TALLY MEN’S T RENDS MAY BE MISJUDGED

BEING famous apparently carries the privilege of having even the most ridiculous comments regarded as incredibly clever.

Thus, Henry Ford’s remark many years ago that customers could have any colour car they wanted as long as it was black is now being recycled with ‘a once-famously said’ flourish in an advertisement. It was an idiotic line then and now but, hey, it was spouted by a famous person so it must be good. Actually, not really.

I feel the same when I hear an ever-growing battalion of pundits declaring with utter certainty that Galway footballers’ surge in the Allianz League is all down to the influence of Paddy Tally (above), who joined Kevin Walsh and his backroom team this year.

Apparently, you can spot Tally’s influence in everything they do. He has, we’re being told, brought ‘a bit of Tyrone’ to Galway, who were seen as a bit naive in their effort to retain a style that’s no longer applicable to the modern game.

The truth is that Galway’s traditional style, adapted and played properly by good players, remains as relevant in the modern game as it ever was.

Still, it seems that any mention of Galway has to include the Tally factor as if it had some magical powers.

Now, he may be a very good coach but it’s simplistic to the point of idiocy to put Galway’s good form so far this year purely down to his influence.

Could it have anything to do with a group of players who showed glimpses of real class over the last few years? Admittedly, they didn’t do it consistently but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t in the future.

Of course the important judgements on Galway are still to come in. They wouldn’t be the first team to do well in Division 1 in spring (think of Roscommon in 2016) and run aground later on.

If that happens, can we take it that Tally and his ‘bit of Tyrone’ won’t have worked?

And the moral of the story? Make up your own mind on what you see and don’t be overly influenced by opinions that, in Galway’s case at least, are copybook herd mentality.