Morgan fails to show for press night

[darbyo]

I understand that Billy isn't going to Cork's official All-Ireland press night. Is this a result of his apparantly ongoing fued with the media? I personally think this is ridiculous, while Billy has no obligation to attend, this behaviour is childish and unhelpful IMO. Is it too much to ask that all players( only 6 are going) and backroom staff are present for one night. It's(the All Ireland, not the Cork press night) the biggest day in Gaelic Football yet GAA scribes can't get access to one of the managers. But it's not only Billy, many coaches seem to believe that talking to the media will put the hex on his team or that building a them V us relationship will aid his team. I find this extremely annoying. It's time for some managers to grow up.

[Uladh]

of course he should show up. bad form all round. but the bottom line is he's an amateur and is under no obligation to do so.

[darbyo]

Although I agree and said so in my origional post that he doesn't have an obligation to attend, it is more the general attitude of some inter county managers, highlighted here by Billy that I refer to. This 'the media are the root of all evil' attitude, is becoming tiresome. I believe that intercounty managers in particular have a responsibility to help promote the games through the media. In the next two weeks the Rugby world cup coverage will explode and the premership hype machine is already up and running. You can read or hear plenty from Eddie O'Sullivan and many other rugby coaches and their premership counterparts yet one of only two coaches left in the whole of the GAA championship is sitting at home brooding over some apparent slights on Cork football, you wouldn't get from a 12 year old.

[Kerry Mike]

He's no loss to the media, all he does is bitch about Kerry football, but he has brought great joy to the Kingdom over the years too, come back Billy we miss your rants.


in Cork he'd be known as a L.........

What you looking at Billy, thats right, that big shiny yoke under my name is the Sam Maguire, you haven't been this close to it in years

[MaroonAndWhite]

Fair enough, he's amateur and he has no obligation to the media to attend a pre All-ireland press night. But is it not part of being a manager to take as much of the media glare and spotlight off his players and ensure the only pressure they have is surrounding their own performance on final day and not interviews for the tabloids and broadsheets??

[ONeill]

Billy is 15 years behind the times. Recent All-Ireland winning managers have been affable and media-friendly (some almost whorish!)

I remember Paddy Heaney writing a few weeks after the All-Ireland Final in 2003 that Armagh began to lose that game in the weeks preceding it. He said that on the night of the Irish News All-Stars awards that the attitude in the camps couldn't have been more different. Just after the final award was presented, Kernan and his team resembled the keystone cops as they exited the building on cue in a group. He said the Tyrone camp stayed behind and mingled freely with the press and fans, enjoying the night and the whole build-up. On the big day one of the RTE commentators remarked on how relaxed the Tyrone camp were in the changing rooms beforehand whilst the Armagh room was stifling in its nervousness and manic focus. It was noticeable in the proceeding years that Joe changed his approach.

Mickey Moran had a similar approach last year. Pillar Caffrey suffers from this affliction too. It maybe works when games are coming thick and fast but when there's a sizable build-up as in 3-4 weeks, it only adds to the tension an All-Ireland brings to a camp.

[Kerry Mike]

Meanwhile accross the county bounds:

KERRY TEAM OPEN DAY
Juvenile supporters will have an opportunity to meet the Kerry Senior Football Panel at a training session at Fitzgerald Stadium on this Friday evening September 7th between 5.30 p.m. and 7.30 p.m. Autographed team and player photos will be handed out along with other complimentary items such as posters and some light refreshments.

The players will be available before going on to meet the national and local media resulting in a tight schedule for players and management so player autographs on the night cannot be guaranteed, however, pre printed autographs will be freely available. The usual supporters merchandise will be on sale in the stadium.

Everyone welcome! Will there be a few Cork spies?

PRESS NIGHT
Kerry Senior Football Team Press Night - Friday September 7th.
* 5.45 -6.30 p.m. Fitzgerald Stadium, Killarney for Photographers and TV camera crews - no interviews.
* 8.15 p.m. The Brehon Hotel, Killarney for interviews.
All members of the press should contact prokygaa@gofree.indigo.ie if attending.

[orangeman]

Fair play to Morgan - they've been writing a pile of rubbish about him and Cork for years now !

[Pangurban]

We cant complain about the type of media coverage we receive, when we refuse to avail of the opportunity to present ourselves in a positive manner. If we expect decent coverage then we must provide journalists decent and reasonable access.

[Tankie]

We cant complain about the type of media coverage we receive, when we refuse to avail of the opportunity to present ourselves in a positive manner. If we expect decent coverage then we must provide journalists decent and reasonable access.

i'd agree, sure the media dont care if he turn up or not as they will right dome shite about Cork to sell papers. he should have yurned up and gave the interview,  now look what happens when he doesnt!

[his holiness nb]

Do ye remember everyone on here giving out about the Dubs for posing with sick children a few days before the Derry game, ah jaysus it was showboating it was arrogance, it was motivation for the other team etc etc.
Now its the decent thing to do? 

[Captain Scarlet]

Pure stupid and childish, wouldnt kill him to sit up and answer a few piss easy questions and help build-up the exposure of the game (not the final but football in general)
I think it's important for them all to learn how to deal with the press. Didnt Big Joe brief the boys in his day on how to deal with the media?

Wait till ya see in a few years he'll have his autobiography ghostwritten by a journo and then he will be expecting them all at a launch night!

[Hardy]

I think Billy "would-start-a-fight-in-a-phone-box" Morgan is indulging in a bit of amateur psychology and trying to goad the press into retaliating by writing something negative about the langers, which will then promptly be blue-tacked to the dressingroom wall. He might even invite Big Joe down to fling cheap plastic trophies at it.

(That nickname for Billy is copyright Colm O'Rourke).

[orangeman]

It's up to Morgan whether he attends or not - it may well be an excuse on his part, with him hoping that the papers will slate him and his team - but I think it goes a bit deeper than that.

[cusack]

Wait till ya see in a few years he'll have his autobiography ghostwritten by a journo and then he will be expecting them all at a launch night!

You'd like to think! 

This book will never be written.  Pity, because it would be a great read.  But it's not Billy's way.