Gavin: I never learned to break the bad news
JIM GAVIN has revealed one management skill he never mastered, saying he was ‘no good’ telling players that they weren’t travelling with the match-day squad. In an interview with broadcasting legend Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh, the six-time All-Ireland winning boss revealed that the one part of his job he found hardest was letting players down. ‘The hardest part I found in the role was letting players know that they weren’t travelling on the bus on match day,’ admitted Gavin. ‘I would only bring 26 players and to let them other players know that they weren’t travelling was always difficult because they put in as much effort as the rest. ‘That was not a nice message to be giving and I never got good at it but in fairness to the players, while they were disappointed, after that initial shock, they rolled their sleeves up. ‘That’s why the team had the success they had — because the players on the pitch knew that while they were representing their county and their clubs, they were representing the guys that didn’t travel,’ said Gavin. And despite being pushed to a replay in last year’s All-Ireland final by Kerry, Gavin hailed Mayo as his toughest opponents in his seven-year tenure as Dublin manager. ‘Mayo were probably the most consistent team. ‘What a superb group of players. I think you could dial up any of the games, particularly in 2017 when it was so close. They represent Mayo so well, they’re just really good footballers,’ said Gavin.