Mark Harte

[Mourne Rover]

It is notoriously hard for a manager's son to make a break-through at county level. Mark Harte is a talented player, and not too many teams have a better left-footed free-taker, but he is probably too small to be considered for a starting place in a Tyrone championship side. Having said that, the abuse he got from some Tyrone supporters was dreadful.

Some Armagh fans have a similar attitude to the Kernans, and Aidan Carr gets a bit of flak in Down as well. Mick O'Dwyer was cute enough to switch Karl to a different county, but he still found it tough. We are probably a nation of begrudgers.

[TacadoirArdMhacha]

Some Armagh fans have a similar attitude to the Kernans

In fairness, most Armagh fans I know have vastly diverging views depending on which kernan it is your talking about.

[new devil]

If Mark Harte isn't county standard, how come he was Tyrone's top scorer in the 2004 Championship? Of course he was county standard. Anyone who ends up top scorer in the championship for their county is obviously county standard.

In 2005, Mark Harte was just recovering from injury and the Ulster Final against Armagh was his first game in a long while. Its impossible to be match sharp after such a long lay off. What did the people of Tyrone expect him to do ? Come on and score five or six points off Francie Bellew? The entire Tyrone team, despite owning the ball for the whole of the first half, only scored five points in that first half. Eoin Mulligan also came on at half time and did very little as he was also just recovering from injury, but the Tyrone fans didn't criticise him like they criticised Mark Harte.

In 2006, with Mark Harte off the panel, Tyrone lost in the first round to Derry after missing umpteen frees that would have suited a left footed kicker. If Mark Harte had still been on the panel, he would have kicked every one of them and could have spared Tyrone's blushes.   

DES TRACEY from kildress was top scorer in 1A  last year..why isnt he on tyrone panel? hes not mickeys son thats why,  mark harte wasnt good enough to play for tyrone plain and simple 

[Puckoon]

Mark was plenty good to play for tyrone. I think his leaving was a mixture of his lightness causing him trouble at intercounty level (now in the age of so much weight training) and the abuse that his father and him were forced to endure. I saw enough of the back end of his boots at all underage level to respect the man for having talent that most of us posting on here can only dream about. Ill never forget those scores in the 97 minor all ireland series. One point in particular was a gem! The GAA supporters can be a brutal, heartless bunch. Maybe being married might help him beef up for intercounty football, I know its helped me flll out a bit...

[Over the Bar]

DES TRACEY from kildress was top scorer in 1A  last year..why isnt he on tyrone panel?

Cos he's not county standard and he'd make Mark Harte look like Canavan in his heyday.

[DJGaliv]

Deccy McCrossan is still playing football for Owen Roe's down here in Tyrone. I believe Harte invited him back to the panel once or twice, but Deccy was working, building a house, getting married, and he had a baby... so he couldn't make the neccessary commitment.

He's some man to impregnate himself.

[ONeill]

Mark is/was a great wee footballer and in 2004 pulled out some fine county performances. However, he just didn't really cut it against some of the top physical inter-county defences and with on top of that the disgusting abuse Mickey and Mark suffered from the ignorant, Mickey had to let him go. Canavan, McCullagh et al may have lacked the height with they are as hard as nails.

He'd be first choice in 20 or so other counties in the country.   

[new devil]

DES TRACEY from kildress was top scorer in 1A  last year..why isnt he on tyrone panel?

Cos he's not county standard and he'd make Mark Harte look like Canavan in his heyday.

Read back a few posts and you will see the point i was making 

[ziggysego]

Mark got married last year and was not putting the same commitment into football as previous seasons. He is going quite well this year and if he hits form of 3-4 years ago he could be very usefull. I think he was Tyrone's top scorer 3 or 4 years ago in the league.

I thought he only got married in March there.

[Over the Bar]

I thought he only got married in March there.

Zig, you read too much of Hello magazine!

[ziggysego]

I thought he only got married in March there.

Zig, you read too much of Hello magazine!

Ireland's Own

[orangeman]

I'll tell you something for nothing - Mark Harte is a lovely lad, a great footballer and a true Gael which CAN'T be said for all intercounty players. He got stick simply cos he was Mickey's son - no ther reason - it is so easy to pick on these individuals.

[Over the Bar]

I'll tell you something for nothing - Mark Harte is a great footballer and a true Gael which CAN'T be said for all intercounty players. He got stick simply cos he was Mickey's son - no ther reason - it is so easy to pick on these individuals.

Never a truer word spoken on this discussion board.

[Bensars]

I'll tell you something for nothing - Mark Harte is a great footballer and a true Gael which CAN'T be said for all intercounty players. He got stick simply cos he was Mickey's son - no ther reason - it is so easy to pick on these individuals.

Never a truer word spoken on this discussion board.

agreed. always guarnteed to score. Came in for abuse on two accounts, one , and the main one was his father and the obvious connection,secondly size. I feel this was his biggest problem, especially against more physical sides.

Bottom line is he has scored more in division 1 tyrone, ulster club championships, intercounty minor, u 21, senior national league and championship than most of the muppets who  jumped n the band wagon of criticism, or most of the esteemed contributors of this board.

good luck to him on whatever he decides to do. he owes noone any apologies in my humble opinion.

Armagh would have done with him at CHF today

[new devil]

Don't know Mark, so I can't comment on him personally & I wouldn't want to. But as a player, I felt that he was worth quite a bit as a free kick/dead ball taker but was average in other departments. IMHO useful to have on the bench but not a starting player. Got a lot of criticism through no fault of his own, and the "cheers" that went up when he was subbed against Mayo in the NFL was a mixture of the frustration of perceived nepotism in sections of the Tyrone support & the despair of the idiots that did so who would shit themselves if offered the job that Mickey Harte has the reigns of. A key player at minor level 10 years ago, as already pointed out, he struggled at Senior level because of his lack of build which he was able to more get away with as a minor. He was never going to get a fair crack of the whip as a Tyrone player under his father unless he delivered clinical performances time after time when he would have been completely fawned over by the same muppets that jeered him off the pitch. However he has his two All-Ireland Senior medals in his back pocket and made his onfield contribution to each of them. Has nothing really left to prove to those that will always doubt him while his father is still Tyrone manager. I would not rule him out being back in the panel in the future when his da steps down.

Was he on the 05 squad?