From hoganstand.com;
Brian McIver has a parting shot at his players
03 August 2007
Brian McIver has a parting shot at his players
Brian McIver who recently resigned as Donegal team-manager after his sides defeat by Monaghan in the All-Ireland SFC third round Qualifier in Healy Park, Omagh had a few parting words about his players in a local newspaper. The up-front Ardboe native has told a Co. Board meeting that Donegal GAA people deserve much better in his analysis of last week-end's crushing defeat to Monaghan which ended their championship hopes for this season.
The Donegal side were routed in the final 20 minutes of that game and McIver described the period as 'unacceptable'.
"What happened in the closing minutes of the game in Omagh is totally unacceptable and must not happen again,'' he said.
"There are no excuses for what happened in the closing twenty minutes against Monaghan and also Tyrone. It is not acceptable.
"I would not accept it from a schoolboy team and most definitely not from a county team and it must not happen again. The Donegal side were in contention and we drew level after half-time. Indeed, we were in a great position to go on and win the game. Even when Monaghan scored their second goal I still believed there was enough time to turn it around.
"But at the end of the day, the players did not want it badly enough in the closing twenty minutes when the game was still there for the taking.
"There are a lot of good GAA people in Donegal and they deserved much better than we saw last Saturday evening in Healy Park, Omagh.
"The players must be prepared to wear their hearts on their sleeves. That is something that I have been encouraging them to do. But on Saturday evening last it was not the case,'' he concluded.
Brian McIver has a parting shot at his players
03 August 2007
Brian McIver has a parting shot at his players
Brian McIver who recently resigned as Donegal team-manager after his sides defeat by Monaghan in the All-Ireland SFC third round Qualifier in Healy Park, Omagh had a few parting words about his players in a local newspaper. The up-front Ardboe native has told a Co. Board meeting that Donegal GAA people deserve much better in his analysis of last week-end's crushing defeat to Monaghan which ended their championship hopes for this season.
The Donegal side were routed in the final 20 minutes of that game and McIver described the period as 'unacceptable'.
"What happened in the closing minutes of the game in Omagh is totally unacceptable and must not happen again,'' he said.
"There are no excuses for what happened in the closing twenty minutes against Monaghan and also Tyrone. It is not acceptable.
"I would not accept it from a schoolboy team and most definitely not from a county team and it must not happen again. The Donegal side were in contention and we drew level after half-time. Indeed, we were in a great position to go on and win the game. Even when Monaghan scored their second goal I still believed there was enough time to turn it around.
"But at the end of the day, the players did not want it badly enough in the closing twenty minutes when the game was still there for the taking.
"There are a lot of good GAA people in Donegal and they deserved much better than we saw last Saturday evening in Healy Park, Omagh.
"The players must be prepared to wear their hearts on their sleeves. That is something that I have been encouraging them to do. But on Saturday evening last it was not the case,'' he concluded.
