The Diva

[AZOffaly]

Good man easytiger. Great post, and you should drop in more often.


(It's all rubbish of course, but anyhow )

[Hardy]

Good to hear from you easytiger.

[Zapatista]

Just thought I would post the Paddy Heaney article for a bit of craic...

If any man can hoodwink the entire media so successfully for so long, Bertie would have employed him as a spin doctor and that's for sure!

CJH did go after him and ask him to run in the General election. Of course we all know Bertie is nothing like CHJ so my point is irrelevant

[orangeman]

Hiya lads

Just wanted to throw in my own tuppence worth here for two reasons - 1) I think the debate is a valid one and 2) the way it has been argued (apart from some meltdowns) reminds me of the best days of the auld board.

The one thing a journalist craves more than anything else is a readymade narrative - and Micko's life, more than anyone elses, provides not just one story, but various different threads. He can't be blamed for that.

As for roguery - I spent an hour or so in his company once and he was either a genuine rogue or else acting the part with huge glee. All i know was that, without a camera or microphone within a mile of him, he was twice as entertaining as any interview I've ever seen or read of him.

During his first stint with Kildare, he routinely sent them out with the intention of roughing up the Dubs - becaue he felt the Dubs had bullied them before. It was the same tactic he employed in the Sister Consillio match with Kerry in New York. That Kildare team unfortunately started a scrap with the wrong set of brothers i.e. the Barrs and ended up getting a hiding. But any manager who has employed the players that has has through the stints with Kerry and Kildare, clearly pushes the laws of the game right to the edge - physically.

As for the diving etc - the Laois team that everyone says he should have got more out of was based around two twin towers in the centre of the team with Clancy and Garvan, surrounded by immensely talented but smaller players - Conway, McDonald, Munnelly, Higgins, Kelly etc who beat an awful Dublin team but when confronted with real physicality in Armagh, had no answer. If Micko had the hard men to hand he would have used them - but i don't think there's too much disgrace in tryinq to win your frees if you're as small as some of those Laois lads were, and Francie bearing down on you.

I think as a man manager he is/was brilliant, but i don'tknow if those same qualities would translate in the bigger counties these days. Most of the guys playing for contending counties have had the best of physical and psychological training since they were minors or students - I doubt Micko's homespun philosophies would cut much ice with them. However, in counties where there is tradition of losing, Micko seems to be capable of loosening that mental block - whether that is simply because of his name or because of his actual methods is debatable.

Micko's treatment by the media isn't really his problem - I do think he has been given a free pass at times, but no more so than the Boylans/Morgans/O'Mahoneys/Kernans/Hartes etc. And who would want to have their real persona broadcast or written about? None of us are perfect, far from it, and one of the worst flaws that most of us share, is a willingness to believe the best of ourselves, despite the prevailing evidence.

If the media resorts to cliche with Micko, than it truly is their problem rather than his. And consider this -cliches only become cliches because, at the core, there lies a truth.

Besides, anyone who keeps going as fit as he does into his 70's deserves some kind of a pass - though whether that should be a bus pass or a free pass depends on personal opinion.

I'll second that ! Micko is one of the true greats of Gaelic football  - his contribution on and off the field has been immense and shouldn't be understimated by anyone.

[Main Street]

Man management is only one ingredient.

If Micko ran up all those championship miles + green shield stamps on just a man management ticket then he truly would be the nr 1 son of God.

[johnpower]

I pick on him because he pretends to be some sort of benevolent footballing evangelist. He is a cynical auld divil in my opinion. I do have great respect for his record as a manager, but I wish the media would be honest in how he achieves success.

What exactly is cynical about him ?

[johnpower]

How many 'foreigners' has Micko used in his time in Kildare, Laois and now Wicklow? Is it above the national average? I know Lacey was from Tipp, and his son Karl was obviously from Kerry. At Laois, your man Sheehan is a kerry man, and obviously Tommy Walsh is Carlow, and Dan Doona is another Kerry exile, although that move has yet to happen.

Just to reiterate my stance. I have nothing but admiration for Micko and what he did for Kerry, Laois and Kildare. Wicklow's win on Sunday was promising also. His effect on football in all those counties is undeniable, although I think he joins a list of men who didn't get the very best out of Laois, even if he did do more than the rest.

My issues is with the 'cult' of Micko, rather than Micko the football man.












What cult ?.,Wicklows first win ever in Croke Park and your worried about some "cult" and conspiracy theories .God there is some moralising going on here .Well done to the Wicklow players and their loyal supporters

[Bord na Mona man]

As for roguery - I spent an hour or so in his company once and he was either a genuine rogue or else acting the part with huge glee. All i know was that, without a camera or microphone within a mile of him, he was twice as entertaining as any interview I've ever seen or read of him.

Basically Micko buttered you up, conned you rightly, and sent you on your way to further contribute to the wily rogue media myth. 
He bought and sold you like he would and American tourist in Waterville.
The man's cunning is boundless!

[Kerry Mike]

my tuppence worth

I have grown up in the same area as Micko in South Kerry and have known him all my life, he has given a lifetime to football at the highest level and very few of us will ever understand the levels of commitment he has given, and maybe my blinkers are a little tinted but feck it. 

Football is his life and will remain so, but his successes over the years have brought critism some warrranted , some not.
While he was in Kerry everyone said he had it easy with such a great bunch of players but those players were a diverse group and needed a good man at the helm too which they had in Micko. Micko being a lifelong non-drinker and non-smoker allowed the players to unwind during the winter and turned a blind eye to the winter watering, but by jaysus those players were made suffer once they hit the sand in Banna or laps around Killarney's Fitzgerald Stadium, in the days before scientific training the stories from those training sessions were of brutality but the players knew if they put it in Micko would not let them down and success would be theirs. Micko's obsession with fitness came after being beaten by Dublin in 1976 and 1977, Micko knew that he had the skilfull players but they needed the strength and speed to out do the Dubs.

2 little known elements of Kerry's success for that period 1978-1986 happened in South Kerry. First Eoin Liston was a gangly beach bum from Ballybunion with little interest in football only beach soccer, Micko probably helped in getting Liston into the Tech in Waterville and he took him under his wing and helped turned him into one of the great full forwards of all time. Another who came under Micko's radar was a young Jack O'Shea from Cahirciveen, a minor with great potential but who was starting to drift from the game until Micko got him to kick the booze and probably the greatest midfielder of this or any era was born. Two little bits of man management that would have a profound effect on Kerry GAA history, and there are also others too many to mention. But within the county there was always those who begrudged him, those in particular from the Towns of Killarney and Tralee did not like him too much but Micko was always his own man who always stood up for his players and got the best for them. In the days before the GPA Kerry players were well looked after within the county. Of course he liked to play winning football, who doesnt, and if that meant changing tacticts with the handpass and other things he helped perfect so be it, if you sit still in this life you will be walked over.

When his Kerry career finally came to an end it was his loyalty to his senior players that was probably his downfall, Kerry had stuck to 20 or so players for nearly 10 years and the lack of talent coming through was bemoaned by many including myself. The management eras of Ogie Moran and Mickey Ned O'Sullivan was left to try and build a new team while some of the senior players were still available for selection like Spillane, Nelligan and Jacko and Bomber. It was a hard ask for either of them and both failed miserably by Kerry standards. It took a batch of U21 players from 95/96 and Paidi O'Se to mould a new team, and in the shadow of his master he also fell victim of not letting go of the reigns soon enough, but sin sceal eile.

When Micko took on Kildare in the early 90's many a whisper was raised but Micko took on the role and brought limited success to Kildare. Of course many will say he is a mecernanry but even though he was getting some reward or expenses I think he has such a love of football and being involved on the big championship days that that is his first driving force, he is always a man who has risen to a challange. He deserved an All Ireland wiith his Kildare team in his second coming.

Likewise with Laois he brought success to a county starved of a leinster title for years, As many have said Micko's main traits are bringing the best out of players and motivating them to nearly walk through a wall for him. Of course when football was re-invented in 2002 it was deemed to being all about statistics, physchology, diet, scientific training and other things that many counties have since latched onto, including Kerry and even Micko to a certain extent, but his core principles are the same get good footballers who are very fit, can score and a belief that they are as good if not the better than the opposition than you have a great chance of winning games, but people copy what they perceive to be successfull tacticts, lots of counties have tried to copy The Donaghy full forward , and how many counties now have a full on warm up game in a condenced area before a game like Kerry have been doing fore the last 3-4 years. But hey we dont be crying about it. Football is all about winning and thats the way it should be, players have played for frees since the dawn of time, and i think it unfair to depict all Micko's teams as Divers , maybe someone can provide some stats on that.

There is a lot of talk of transfers, and as if its all Micko fault, the few players he brought in were hardly world beaters, and intercounty transfer have been going on for the history of the GAA, there are many culchies over the years who won All Irelands with Dublin but nothing said about them.

From a human side of things Micko commitment to football should not be questioned, how many times has he travelled the country giving out medals at functions without a penny in return, he has come through a hip replacement and a heart operation in recent months and while he should be at home in retirement he is still out their winning. I hope it continues.
He has lit the flame of hope in Counties like Kildare, Laois and now Wicklow and while it seems to have gond backwards in Kildare, there is still the guts of a good team in Laois, while hopefully Wicklow is only on the start of its journey, but it will be up to others within those counties to push on and develop what Micko has given them. Of course it will have cost them some money in expenses but who would deny its money well spent. Can you put a price on seeing youngsters wearing the county jersey with pride instead of some fecking english soccer jersey. Hope fully if there are structures in place Wicklow and their ilk will see the return on its investment in years to come.

As ET says a nicer fellow you wont meet and dont always believe what you read in the media, fair play Micko, rock on, and keep doing your own thing..

[Zapatista]

Thats not tuppence Mike thats about 50 shillings worth ye have contributed so far

[armaghniac]

Two guineas worth anyway!

[orangeman]

Excellent post Kerry Mike - a lot of Micko's work goes unnoticed and unrewarded - fair play to him and long may he reign !

[Billys Boots]

Far too much reign in this post, roll on the summer. 

[brokencrossbar1]

I have great respect for the man in that at his age he is still up and running and his enthusiasm is unbounded.  People I have spoken to about him and some people on here seem to think that he would not succeed with a "ready made" team and that his main forte nowadays is to take teams from the doldrums up to a level.  I don't know, I think if he had the proper people around him he would have any team he managed at the peak of their powers.

I met him once and he paid me a serious compliment so I am a bit jaundiced n my view of him, but he had no reason to say to me what he did and therefore I can only take it at face value.  As for being a rogue, he knows where the boundaries are and like any great player/manager takes it to that very limit and sometimes over it but gets away with it due to the respect people have for him and his charismatic charm.

[AZOffaly]

Lads, I think we're nearly all in agreement on everything, we just see the same stuff in a different light. We all seem to agree that at the very least Micko gets 'soft soap' in the media, but it's either a) a bad thing or b) perfectly understandable.

I think we all agree on his enthusiasm, his record, his qualities and his impact on the game.