I watched the Omagh v Cross game yesterday and whilst I was delighted they came back and won it in the end I couldn't help but think how their style of play is very similar to that of the county team.
This slow sideways passing up the pitch which often gets broken down by one stray pass is very hard to watch and seems prevalent now in the game.
I couldn't help feeling dejected listening to the TG4 host interview Mickey Harte about the year ahead and will he be taking in new backroom staff and will there be a fresh approach. "Not really" was more or less the response I heard as yes he has Peter Donnelly as new S&C coach but sounds like it will be Mickey and Horse as the only men at the wheel. From chatting to a few ex players last year I hear relationships between a lot of the players and Mickey are at an all time low with very little communication happening and an unpleasant awkwardness about approaching Mickey. I suppose players feel he's hard to approach with all that he's been through yet there are issues that need to be challenged. From what I hear Horse is a YES man to Mickey and that's what Mickey likes. Nobody questioning him.
Tony Donnelly was the man all the players went to before by all accounts so does Gavin Devlin play that role now.
It's hard to know what's going on for someone like me down in Dublin but it seemed to me that there was a large contingent of Tyrone Gaels thought it was time for Mickey to leave in the last year or 2. Certainly as we went our early last year most of us thought that was the last straw.
Our style of play (maybe influenced by trying to beat Donegal/Monaghan) has become very ugly and slow in my opinion. I saw it again yesterday with Omagh "Crab passing" as I call it up the pitch. I've watched it with Tyrone the last few years and it is so frustrating that the pace and intelligent football we used to play is now totally nullified with this paranoia about trying to keep possession at all cost.
More often that not we try a short kick out. Work it back and forward around the full and half back line whilst forwards try to make good runs into space but never get the pass.
Then one loose pass gets intercepted and suddenly we're on the back foot again.
Whilst the game has changed radically in the last few years and even the "Mighty" Kerry have changed their style to counteract this, I think Tyrone football has become very stale and needs a good kick up the hole. Just my own opinion.
Fear is the word that holds us all back in life and I think Tyrone players now are playing with a huge element of fear under the manager that helped us win our first and ALL 3 All-Irelands.
It seems to me as there as been a big fudge this year with us all fed up with Mickey's antics & stubbornness yet instead of Mickey resigning, his 2 assistants resigned instead. Did they do this themselves to try to encourage Mickey to go? I'd be interested to hear if anyone knows for SURE.
Everyone on here is entitled to their opinion so please don't start giving me a hard time for starting a Mickey Witch hunt at Haloween. Of course the man is a legend in Tyrone and around all of Ireland and of course most people outside the county will take the easy option and say how could you ask him to step down. He's earned that respect to stay as long as he wants. Yes all true but I am just curious what people think within Tyrone and that's why I posted this in here and not out on the main board page.
I for one and I know there were many others was really not impressed travelling hundred of miles last year to watch some of the tripe football we played and some of the team selections he made.
He actually apologised for it down in Kerry I think after the league defeat which is grand if he then learns from it but I don't think he did.
I'm curious now that the season closes and we approach a new national League season with the same manager and to me same ideas.
I am not expecting to win the AI and think we got lucky with the draw 2 seasons ago to make the semis but I do think we still have the makings of a fine team that should at least be winning Ulster a bit more.
With players like Morgan, Justy, Joey, Gormley(even still), Sean & Colm, Clarke, Barry Tierney, Ronan O'Neill, Coney, McCurry I think with the right tactics and mindset and as Jim McGuinness showed belief that we can still be a force
For me anyway, under Mickey we are going backwards and that most important thing belief isn't there.
It reminds me of how players see Roy Keane as a manager. Huge amount of respect for the man and what he achieved but scared shitless of letting him down, making a mistake, pissing him off and so on the field they will play with FEAR and be cautious which leads to mistakes.
As usual people ask yes yes but who would replace him? Who would do a better job?
An easy reply but that reply just shows that you don't accept how bad things are in reality. Yes Mickey was sharp back in the 2000's when we were winning things and made the player believe they were the best but I don't think he has that influence any more. He hardly even talks to the players by all accounts.
Of course I hope he proves us wrong but to me I am not looking forward to the season ahead or to my birthday on the 7th March when Tyrone come to Croke Park to play the Dubs. A game I used to look forward to every year and how they used to fear us. Now they don't even consider us a threat any more.
I'd like to hear people's thoughts as to me the whole thing was swept under the carpet when the backroom staff resigned.
Have many of ye stopped going to away matches the way you used to?
