Jimmy McGuinness

[From the Bunker]

Just a thought - who is the last county to lose an AI final and win it the following year?

I make it ....

Kerry 2009
Kerry 2006
Galway 2001

Dublin created an anomaly during the golden years.
And the Kerry and Galway victories came with the caveat of beating Mayo, Cork and Kildare.

[Main Street]

The unchanging obsession with Jim and Donegal is of autistic proportions.

[tyrone08]

The unchanging obsession with Jim and Donegal is of autistic proportions.

The absolute cheek of people to discuss a gaelic-football team and a gaelic-football manager on a gaelic-football message board.

Almost as bad as singing Jimmy's winnings matches after every non important game.

[SaffronSports]

A lot of people taking great joy in Jimmy's, Murphy's and Donegal's woes. Some serious shite talked on Pods as well, some of them are more interested in dancing on graves. Quickly forgotten that Donegal spanked Kerry 3 times this year.

Yep, whatever about the Kerry games and the legitimate questions about Donegal's approach to this season, there are a number of lads on here who have been hysterically howling about Donegal for years and years (Bonner, Martin McHugh, Ryan McHugh, McGuinness, Murphy, even Brendan Devenney way back when if you're an old timer like me), but it's gotten ridiculous since McGuinness, and later Murphy, came back.

Maybe when the likes of Mark McHugh or Karl Lacey succeed McGuinness as manager, it'll change, but I'll not hold my breath.

I like McGuinness I think he's great for the game. It would be a much more boring sport without him.

It became a boring sport largely because of him.

[From the Bunker]

Ah JMG ruffled feathers the first time around. He gives the media something to talk about. The media like to build him up and knock him down. Spillane take extra enjoyment at twisting the knife when he fails.

Jim has never had a regular job? He has hopped around from the 3rd level junket  to sports coaching. When Jim loses his regular income is in jeopardy.

[imtommygunn]

A lot of people taking great joy in Jimmy's, Murphy's and Donegal's woes. Some serious shite talked on Pods as well, some of them are more interested in dancing on graves. Quickly forgotten that Donegal spanked Kerry 3 times this year.

Yep, whatever about the Kerry games and the legitimate questions about Donegal's approach to this season, there are a number of lads on here who have been hysterically howling about Donegal for years and years (Bonner, Martin McHugh, Ryan McHugh, McGuinness, Murphy, even Brendan Devenney way back when if you're an old timer like me), but it's gotten ridiculous since McGuinness, and later Murphy, came back.

Maybe when the likes of Mark McHugh or Karl Lacey succeed McGuinness as manager, it'll change, but I'll not hold my breath.

I like McGuinness I think he's great for the game. It would be a much more boring sport without him.

It became a boring sport largely because of him.

Can't agree with that at all. One game in 2011 and he gets labelled.

The things I would say against him are I found it quite sinister how he dealt with Bogue and Cassidy and the journalist Tommy thingy this year and also his way of playing is not sustainable longer term for a group of players.

What he has brought to Donegal has been huge though. I am not sure what will happen to them without him although maybe Mark McHugh will be in the wings.

[J70]

He took questions from Rooney at the weekend and showed no ill will. Which I was glad to see as Rooney did nothing wrong.

He actually asked Cassidy back ahead of the AI season, but he turned him down and spent the summer in the US.

But Bogue is a superb journalist and never deserved the treatment he received. Jim only made himself look bad in that case. Not sure if he's taken questions from him since.

[JoG2]

The unchanging obsession with Jim and Donegal is of autistic proportions.

Inter county football is better with the likes of McGuinness about, McGeeney too...the more characters the better.

[Armagh4sam2024]

The unchanging obsession with Jim and Donegal is of autistic proportions.

Inter county football is better with the likes of McGuinness about, McGeeney too...the more characters the better.

Imagining a sour fuk-face like McGeeney as a character takes some doing...

[DaleCooper]

Watched game back and the big moment was Murphy blasting over bar. In first half, that would have been 6 point gap. They had similar wides, some shocking ones from Donegal. You almost feel Jims fear of failure seeping through to players. Conor OD and Gallen were useless.

[thewobbler]

The unchanging obsession with Jim and Donegal is of autistic proportions.

Inter county football is better with the likes of McGuinness about, McGeeney too...the more characters the better.

I can't get on board with this at all.

Jimmy ruined football in his first stint as Donegal manager. By proving you could win football matches without a territorial advantage, he inspired a legion of men to systematically ruin the county game, the club game, the schools game, through ultra-negative, risk-free, chessboard football.

Hence FRC was born.

How anyone can applaud what he has done is just beyond me.

Personally I was delighted that Donegal got smashed in last year's final. And it's nothing even slightly against Donegal - probably my favourite people and county in Ireland.

But the one thing that we didn't need after FRC was a running team taking the title. The one thing we really needed was those legion of anti-football coaches to start questioning themselves. The other thing we needed was a clearly impassioned Donegal squad to start questioning what it's all about; to ponder why they have to train and work like marathon runners, when there's a better, easier way to play the sport unfolding in front of their eyes. To down tools on that shite.

Short version: f**k Jimmy McGuinness. Our game is better off with him as far away from it as possible .

[AustinPowers]

Just a thought - who is the last county to lose an AI final and win it the following year?

I make it ....

Kerry 2009
Kerry 2006
Galway 2001

Dublin created an anomaly during the golden years.
And the Kerry and Galway victories came with the caveat of beating Mayo, Cork and Kildare.

Cork 2010

[JoG2]

The unchanging obsession with Jim and Donegal is of autistic proportions.

Inter county football is better with the likes of McGuinness about, McGeeney too...the more characters the better.

I can't get on board with this at all.

Jimmy ruined football in his first stint as Donegal manager. By proving you could win football matches without a territorial advantage, he inspired a legion of men to systematically ruin the county game, the club game, the schools game, through ultra-negative, risk-free, chessboard football.

Hence FRC was born.

How anyone can applaud what he has done is just beyond me.

Personally I was delighted that Donegal got smashed in last year's final. And it's nothing even slightly against Donegal - probably my favourite people and county in Ireland.

But the one thing that we didn't need after FRC was a running team taking the title. The one thing we really needed was those legion of anti-football coaches to start questioning themselves. The other thing we needed was a clearly impassioned Donegal squad to start questioning what it's all about; to ponder why they have to train and work like marathon runners, when there's a better, easier way to play the sport unfolding in front of their eyes. To down tools on that shite.

Short version: f**k Jimmy McGuinness. Our game is better off with him as far away from it as possible .

Old rules I'd agree. New rules his team won't win, so I enjoy the cantankerous hoor, provides plenty of talking points

[JoG2]

The unchanging obsession with Jim and Donegal is of autistic proportions.

Inter county football is better with the likes of McGuinness about, McGeeney too...the more characters the better.

Imagining a sour fuk-face like McGeeney as a character takes some doing...

Stick you with the rte panelists and the 'sure you know...' managers

[Captain Obvious]

Personally I was delighted that Donegal got smashed in last year's final. And it's nothing even slightly against Donegal - probably my favourite people and county in Ireland.

But the one thing that we didn't need after FRC was a running team taking the title.

Teams with the most through the hands football last year was Donegal and Kerry.

And this quote from Pat Spillane gives some food for thought.

Speaking in his Irish Independent column, Spillane raised the fact there were nearly 500 hand passes in the 2025 All Ireland final and, stunningly, that five of Kerry's 15 players did not kick pass the ball at all.

"Three Kerry players never kicked the ball in the All-Ireland final: Jason Foley, Dylan Casey and Mark O'Shea," he wrote.
"And believe it or not, while Seán O'Brien took one kick at goal and Joe O'Connor took two shots at goal, neither actually kick-passed the ball either. That's five Kerry players out of 15 who didn't kick-pass the ball.
"And that brings me probably to the bugbear, or the Achilles heel, of the new rules. We hoped we were going to see a return of catch-and-kick football. And a revival of kick-passing. Unfortunately, the stats from the final say otherwise.  2025 All Ireland final had 481 hand-passes. That is 31 more than the 2024 final.
"The hand- to kick-pass ratio in last year's championship was 5.5 to one. 2024, it was 3.4 to 4.1.