Christy Cooney > Gobshite

And it's not just me who says it, just ask Eddie O Connor

Former Kilkenny captain savages Cooney over GAA's campaign to stop manager payment

Former Kilkenny All-Ireland winning captain Eddie O'Connor has launched a stinging attack on GAA president Christy Cooney, labelling him "a gobsh**e and a hypocrite" for describing payments to managers as "a cancer running through our organisation".

Paraic Duffy doesn't escape O'Connor's ire either, given that the director general made public his intent to tackle the issue last year.

O'Connor, who led the Cats to glory in 1993, suggests that Cooney and Duffy carry out their work for the GAA for free -- or at least on a vastly reduced income -- if they are true to their concerns about the association's amateur status.

"It smacks of a gobsh**e and a hypocrite," O'Connor blasted. "Some of the people in Croke Park, they're not in touch with reality at all. Dopes, really, is what they are. They're not in touch with the people on the ground. It's the people on the ground doing all the work.

"Rumour has it that Christy Cooney is on €3,000 a week, so he has some neck to be coming out with those comments. If he's that concerned about the GAA, why don't himself and Paraic Duffy do the job for nothing? It beggars belief. It really annoys me."

VOLUNTARY

While the director general's position is salaried, the presidency is theoretically a voluntary role. With the president being seconded to the GAA for the term of his presidency and continuing to be paid by his employers during that three-year period, the association recompenses the employers the full sum and thus carries the cost.

In Cooney's case, as a high-ranking executive with FAS, that figure has been reported at approximately €158,000 a year -- or just over €470,000 in total.

O'Connor is fuming that there is no ceiling on this figure however, and the Glenmore man says that Cooney "has some neck" to make comments about "Mickey Mouse expenses" to managers given those circumstances.

"You have people in Croke Park getting huge expenses turning up for meetings. If you bring in an outside manager, he's gone for four or five hours every night. Compare that with bringing in an electrician for four or five hours a night at €20 an hour, or a qualified carpenter," said O'Connor.

"You're bringing in an expert to improve the team. There's travelling involved, there's time involved. There are mobile phones. When you train a club or county team they own you for the year.

"What Croke Park should be doing is, instead of paying the likes of Christy Cooney €150,000-plus a year, give him €50,000 and give two players €50,000 -- or €30,000 each to three players -- to go around coaching in schools."

Tipperary chairman Barry O'Brien has gone on record this week saying that he would support the payment of county managers in an above-board fashion, and O'Connor agrees.

"If a county board wants to bring in an outside manager to do a job that's their entitlement," said O'Connor.

"It's up to each county if they feel the need for an outside manager. Each county makes its own decision, each club makes its own decision and it's none of the business of the hierarchy of the GAA after that."

The GAA consider the issue to be more of a problem at club level, and incoming president Liam O'Neill has already slammed the culture of the outside manager, as did Cooney's predecessor Nickey Brennan of Kilkenny.

However O'Connor, who finished his career with two All-Irelands as well as a club All-Ireland title, supports a club's right to appoint a man from outside.

O'Connor has coached and managed in Waterford and Wexford -- as well as in his native county -- and believes that the outside manager is more likely to get positive results.

He points to the successes of Glenmore in his own playing days, with Georgie Leahy being in charge when they won the All-Ireland in 1991 -- while Tom Casey, Tommy Ryan and Martin Og Morrissey oversaw county championship winning seasons for them also.

The GAA were making no comment last night.

R

Ironic when you think of where the man came from himself ...

No time for him at all - zero charisma and a bit of a dinosaur. Wouldn't lace Sean Kelly's drinks.

One of the biggest weekends for GAA in years yet the powers that be in Croke Park decree that the only live game to be broadcast on Saturday is Kildare/Laois in a round 2 football qualifier. Also, with even just a minute touch of imagination many dual Counties and supporters not to mention players could have been accomodated. Cooney/Duffy are beyond pathetic

I think the BBC could be showing Meath v Galway - well at least they usually show the mediocre, less important stuff like the Saturday Night lower division football.

Well it was up to TV3 what football qualifier they wanted to show so you can't blame the GAA for that.

However, Limerick, Galway and Antrim supporters all have it tough this weekend with all three playing in both codes on Saturday.

Perhaps some games should have been fixed for Sunday.

Jayo Cluxton wrote:I think the BBC could be showing Meath v Galway - well at least they usually show the mediocre, less important stuff like the Saturday Night lower division football.

Well Dubs would know an awful lot about mediocrity..

Royal_Girl2k9 wrote:

Jayo Cluxton wrote:I think the BBC could be showing Meath v Galway - well at least they usually show the mediocre, less important stuff like the Saturday Night lower division football.

Well Dubs would know an awful lot about mediocrity..

Yes its over the border everywhere we look .... Kildare, Wickla, Meath ....

Jayo Cluxton wrote:

Royal_Girl2k9 wrote:

Jayo Cluxton wrote:I think the BBC could be showing Meath v Galway - well at least they usually show the mediocre, less important stuff like the Saturday Night lower division football.

Well Dubs would know an awful lot about mediocrity..

Yes its over the border everywhere we look .... Kildare, Wickla, Meath ....

There no mirrors in your gaff no?

Royal_Girl2k9 wrote:There no mirrors in your gaff no?

When I look in the mirror ... I see only greatness ....

Jayo Cluxton wrote:

Royal_Girl2k9 wrote:There no mirrors in your gaff no?

When I look in the mirror ... I see only greatness ....

You must be wearing a Meath jersey an awful lot

mossbags wrote:One of the biggest weekends for GAA in years yet the powers that be in Croke Park decree that the only live game to be broadcast on Saturday is Kildare/Laois in a round 2 football qualifier. Also, with even just a minute touch of imagination many dual Counties and supporters not to mention players could have been accomodated. Cooney/Duffy are beyond pathetic

It is not Christy Cooney who decided which game should be shown it is TV3. We all knew since April that there would be a reduction of coverage of qualifier games.TV3 decision? Strange but I think they would be taking costs into the calculations.Calling Christy Cooney a gobshite over a TV 3 decision is a bit much.

Twas Eddie O Connor called him the gobshite RKF

Real Kerry Fan wrote:

mossbags wrote:One of the biggest weekends for GAA in years yet the powers that be in Croke Park decree that the only live game to be broadcast on Saturday is Kildare/Laois in a round 2 football qualifier. Also, with even just a minute touch of imagination many dual Counties and supporters not to mention players could have been accomodated. Cooney/Duffy are beyond pathetic

It is not Christy Cooney who decided which game should be shown it is TV3. We all knew since April that there would be a reduction of coverage of qualifier games.TV3 decision? Strange but I think they would be taking costs into the calculations.Calling Christy Cooney a gobshite over a TV 3 decision is a bit much.

The Gaa decided that there would be less televised games in order to try and boost attendances, not RTE and TV3, disappointing the game isn't on tele but it isn't the end of the world


With regards to Eddie O'Connor, take everything that with a pinch of salt, an absoluet chancer and it is no coincidence he is one of the more vocal men who is against the crackdown on management payments seeing as it will be one of the managers to lose out...Has been ran out of three clubs who he charged a pretty penny per session but once they realised he hadn't a clue he got the road

The Puke wrote:

Real Kerry Fan wrote:

mossbags wrote:One of the biggest weekends for GAA in years yet the powers that be in Croke Park decree that the only live game to be broadcast on Saturday is Kildare/Laois in a round 2 football qualifier. Also, with even just a minute touch of imagination many dual Counties and supporters not to mention players could have been accomodated. Cooney/Duffy are beyond pathetic

It is not Christy Cooney who decided which game should be shown it is TV3. We all knew since April that there would be a reduction of coverage of qualifier games.TV3 decision? Strange but I think they would be taking costs into the calculations.Calling Christy Cooney a gobshite over a TV 3 decision is a bit much.

The Gaa decided that there would be less televised games in order to try and boost attendances, not RTE and TV3, disappointing the game isn't on tele but it isn't the end of the world


With regards to Eddie O'Connor, take everything that with a pinch of salt, an absoluet chancer and it is no coincidence he is one of the more vocal men who is against the crackdown on management payments seeing as it will be one of the managers to lose out...Has been ran out of three clubs who he charged a pretty penny per session but once they realised he hadn't a clue he got the road

Same Eddie??Most on here wouldn't know their Inistoige from their Glenmore.
In fairness to O Connor he wouldn't be the first to grin the right side of the grade for managing the odd dodgy club or ten.