ULSTER IS STILL NO.1
Mcguinness: Too many people are hell-bent on talking provincial championships down.. it’s our primary aim
JIM MCGUINNESS says the talking down of the provincial football championships is “absolute nonsense.”
Speaking to his former Donegal colleague Brendan Devenney on Highland Radio’s DL Debate, he hit out at those who are “hell-bent on talking down the provincial championships.”
Mcguinness also revealed that having previously completed his UEFA Pro Licence he intends to go back to soccer someday but is “fully, fully focused” on his job with Donegal.
Speaking ahead of Sunday’s Allianz Division 2 opener against Cork at Ballybofey, he leapt to the defence of the provincial championships, pointing to the decline of the Railway Cup.
Mcguinness said he played in brilliant interprovincial games with brilliant players for Ulster, naming Noel Hegarty, Martin Mchugh, Henry Downey, Antony Tohill and James Mccartan (inset).
“That competition was talked down into oblivion by every single person that had a microphone,” he said.
“There’s a lot of people in the GAA that are hellbent on talking down the provincial championships even though the provincial championships in Ulster, there is no change on it.
“It is still the exact same thing it always was.
“But people’s perception of it, and (talk about) people not taking it seriously, people focusing on the All-ireland.
“Absolute nonsense, but a paper doesn’t renege ink and conversations in podcast.
“But the bottom line is for us it will always be the number one competition and whenever we are out of that competition the next one will be the number one competition
“There are two competitions every single year.
“You focus on the first one first and the second one second.
“So for us, everything, from the very first training session to that ball being thrown in in Celtic Park (April 20/21 Ulster quarterfinal) is focused on that moment – nothing else.”