Tony Scullion. Fingers were pointed, voices were raised, and it can be assumed Tony was told in no uncertain terms to make sure that Brady didn't make four catches in-a-row.

The previous week his son Paddy was snuffed out of the game in Casement Park when double-marked by Justin McMahon and Conor Gormley.

Having watched that performance, it would have been understandable if Bradley had aped Tyrone's system against Cavan's Seanie Johnston. But Bradley had his own ideas. During a conversation with him last week, he told me that there was no guarantee that he would put two men on Johnston. I thought he was joking, and laughed. Liam laughed too.

Liam wasn't joking. After Saturday's game, it emerged that Bradley had told the Antrim players that there was no need to double mark Johnston. He told them that as individuals they were better footballers than the Cavan players. He said if they went out and expressed themselves then they would win.

Liam Bradley is not the first manager to assure Antrim footballers that they are every bit as good as the outfit next door. The difference with 'the Baker' is that when he says something, players believe it.

Next up for the Saffrons is Tyrone, the All-Ireland champions in an Ulster final.

There will be no media bans. After 39 years in darkness, the Saffrons deserve their moment in the sun. And their families are entitled to store and treasure the newspaper supplements and television stories which will be produced for this rare and wonderful occasion.

Because when you manage and play for this Antrim team, you use the attic to store newspaper cuttings, not the brown paper bags from tax-free perks.

Thats why i like heaney he tells it like it is. Good article there. Harte sits on fence too much when writing.

[omagh_gael]

very enjoyable read there from Heaney

[muppet]

To a Southerner I still don't understand all the need to be a victim (Not Heaney who writes well but the subject of the article).

[Zapatista]

To a Southerner I still don't understand all the need to be a victim (Not Heaney who writes well but the subject of the article).

To be fair I think Antrim are being taken in the view of a weaker county rather than a nothern county.

[Our Nail Loney]

Pros and cons to back door

By Mickey Harte

03/07/09

THIS weekend, the 2009 Championship begins in earnest. Euphemistically known as the back door, or the scenic route, the Qualifiers affords all provincial first round losers their second life.

The length of time since, and the exact nature of, that first round defeat are two major factors which will determine how ready any of the participants are for this new challenge.

Having been in Championship mode and experiencing the inevitable disappointment that accompanies an early exit asks serious questions of all concerned.

There are some crumbs of comfort if the defeat has come about despite a credible performance.

If, however, the performance matches the result, then the rehabilitation process takes on gargantuan proportions.

The first obstacle to be faced is the fact that preparation for the provincial series didn't deliver the required outcome and the tendency is to throw the baby out with the bath water.

Objectivity becomes difficult.

Belief has to be regenerated.

Effectively using the time between the defeat and the last chance saloon is key.

The longer the time-frame, the more difficult the task. In the first instance, achieving the necessary level of focus over a prolonged period of time is never easy.

Taking a complete break is also fraught with difficulty as this diminishes the group identity nurtured from the beginning of the year.

Preparing for an unknown opponent adds further difficulty to a round one Qualifier engagement.

Establishing the correct balance between club and county commitments becomes more of an issue. By rule, the 13-day clearance for 'front door' Championship matches is now reduced to six days for the Qualifiers, and the domestic programme moves on, most likely with club championship weekends, which were on hold, now becoming live events.

Yes, a second chance, but at a price, practically and mentally.

When the draw is finally made, a degree of clarity emerges, and so too does the realisation that a season of hope is a mere 70 minutes away from one of potential despair.

A home draw against a team from a lower division, and not from your own province, is the ideal outcome.

Ticking all these boxes is highly unlikely and depending on the expectations within your county, the heat is well and truly on.

Everyone in the camp is now faced with the challenge of remaining positive, despite the recent evidence – a first round defeat – harbouring lingering doubts around the capacity for early redemption.

Perhaps, ironically, the greater the ambition, the more significant the fear of losing becomes.

For others, just to stay in the race for another round is the height of their ambition, and such an opponent for a top-eight ranked team tests their composure and resolve to the limit.

Huge adjustments may be required as teams may have to travel long distances to unfamiliar venues. Saturday evening games may necessitate a Friday night stay over, and the programming of a long wait for the game.

Managing that time effectively will tax even those teams used to being away for games in the summer months and will prove even more problematic for novices to such an adventure.

The alternative is to travel long distances on the day and those who are serious about achieving their best performance levels would demand the former.

Acquiring the knock-out mentality asks demanding questions of the qualifying teams.

Despite the competitive nature of the provincial series, (especially Ulster), subconsciously everyone knows that they are not gone from the Championship.

Suddenly the world is a different place, and the prospect of having to engage in three increasingly difficult encounters over a condensed period of time, in order to meet opponents who have only had a provincial final to contend with, appears anything but appetising.

Drawing the short straw in round one is always a possibility too, and two strong and ambitious counties could have to face off immediately after difficult first round provincial ties.

Yes, the Qualifiers do offer a chance to recover and learn from a provincial setback, but a closer reflection on the potential hazards of such a journey will quickly dispel the sometimes

espoused myth that teams might actually choose the Qualifier path. I think not.

Saffrons win a boost for Ulster

DESPITE the obvious sensitivities of alluding to the progress of Antrim in this year's Ulster Championship, I feel it would be remiss of me not to acknowledge and commend Liam Bradley (left) and his team and backroom staff for the magnificent achievement of reaching their first Ulster final in 39 years.

Even before they beat Cavan last week I had the pleasure of attending a function in Bunscoil Phobal Feirste, and the feelgood factor of their win over Donegal was already evident.

There was a visible spring in every Antrim person's step.

The children playing in the school yard were playing Gaelic football, with saffron jerseys now dominating where it would once have been other counties' colours. I can only imagine how that has been enhanced this week. And the boost this success will give to the county in general, and specifically to Belfast, is something the gaels of Antrim have long been yearning for.

[longball]

At the very end of that article he should of put it the line:

But we're still gonna have to beat the sh1te out them b@5tards

[longrunsthefox]

You have nailed it there Longball-he will have absolutly no sentiment or mercy for this game. I heard from someone a few years
ago when Fermanagh were coming up in the world and due to play Tyrone/Harte in the championship, a person I know said to him, ...but isn't it great to see them doing well'...etc and Harte said -No! we need to keep your foot on these teams and keep them down there... Tyrone won something like 1-23 to 5pts. This could be the same. Nice wee bit of patronising in the Irish News but I doubt it is Harte felt. 

[armaghniac]

Fermanagh didn't lie down after that beating in 2003 but kept at it and reached the AI semi-final the following year. Antrim may well get a trimming from Tyrone next week, but they should take a similar attitude.They'll be in championship after at least one, and possibly both, of Armagh and Monaghan.

[Fuzzman]

Does this not contradict what he said about it last year where he said winning your province is almost a hindrance now as you could be caught cold with a team that has been flying through the qualifiers with regular matches that have build up a head of steam.

The losers of Tyrone or Antrim will have to pick themselves up quickly as they could have 2 games in 2 weeks should they make it to the 1/4 finals.

[OverThePostsAWide]

At the very end of that article he should of put it the line:

But we're still gonna have to beat the sh1te out them b@5tards

He didn't need to 

We all know that beneath that homeless appearance he is the original smiling assassin - ruthless and cold-blooded!
(in the football sense, I mean, before anybody thinks I am impugning his personal character...)

And as much as I will be cheering on Antrim, I wouldn't want it any other way 

One of his better articles I thought.

[Fuzzman]

Smiling Assassin eh



I took this pic off the telly with my phone last year and it just shows how a photo can so portray the wrong mood of the moment.

[Our Nail Loney]

Railway Cup could now get back on track

By Mickey Harte

31/07/09

It was with no small measure of delight that I learned on Wednesday morning that the International Rules engagement has been deferred until 2010.

I believe this is a blessing in disguise as I never felt it appropriate for us in the GAA to include this spectacle in our 125 celebrations.

Indeed, the GAA at unit, county, provincial and national level are to be commended for the high

visibility and brand awareness generated around this milestone of the Association.

Celebrating 125 years of our organisation is about reflecting on the evolution of our products and creating a launch pad for taking us to new horizons in the years ahead.

Two of the key components of such a vision ought to be the internationalisation of our games and the restoration of the players' highest level of representative competitive opportunity – The Martin Donnelly Inter-provincial series.

I have long maintained that the International Rules series, which is often described as giving an international dimension to gaelic games, has exactly the opposite effect.

In the first instance, the original name of the series 'Compromise Rules' automatically negates this suggestion.

How can we claim to be giving an international dimension to one of our games (gaelic football) if we are not playing that game?

Indeed, the word compromise is a misnomer in this instance as the actual Collins Dictionary

definition of compromise is 'meeting halfway'.

The hybrid game is heavily weighted towards Australian Rules Football. It has their tackle, mark, ball-carrying regulations, score-taking (with the exception of goalkeeper and crossbar), running replacements and four quarters, all in return for the use of a gaelic football as opposed to an oval one.

Realistically, the transition for professional players from handling an oval ball to a round one should hardly prove too taxing as the regular nature of a round one will be much more predictable than the one they have to deal with in their game. Ironically, the 'tackle' in the hybrid game is the very antithesis of that which this year's experimental GAA rules was endeavouring to achieve in that department of our games.

Apologies for the digression, as this was not supposed to be an anti-International Rules article but rather a recognition of the glorious opportunity to give due prominence to the Martin Donnelly Inter-provincial Championships.

If the calendar clearance that had been set aside for the hybrid game was now used to breathe new life into the Railway Cup then we could begin the process of re-branding this historically significant representative outlet for our games.

A working party (or task force, call it what you will) group of GAA people should be charged with the task of building for this event. With the definite dates in October to work towards, team managers could prepare in the knowledge that all their best players would be available, unlike last year when upwards on half of the Ulster side were otherwise occupied on hybrid duty.

To add an extra competitive edge there should be a plate final, thus affording all players the

opportunity to play two games in the series.

Then an Allstar Railway Cup team could be chosen and invited to travel with and compete against the Vodafone Allstars in more competitive games abroad.

As it would be highly likely that some of the Vodafone Allstars would also be Raliway Cup

Allstars, the opportunity for replacements from the inter-provincial series would ensure a competitive edge to all games.

Unfortunately in recent years, despite the generous sponsorship invested by Martin Donnelly, the Railway Cup has not attracted encouraging numbers through the turnstiles. However, the numbers criterion alone does not reflect fairly on the possibilities for this competition.

Every successful competition has definite and fixed dates. All major competitions, both within and between counties always (excepting for suspension and injury), have the best players available.

A planned press campaign can clearly highlight and preview the games and focus the public's

attention on an event they should attend.

Not so with the inter-provincials.

From one, often obscure, venue in Munster on a Saturday in February to another in an extreme end of Ulster in November has been the timetable under which the Railway Cup has been supposed to flourish. When one factors in club and college (in addition to the afore mentioned hybrid demands) then it wouldn't take a Mensa student to figure out why the numbers attending are unsatisfactory.

We must use this window of opportunity to reclaim this competition for our players and the Association in general.

The rebuild will take time and, with the opportunity to fix this date in the calendar for Railway Cup competitions, we are only limited by our imaginations.

Some suggestions for the development of a meaningful Railway Cup tournament will be addressed in next week's column.

[full back]

Wonder is Martin Donnelly giving Mickey any perks for the amount of attention/publicity he gets for the company

The man is a superb manager, but he is like a f**king broken record on this issue

Hope the IN dont give him too much for that article

[SidelineKick]

Railway Cup could now get back on track.

He then goes on to use the first half of his article to have yet another go at the International Rules.

Yawn.

[kickingmule]

Railway Cup could now get back on track.

He then goes on to use the first half of his article to have yet another go at the International Rules.

Yawn.

BUILT A BRIDGE  .... AND GET OVER YOURSELF!!!