‘One issue over the Super 8s has kicked all of this off’
average attendances have dropped to just over 20,000 a game.
‘Then you’re getting into the debate of making the games available or not available to people, so there are two sides to that argument.
‘To quote one of Dublin’s least greatest fans, Colm O’Rourke, the playing of matches in Croke Park by Dublin benefit an awful lot of other counties in Leinster from the funding that’s raised and the benefits they get from infrastructure grants and coaching.
‘That’s just one angle from a person who is not the biggest fan of Dublin,’ argued Horan, who admitted that his status as a Dublin native makes it a difficult issue for him to address.
‘No matter what I say in that debate it’s always going to be seen I’m going to say something with a bit of a shade of blue on my back.
‘You’re talking to the one man that did take Dublin out of Croke Park when I was chairman of the Leinster Council, and they’ve remained out of Croke Park.
‘I mean Dublin have never complained as to where they have ever been asked to play, so I’m quite sure if Dublin were fixed to play in Thurles, Dublin would play in Thurles and they’d be the last county to complain.
‘When Dublin (hurlers) were caught last year against Tipperary down there, Sean Shanley (Dublin chairman) spoke out but not in any strong manner, they went ahead and played the game, there was no protest even though that was listed as a neutral venue, they did play Tipperary in Thurles.’
The last two weeks have been the most tumultuous of Horan’s six-month reign, with the Central Competitions Control Committee (CCCC) forced into a dramatic U-turn when Kildare refused to travel to Croke Park for their third-round qualifier game against Mayo, insisting that the game took place in their home venue of Newbridge.
‘Look, there were difficulties but I think we’ve addressed them.
‘We are in somewhat uncharted waters and we will continue in uncharted waters until we see this