Cork players threaten strike over selectors issue

[orangeman]

The GAA should permit further postponements - Cork should be told to either field a team or pack it in for the rest of the season - that way, they'll have plenty of time to talk to each other and resolve their differences.

[Zulu]

From today's Sunday Tribune (not sure who the author is)

WHY, I once asked of a very wise man, was a certain thundering Meath GAA official of my acquaintance, all of the following: difficult, obstreperous, untrustworthy, bullying, and disrespectful at all times? The answer came in the form of a returned doublebarrelled question which, of course, extremely wise men are fond of doing to the rest of us. Did I not think, he asked, that all of the above characteristics were necessary qualities for someone to be able to rule the GAA membership in a county with absolute authority, and without these particular set of qualities did I also not think that such a 'ruler' would be run out of town, by a motley crew of club chairmen and delegates with different portions of these qualities, in double quick time?

Chew on this for a moment, as I take an immediate opportunity to assure Frank Murphy and everyone who knows him, that I am NOT suggesting for one minute that he is a difficult, obstreperous, untrustworthy, bullying and disrespectful man. I do not know the Cork County secretary well enough to stick even one of these labels on his person.

Sean Og O hAilpin (right) asked for Frank Murphy's head on a plate over the course of the last week which ended with the shameful and damning act of the Cork football team being unable to fulfil their opening National League game of the year.

This low point in the county's history was largely the fault, in my opinion, of the Cork football team. They should feel rightly disgusted with themselves this morning but, of course, they are experiencing no such thing . . . or, at least they don't give the rest of the country the impression they feel any such emotion.

Personally, I feel sorry for them. The footballers and hurlers in the county are misguided. Like all footballers and hurlers in every other county they see GAA life in only two colours, black and white. I can say this, because, for 18 years, from the age of 13 until I retired at 30, I was a county footballer and lived amongst county footballers. I was always so absolutely certain in my head who was on my side, and who was the enemy . . . and I would see the enemy walking around in our dressing-room on a regular basis.

Now I think differently when I look back. Now, to be perfectly honest, I realise that if the GAA was left in the hands of its players, it would end up in ruin.

I'm still a player's man and I am proud to be a player's man. Old footballers and hurlers will always think fondly of young footballers and hurlers. I think the world of them, and I'd give the world to them if I was given half a chance which, of course, might be extremely foolish of me, and might lead to some of the ruin I've just forecast in the last paragraph.

Over the course of this winter, I have speedily journeyed from being a great fan of the GPA to become someone who now feels, simply, offended by this same body.

They called 'strike' and GAA president, Nicky Brennan caved in . . . which led me to conclude that Nicky was neither strong nor brave enough, nor sufficiently difficult, obstreperous, untrustworthy, bullying or disrespectful to be a giant amongst GAA leaders.

This winter, also, we've heard the lads down in Cork call 'strike' for the second time in more recent years. Whether they are right or wrong in their belief and motivation, they were completely in the wrong in seeing to it that last night's game was thrown out the window. They must take the largest share of the blame for the failure of the LR C chief executive, Kieran Mulvey to resolve the issue over the course of the last week, and if Cork get booted out of both leagues over the course of the next week then this bunch of footballers and hurlers should have the reddest faces of all.

If Frank Murphy was as big and as bad, as O hAilpin and the lads would have us believe, then this same bunch of footballers and hurlers would have red arses by now. But my sincere advice to Frank is that he should seriously consider putting some manners on this grouping of young men, and ensure into the future that a strike is never again called in Cork.

Frank should never have allowed it to be decreed in Cork, in the first place, that the football manager would not, in the immediate future, be permitted to choose his own selectors. This was Frank Murphy and his closest buddies wanting to put manners on Billy Morgan, more than anything else. It was not a clever move, and they should have known it was unworkable.

In a short time, this decree would have extinguished itself and it would not have needed very much help from anybody before doing so. It certainly did not need the help of the footballers and hurlers in Cork.

My advice to these footballers and hurlers is to get to hell out of this rotten, dirty corner they have burrowed themselves into, and to do so as fast as possible. They don't even have to apologise on the way out of the corner, not if they don't want to. Not one Cork jersey belongs to even one of these individuals.

The Cork jersey is a precious cloth which is handed from generation to generation. Sean Og and those around him are indeed fortunate men to be blessed with their skills and athleticism, and they are even luckier men to be born into a great, proud, successful county. Being the outstanding hurler he is does not give him the right to put one jersey out of sight of any man, woman or child in Cork.

And my advice to Teddy Holland, the man who is now being identified by the footballers and hurlers as the single greatest impediment to life returning to near-normal in the Cork dressing-rooms, is to sit down with his selectors and choose, and name, a Cork senior football team . . . and keep on choosing and keep on naming teams until, one day soon, there are enough footballers in his dressingroom to form such a team.

[agorm]

Typical Meath!

Is that an effort to have a swipe at Meath or do you genuinely believe that Meath are being unreasonable here?

[Hardy]

Zulu - that reads like Liam Hayes. I don't often find myself in agreement with him, but I agree with all of that.

Agorm, I'd say that was a joke. But, in fact, it's more true than he thinks.

[Zulu]

Yeah Hardy your right it was Liam Hayes, can't believe it didn't click with me. However you won't be surprised to hear that I disagree with him on this. Apparently there are some good articles in today's Sunday Indo, if anyone could post them up.

[zoyler]

Eamon Sweeney ( not a man I normally have any time for) is hard on the players and quotes Sean Og back when they were looking for 'the evil one ' to get them of the Thurles hook and every one was agin Cork & Frank Murphy.  Also inside was an article on how much it is costing to run teams. Cork sspent € 1.3m and I can't help wondering if this is not what it is really about.  Efforts by the Co. Board to control expenditure snd players and some mentord refusing to accept that cut backs may be necessary

[orangeman]

I read in one of the papers today where the Cork strikers are trying to bring other panels into the strike as well and make it a national dispute - the quicker the GAA throw Cork out of the NFL the better - it might only then bring the players to their senses - only then might they sit down and talk sensibly to the county board. 

[johnpower]

What a sad state . The biggest most successfull county not in a position to field teams in the league . What a job Mr Murphy a full time highly paid offical has done in promoting our games in our biggest and most successful county especially if the GAA does the right thing and kick them out of the championship . I know the players are not blameless in this but I hold him primarily repsonsible as the man who could have done most to avoid this happening . Can you imagine in this day and age any chief executive bringing such chaos to his organisation . Frank Murphy had achieved a lot and been paid alot    for his contribution to the GAA but he had also put in place one of the least deomcratic county boards in the country . Can someone confirm what level of debate the opening of Croke Park received at either club or county board level in Cork .?

[orangeman]

Frank Murphy had achieved a lot and been paid a lot for his contribution to the GAA -

So Frank Murphy MADE all the delegates vote for a change in the rule - and he made all the delegates at last weeks meeting say he was great fella ? Come on now - this is plainly ridiculuos - open your eyes - the players should go back and start to play again - all GAA supporters now see Cork hulrlers and footballers as a pack of spoilt children ! They are pathetic.

[Minder]

Some of those Cork players dont seem to realise that GAA in Cork will keep going and the world will keep turning when they have retired.....

[Jinxy]

I liked Eamon Sweeneys article on the whole thing today. It's quite disrespectful to the clubs to accuse them of being clueless marionettes in Uncle Franks puppet show.

[johnpower]

Frank Murphy had achieved a lot and been paid a lot for his contribution to the GAA -

So Frank Murphy MADE all the delegates vote for a change in the rule - and he made all the delegates at last weeks meeting say he was great fella ? Come on now - this is plainly ridiculuos - open your eyes - the players should go back and start to play again - all GAA supporters now see Cork hulrlers and footballers as a pack of spoilt children ! They are pathetic.

My point is that he as one of the most experienced people in the room could have seen the consequences of the vote that night . The motion was a step to take control back from Billy Morgan . Frank Murphy was involved in the previos row with the hurlers . Why did the Cork County board not make the issue should Billy Morgan stay or go ?and keep the row with the Hurlers out of it . Other County Boards have done this look at Kerry where Paidi was shown the door yet his 3 nephews were kept on board .Was anything learnt from the strike in 2002  . ?. I have heard that a lot of clubs have issues with both the performance of the team management and the impact postponments had on the club game in 2006 and 2007 but is the best way to deal with this a quick motion at a routine meeting of the counyt board . could any one have seen this happening . ?.

I dont think Sean Og O Halpin is a spoilt child but I do admit if it were my county I might have a different view about players been on strike  . This thing is getting serious and embarrissing for all Gaa people .What would have happened in Tyrone ?.

[zoyler]

Can nobody think of a reason why the Co. Board might want to take control of a county team back from the management.  Maybe its the same reason I don't give my kids my cashcard and PIN number. Maybe ythey felt it was time some control over spending was exercised - last year the teams cost €1.3M to run and I suppose the oodd Co. Board member might have felt a certain responsability for this.  Maybe they were giving a lead to the rest of the country that its time for Co. Boards to start reestablishing their authority over team management who think they can spend money like water.

[johnpower]

I dont think this about money .The motion is about appointing selectors . I hope my county board does not take this approach about minor expenses . What do we want bean counters managing the teams or experienced, knowledgible amd passionate people

[stephenite]

Whatever about the rights or wrongs of the selectors arrangement, does anyone believe that the Cork footballers would take their grievance to a ridiculous strike scenario if Donal Og Cusack were not agitating full time in the background?

I certainly do, I've said this before but if I were a Cork footballer I wouldn't play for Teddy Holland as things stand. It is the footballers who are insisting that Teddy stands down not the hurlers.

So basically what the players are saying is that if Teddy Holland steps down they are willing to play for a new manager, who will be appointed by the same county board and have selectors foisted upon him also? Presuming that the County Board delegates from the clubs will vote for this rule to be retained (for a third time)

Is that it the gists of it or am I missing something?