All Not Well in Donegal?

Days after agreeing to stay on for a 4th year in charge Jim is hit with the bombshell that a number of the backroom team are to leave.

Some reports suggest this has come as a hammer blow to Jim however i have heard that one of the conditions for Guinness staying was that Gallagher was to go. Bit surprised that others are leaving too but it seems that all is not well.

Jimmy getting a bit of the Mickey Harte about him is he?????

"CLG Dhún na nGall were informed this morning (17/9/13) by Senior Football Team Manager, Jim McGuinness of his intention to make changes in his management & support team," said the statement. "He subsequently confirmed that Rory Gallagher & Maxi Curran will not be involved in the Donegal management team for the 2014 season. Francie Friel, who was involved in the backroom team, will also not be involved in 2014.

"CLG Dhún na nGall wish to acknowledge the immense contribution made by Rory, Maxi & Francie to our success over recent years, and wish them well in the future." -

the plot thickens - when i heard this yesterday it said Gallagher and Curran said they didnt have the time to commit to another year..........

bocerty wrote:
Some reports suggest this has come as a hammer blow to Jim however i have heard that one of the conditions for Guinness staying was that Gallagher was to go.

There is not a hope in hell that Jimmy would have stayed if that had been stipulated against his wishes - I wouldn't believe it for a second. Now, if he wanted to make a change himself, that is another story...

Thomas Clarke wrote:

bocerty wrote:
Some reports suggest this has come as a hammer blow to Jim however i have heard that one of the conditions for Guinness staying was that Gallagher was to go.

There is not a hope in hell that Jimmy would have stayed if that had been stipulated against his wishes - I wouldn't believe it for a second.  Now, if he wanted to make a change himself, that is another story...

sorry TC thats what i meant Jim was only staying on the condition that Gallagher was going. Getting too close to the players and too much talking to the papers

The Donegal contingent on here are being very quiet on this matter. Come on lads, share the knowledge/rumours...

Thomas Clarke wrote:The Donegal contingent on here are being very quiet on this matter.  Come on lads, share the knowledge/rumours...

No news here. Move along

Thanks for Rory, Maxi and Francie for their massive contribution to Donegal.
Onwards and upwards.
I'd be a lot more concerned about the poor state of club football in Donegal than a minor reshuffle in the setup.

RMDrive wrote:
I'd be a lot more concerned about the poor state of club football in Donegal than a minor reshuffle in the setup.

Ah, is that what it was...?

In the light of Glasgow Celtic's failure against the impoverished Milanese dagos at the soccerball, the prospects of Donegal going forward are similiar.

McGuinness is/has been a lucky leader. Glasgow Celtic, as portrayed in the San/Siro, were a toothlesss shower of in-components, bereft of atttacking plans, reliant on lucky breaks etc.,

Very poor form from the Donegal contingent to try and sweep this under the carpet. Tyrone, Leitrim, Armagh and others have played out their controversies on this site, yet RMD and Omar remain tight-lipped.

One of the biggest stories of the year, and not a morsel of information is being given to the group. Disappointing.

Thomas Clarke wrote:Very poor form from the Donegal contingent to try and sweep this under the carpet.  Tyrone, Leitrim, Armagh and others have played out their controversies on this site, yet RMD and Omar remain tight-lipped.

One of the biggest stories of the year, and not a morsel of information is being given to the group.  Disappointing.

I have no iinside track on this, however the following has been published in the Donegal Media


 Gallagher and Curran didn’t agree with McGuinness’s blueprint for the season ahead and wanted the manager to go down a different route than that of the previous three years.
It is understood Gallagher and Curran felt several players on the current panel had a lot of mileage on the clock and they needed to be trained differently than some of the younger members of the panel.
The duo felt that the punishing training regime could be too much for some of the players in the 28-31 age brackets in the squad.
However McGuinness dismissed the views of his backroom staff and after a short consultation with them it was decided they would part company.
The news has stunned supporters in Donegal. It is not yet known if Maxi Curran will continue as Donegal U21 manager.
Reports are linking Gallagher to the vacant positions in both his native Fermanagh and Sligo.

At face value, Gallagher's opinions sound logical. I'd go further and suggest that different players should be trained differently. (Basic example, power, acceleration and change of direction are more important to a corner forward than a midfielder, whereas the midfielder would need more stamina and strength.)

Sounds like this was coming. Supposedly strong relationships like they had don't explode over a difference of opinion like that.

I really don't envy Jimmy. The odds were already stacked against him, and I understand that Celtic will have more of his time next year anyway (as will his new twins). If he can make Donegal genuine AI contenders again, I'll be enormously impressed.

Thomas Clarke wrote:At face value, Gallagher's opinions sound logical.  I'd go further and suggest that different players should be trained differently. (Basic example, power, acceleration and change of direction are more important to a corner forward than a midfielder, whereas the midfielder would need more stamina and strength.)

Sounds like this was coming.  Supposedly strong relationships like they had don't explode over a difference of opinion like that.  

I really don't envy Jimmy.  The odds were already stacked against him, and I understand that Celtic will have more of his time next year anyway (as will his new twins).  If he can make Donegal genuine AI contenders again, I'll be enormously impressed.

It's a fairly vital difference of opinion though TC? If you were Gallagher and you firmly that certain members of the team were failing to have the desired impact due to too much training or whatever the case may be, and Jimmy is insistent on travelling the same road as the last few years I don't know if it's something you could grin and bear. It would be a fundamental difference in how the team approach the year ahead. It will be interesting to see who he will surround himself with now.

Jonsmith wrote:
It's a fairly vital difference of opinion though TC? If you were Gallagher and you firmly that certain members of the team were failing to have the desired impact due to too much training or whatever the case may be, and Jimmy is insistent on travelling the same road as the last few years I don't know if it's something you could grin and bear. It would be a fundamental difference in how the team approach the year ahead. It will be interesting to see who he will surround himself with now.

Maybe, but on its own it doesn't sound to me like something that would have shattered a strong relationship before the season even starts.  It's something to take away and come back and talk about again - not to terminate everything there and then.

It could, however, be part of an overall litany of disagreements between the pair.

Thomas Clarke wrote:

Jonsmith wrote:
It's a fairly vital difference of opinion though TC? If you were Gallagher and you firmly that certain members of the team were failing to have the desired impact due to too much training or whatever the case may be, and Jimmy is insistent on travelling the same road as the last few years I don't know if it's something you could grin and bear. It would be a fundamental difference in how the team approach the year ahead. It will be interesting to see who he will surround himself with now.

Maybe, but on its own it doesn't sound to me like something that would have shattered a strong relationship before the season even starts.  It's something to take away and come back and talk about again - not to terminate everything there and then.

It could, however, be part of an overall litany of disagreements between the pair.

Less reliable sources would infer that Gallaghers media approach in particular post Monaghan and pre- Mayo may have been a cause of contention

OMAR wrote:
Less reliable sources would infer that Gallaghers media approach in particular post Monaghan and pre- Mayo may have been a cause of contention

I heard that, but his comments seemed in line with what Jimmy himself said after the Laois game.  At the time, I thought it looked like a co-ordinated tactic.  As before, on its own, it doesn't ring true to me.

Maybe it was just creative differences that caused the split, like with Simon & Garfunkel, Lennon & McCartney, Saints Peter & Paul...

Thomas Clarke wrote:

OMAR wrote:
Less reliable sources would infer that Gallaghers media approach in particular post Monaghan and pre- Mayo may have been a cause of contention

I heard that, but his comments seemed in line with what Jimmy himself said after the Laois game.  At the time, I thought it looked like a co-ordinated tactic.  As before, on its own, it doesn't ring true to me.

Maybe it was just creative differences that caused the split, like with Simon & Garfunkel, Lennon & McCartney, Saints Peter & Paul...

Ike and Tina

OMAR wrote:

Thomas Clarke wrote:

OMAR wrote:
Less reliable sources would infer that Gallaghers media approach in particular post Monaghan and pre- Mayo may have been a cause of contention

I heard that, but his comments seemed in line with what Jimmy himself said after the Laois game.  At the time, I thought it looked like a co-ordinated tactic.  As before, on its own, it doesn't ring true to me.

Maybe it was just creative differences that caused the split, like with Simon & Garfunkel, Lennon & McCartney, Saints Peter & Paul...

Ike and Tina

I was about to say that there was more violence in that one, but then I remembered the shooting, beheading, crucifixion and Art Garfunkel's solo career.

Unless Gallagher ever decides to spill his guts to the press (to the same journalist Kevin Cassidy did) i'd say we will never find out what went on here.

I did hear that Jim wasnt impressed with Gallaghers dealings with the press but that doesnt explain why the others followed him out the door. Ths issue here for Jim is that there are players who will take sides in the whole saga and that can lead to issues in the dressing room and on the field of play.

Jim has a massive job on his hands

As is usually the case, this is not down to one simple issue. I believe that the 3 lads left for different reasons and that all of these things played a part - family and work commitments, disagreements on training plans for individual players, issues with media interaction, performance not up to requirements in 2013, ongoing personality issues.

This is (and should be ) a non story outside of Donegal.

RMDrive wrote:
This is (and should be ) a non story outside of Donegal.

Not really, when the coach is the most high profile coach in Ireland, and the manager is a household name even outside of GAA circles. Don't fool yourself RMD, this is a big story.

Come of it RMD this is headline stuff - a county heralded as the new kids on the block only 12 months ago is now starting to crumble after a poor season. Surely it has to be a story for GAA folk the length and breadth of the country.

 Youse must have little to be talking about lads.

Listen, it's another worry in a long line of worries. What more do you want me to say.  

McGuinness was ruthless when it came to Cassidy and the team dealt with it fine.

I think they'll improve next year. It's always difficult when you're champions. Obviously you become the team everyone wants to dethrone but more importantly is the duty of an All-Ireland champion to celebrate as one. Donegal's form was questionable all season long. I definitely don't think they were as meticulous in the winter months as the year before.

But it will be difficult to build up last year's momentum again.

Rumours of some hard yards on dunfanaghy dunes ( versus last year being guests of honour at club gaa dances)
Complete reversal in strength of squad for McKenna cup versus last year
Looking like all key men fit 
Some interesting blooding in from minors and glenswilly non county men.

There is one more wag in this dog's tail