End Game for Mickey?

[Kuwabatake Sanjuro]

That fact that he has just enough support as suggested baffles me, the man took an average enough side to the cusp of the AIF a few weeks ago, what more has he to do for you lot???

The fact that it is an average enough side is the reason that his time should be coming to an end. Tyrone are a county with a great footballing culture, excellent facilities, a very good underage set up and a well resourced Club Tyrone. They should be All Ireland contenders every year but they have been firmly in the second tier of counties for the past 5 or 6 years.
They were lucky to beat an average Meath team in the qualifiers this year and if that had went against him Harte would have definitely been ousted.

[In hiding]

Did Tyrone have a good year because they got to an AI semi or because they ran Kerry close? If its the latter then that's ok, but the luck of the draw paired Tyrone with Monaghan in the quarters, easily the weakest of the four provincial winners (same as 2013 btw). Had Tyrone met Kerry in the quarters and lost what would public opinion have been?
How can someone who is a great manager play Aiden Mc Crory as a ball playing, score taking half back ?? Seriously??   

[ONeill]

How can someone who is a great manager play Aiden Mc Crory as a ball playing, score taking half back ?? Seriously??

He didn't.

[In hiding]

How can someone who is a great manager play Aiden Mc Crory as a ball playing, score taking half back ?? Seriously??

He didn't.

Where did he play him then, Mc Crory has played left half back for most of the year. Tyrones full back line has been any 3 fom Mc Namee, Mc Carron, Mc Mahon and Mc Nabb. Tiernan Mc Cann and Mc Crory were the wing half backs v Kerry

[Il Bomber Destro]

I don't like some of the abuse McCrory has came in for this year, I feel he has had a very solid year for us. Granted he didn't play well against Kerry and was taken off but I saw nothing to suggest he be dropped before that game. I would say his threat is most under threat going into next year in the defence but he's but it's not as if we had an array of proven defensive options to us in the Championship this season.

[Disillusioned]

M Harte knows that he will eventually be betrayed and brought down by some of those within the Tyrone GAA structures.  He won't even have to wait until the 'ides of March', the plotters are not hard to find.  There are too many egos involved in the county board, club tyrone and the other structures in the county.  There are issues with east and west Tyrone with the predominance of players now from the east as a new management team was introduced and this has brought additional tension on the club front as games are cancelled but their best players are not involved in success at county level.  Hence, clubs are encouraging their players to leave the squad and come back to where they are wanted and loved.  There are too many bidding for control within the county setup and too many others waiting their time to get their digs in as a situation evolves.

The story in Down is an example of how things evolve quickly and when a county does not have strong leadership and direction in the county board with a strong and visionary chairman at the helm.  Look at the chaos that is Derry.  But look how a strong manager such as J Maginness was able to virtually lead the county board in Donegal even for a short time because he had a vision and a passion to succeed.  Even he couldn't sustain it against the ingrained attitudes of established officialdom in and out of the county board. The same thing is true in many other county boards but look at the most successful counties and you will see someone taking charge who has the necessary characteristics to lead rather than being there because it is their 'turn' or they 'have served their time' on committees.  Look at those counties where they are not weighed down with committees.  Look at Dublin and see how leadership and vision has lifted the county from the doldrums in both hurling and football.  Dublin doesn't have the best sponsors and provision for its players because it is big but because the leadership thinks big on behalf of the players at all levels.

The GAA is a political body at all levels and parochial by definition, this means that the emphasis is often only on the football or hurling when it is working well.  For many at county board level they have never played the game with distinction or even at all but believe that they know better than those who have played or are playing or managing their teams. Counties need leaders at the helm but they need those who have been successful on the field and have shown leadership qualities.  Administrators are needed but not for policy, strategy or vision and there are too many who are administrators in place of leaders around the GAA country.  They are brilliant in their abilities to organise and administrate but do not have the qualities required to provide strong leadership and vision that will provide success.

J McCorry took the right decision for him and wouldn't accept the platitudes of those on the county board executive who offered him support when they had secretly stabbed him in the back just a few weeks earlier.  M Harte is a canny operator and he will play the 'officials'' game as long as he can because he has always seen the potential of his players playing his system.  For a number of years since 2010 and the major retirements, he has struggled to maintain his system and in the last few years he has had to evolve his system to meet the changes brought about in the game by Donegal.  He knows he is on the verge of success with his evolved system coming to fruition with a group of players who believe in him and his system.  That is all he has ever needed, not the best players in the county but the players who can best believe in him and his system.  Just as J McGuinness copied from him and modified slightly for Donegal, a system and belief of the players. The last two games have shown the players that it works at the highest levels and that a new group of players, not all the best in the county, are now ready to make a run over the next three years. 

The issue that now lies between M Harte and Tyrone All Ireland success in the next few years is the battle of the egos and for control in Tyrone.  There are those who think that M Harte has too much control and they are prepared to act in concert to take him down but none of them has the courage to make their solo run. Like him or loathe him but M Harte is a man of courage and a self belief that is not replicated in many of those who now stand in the shadows and plot his fate.  A stand off has been established where control of Tyrone football has become more important to some than recognising the success that has been achieved and that can be achieved over the next few years with M Harte as manager.  Besides there is no one to fill his boots.  One year wonders at u21 level are no replacement and only look good compared to the many management teams since 2002 who have tried and failed to emulate M Harte's success at underage level when just as much talent was available to them given the county's success at provincial and All Ireland levels of the very successful vocational and colleges teams during the period since 2002.

Oh dear!  I fear for M Harte but he is a tough nut and appears to have a stubborn streak.  He may pull through this battle but any victory will unfortunately be a pyrrhic one and eventually the war will be lost for Tyrone football.  Good luck M Harte, he certainly needs it!

[longballin]

What about the Russians?... you didn't mention the Russians 

[WeeDonns]

What about the Russians?... you didn't mention the Russians 

I think East Tyrone people are the Russians?

[ONeill]

What about the Russians?... you didn't mention the Russians 

I think East Tyrone people are the Russians?

Like the Smirnoff alright.

[SuperHo]

I think East Tyrone people are the Russians?

Yer far enough that road comrad

[twohands!!!]

Losing to Kerry in a game Tyrone never really looked liked winning looks like it will be what keeps Harte in situ.

The thing is I just can't see Tyrone pushing on next year in terms of seriously challenging for Sam so it's very hard to know if sticking with Harte or bringing in a new broom would be the better option.

You do realise that the Kerry game was an All Ireland semi final? Only 3 other counties got that far you know!

And who did they beat to get there - the sum total of feck all. Getting to a semi-final is one thing when a team playing well beats serious contenders to get there, a whole different kettle of fish when it's struggling past average/below-average teams by a few points.

Monaghan were abysmal in the quarter, Tipp totally collapsed, and the less said about Meath and Limerick the better, because Tyrone performances against the two of them were hardly all that impressive.
The loss to Donegal in Ulster looks a lot less of a decent result than it did at the time, especially in light of Donegal's losses to Monaghan and Mayo.

Overall Tyrone played 10 games against Division 1 opposition this year and won 2 of them.  Both of those wins were against teams who had very bad days at the office, and indeed a strong case could be made that for both of the Division 1 teams their performances against Tyrone were both their worst performances of the year. If folk think, that's the form of a team who will be seriously challenging for Sam anytime soon, good luck to them but I'm not buying that notion.

[nrico2006]

Losing to Kerry in a game Tyrone never really looked liked winning looks like it will be what keeps Harte in situ.

The thing is I just can't see Tyrone pushing on next year in terms of seriously challenging for Sam so it's very hard to know if sticking with Harte or bringing in a new broom would be the better option.

You do realise that the Kerry game was an All Ireland semi final? Only 3 other counties got that far you know!

And who did they beat to get there - the sum total of feck all. Getting to a semi-final is one thing when a team playing well beats serious contenders to get there, a whole different kettle of fish when it's struggling past average/below-average teams by a few points.

Monaghan were abysmal in the quarter, Tipp totally collapsed, and the less said about Meath and Limerick the better, because Tyrone performances against the two of them were hardly all that impressive.
The loss to Donegal in Ulster looks a lot less of a decent result than it did at the time, especially in light of Donegal's losses to Monaghan and Mayo.

Overall Tyrone played 10 games against Division 1 opposition this year and won 2 of them.  Both of those wins were against teams who had very bad days at the office, and indeed a strong case could be made that for both of the Division 1 teams their performances against Tyrone were both their worst performances of the year. If folk think, that's the form of a team who will be seriously challenging for Sam anytime soon, good luck to them but I'm not buying that notion.

Spot on twohands, a lot has been forgotten in light of not suffering a tanking against Kerry and beating the mighty Monaghan.

[lenny]

Losing to Kerry in a game Tyrone never really looked liked winning looks like it will be what keeps Harte in situ.

The thing is I just can't see Tyrone pushing on next year in terms of seriously challenging for Sam so it's very hard to know if sticking with Harte or bringing in a new broom would be the better option.

You do realise that the Kerry game was an All Ireland semi final? Only 3 other counties got that far you know!

And who did they beat to get there - the sum total of feck all. Getting to a semi-final is one thing when a team playing well beats serious contenders to get there, a whole different kettle of fish when it's struggling past average/below-average teams by a few points.

Monaghan were abysmal in the quarter, Tipp totally collapsed, and the less said about Meath and Limerick the better, because Tyrone performances against the two of them were hardly all that impressive.
The loss to Donegal in Ulster looks a lot less of a decent result than it did at the time, especially in light of Donegal's losses to Monaghan and Mayo.

Overall Tyrone played 10 games against Division 1 opposition this year and won 2 of them.  Both of those wins were against teams who had very bad days at the office, and indeed a strong case could be made that for both of the Division 1 teams their performances against Tyrone were both their worst performances of the year. If folk think, that's the form of a team who will be seriously challenging for Sam anytime soon, good luck to them but I'm not buying that notion.

Spot on twohands, a lot has been forgotten in light of not suffering a tanking against Kerry and beating the mighty Monaghan.

Spot on. I've also heard that he seriously pissed off the sponsors by changing out of the official tyrone gear with sponsors logo before doing sky interviews. I don't have sky so not sure how true that is but coupled with the fact that his row continues with rte over the non appointment of brian carty it means the sponsors aren't happy and are putting pressure on.

[screenexile]

Losing to Kerry in a game Tyrone never really looked liked winning looks like it will be what keeps Harte in situ.

The thing is I just can't see Tyrone pushing on next year in terms of seriously challenging for Sam so it's very hard to know if sticking with Harte or bringing in a new broom would be the better option.

You do realise that the Kerry game was an All Ireland semi final? Only 3 other counties got that far you know!

And who did they beat to get there - the sum total of feck all. Getting to a semi-final is one thing when a team playing well beats serious contenders to get there, a whole different kettle of fish when it's struggling past average/below-average teams by a few points.

Monaghan were abysmal in the quarter, Tipp totally collapsed, and the less said about Meath and Limerick the better, because Tyrone performances against the two of them were hardly all that impressive.
The loss to Donegal in Ulster looks a lot less of a decent result than it did at the time, especially in light of Donegal's losses to Monaghan and Mayo.

Overall Tyrone played 10 games against Division 1 opposition this year and won 2 of them.  Both of those wins were against teams who had very bad days at the office, and indeed a strong case could be made that for both of the Division 1 teams their performances against Tyrone were both their worst performances of the year. If folk think, that's the form of a team who will be seriously challenging for Sam anytime soon, good luck to them but I'm not buying that notion.

Spot on twohands, a lot has been forgotten in light of not suffering a tanking against Kerry and beating the mighty Monaghan.

Spot on. I've also heard that he seriously pissed off the sponsors by changing out of the official tyrone gear with sponsors logo before doing sky interviews. I don't have sky so not sure how true that is but coupled with the fact that his row continues with rte over the non appointment of brian carty it means the sponsors aren't happy and are putting pressure on.

I had a look there and there's only one Sky Interview with Mickey on their website and indeed he wasn't wearing any branded gear but how many Tyrone matches were on Sky this year? It all seems pretty tenuous this sponsors thing.

Does Lavery really care that much about the interviews? I'm not so sure. It seems that there's a group in Tyrone who are sick being dictated to and who believe Harte wields too much power in the County which is probably true. This looks to be trying to bring him down a peg or two I can't see that he will give up the post I mean what will he do instead?

Someone like a Harte or Cody doesn't have anything else and they aren't going to throw their lot in with another County so I can't see Harte bowing out at this stage!

[trueblue1234]

Losing to Kerry in a game Tyrone never really looked liked winning looks like it will be what keeps Harte in situ.

The thing is I just can't see Tyrone pushing on next year in terms of seriously challenging for Sam so it's very hard to know if sticking with Harte or bringing in a new broom would be the better option.

You do realise that the Kerry game was an All Ireland semi final? Only 3 other counties got that far you know!

And who did they beat to get there - the sum total of feck all. Getting to a semi-final is one thing when a team playing well beats serious contenders to get there, a whole different kettle of fish when it's struggling past average/below-average teams by a few points.

Monaghan were abysmal in the quarter, Tipp totally collapsed, and the less said about Meath and Limerick the better, because Tyrone performances against the two of them were hardly all that impressive.
The loss to Donegal in Ulster looks a lot less of a decent result than it did at the time, especially in light of Donegal's losses to Monaghan and Mayo.

Overall Tyrone played 10 games against Division 1 opposition this year and won 2 of them.  Both of those wins were against teams who had very bad days at the office, and indeed a strong case could be made that for both of the Division 1 teams their performances against Tyrone were both their worst performances of the year. If folk think, that's the form of a team who will be seriously challenging for Sam anytime soon, good luck to them but I'm not buying that notion.

Spot on twohands, a lot has been forgotten in light of not suffering a tanking against Kerry and beating the mighty Monaghan.

Spot on. I've also heard that he seriously pissed off the sponsors by changing out of the official tyrone gear with sponsors logo before doing sky interviews. I don't have sky so not sure how true that is but coupled with the fact that his row continues with rte over the non appointment of brian carty it means the sponsors aren't happy and are putting pressure on.

You are being purposely disingenuous.