TALKING THE TALK

Kevin McStay is flying after putting punditry reputation on the line, but Jack O’Connor has shown you don’t need to be an ex-player to succeed

IF YOU told me back in the day that i’d be pining for League action, i’d have looked at you as if you had two heads.

But it’s been a long two weeks without intercounty football, for a number of reasons.

That is especially the case here in Donegal where there’s a civil war going on among GAA people.

It’s become very messy, and it’s a long time since morale among supporters was so low so near to the Championship.

I was following the Gary Lineker story closely too, and the way that his fellow pundits stood beside him actually reminded me of the Donegal story.

Karl Lacey is no longer in charge of the Academy after a dispute with the County Board, and the other coaches have downed tools to back Karl.

Loyalty is all too rare these days. It’s great to see it — whether in BBC Sport or Donegal GAA.

Pay

What I’d take from the Lineker situation is a reminder that we pay far too much attention to the opinions of people with high profiles.

The British government’s ‘stop

the boats’ policy should have been the story.

Instead, a tweet from Lineker caused people to lose their minds.

I go back to when I campaigned for the Repeal side in the referendum on the Eighth Amendment.

There were people telling me that I made a difference — in Donegal, especially, where the vote was tight.

But why should the views of a retired Gaelic footballer be given more weight than that of nurses or doctors or women who had been forced to travel to the UK for an abortion?

It’s something that genuinely concerns me about the road we’re going down.

I detest the phenomenon of social media influencers.

Wrong

That’s nothing personal with any of them, it’s just indicative of a wrong turn we’ve taken.

When a politician can say openly ‘the people of this country have had enough of experts’,

we should all be worried.

Even with the Lacey situation in Donegal, plenty have got it wrong in pointing out that it’s not right to treat the most decorated player in the county’s history in this way.

That’s not the point. What he did as a player should have no bearing on what is happening now.

Karl is a highly qualified professional who is fantastic at what he does in terms of coaching, the structures he’s set up and the people he’s recruited.

That’s how Donegal ended up with an Academy that was the envy of so many other counties.

What he learned in his playing days might have helped Karl but, ultimately, it’s Karl Lacey the coach/organiser that’s a massive loss, not Karl

Lacey, the ex-player.

I remember chatting to one club coach who’s as good as is around.

I said to him that we’re not as snobby as the soccer crew in terms of trusting people who didn’t have a strong playing background.

He wasn’t having that at all. He said things are far worse in the GAA, that ex-players are put on pedestals.

Right

The more I see, and the more I think about it, the more I think he’s right.

Ex-players get coaching and management jobs easier but, once you get there, being a good coach or manager should decide how long you stay — not what you did as a player.

How many good people have been overlooked because they hadn’t done much, if anything, as players?

Jack O’Connor is the most successful manager currently working in Gaelic football. He never played for Kerry.

I can only imagine how hard he had to work to prove himself — particularly in that county.

Having been a player will help you understand bits and pieces of what needs to be done but, really, it has little to do with managing a large group of people or communicating what you want done.

From punditry to coaching, some of the best out there are lads that couldn’t kick snow off a rope.

I wouldn’t be surprised if they were last picks for schoolyard games. So what? They have it, and that ‘it’ is an elusive thing.

One of the reasons why this is an interesting football year is the way some high profile pundits have taken county jobs.

Kevin McStay had a decent stint with Roscommon so the transition for him wouldn’t have been as hard.

Military

His Mayo team are flying high but, funnily enough, I think it’s McStay’s military background rather than his playing career that will really stand to him and have a bigger influence on the way he does things.

Colm O’Rourke’s move was a bigger surprise and he’s on a steep learning curve with Meath.

A draw with Limerick may well be seen as a big result as it could take them out of the relegation frame.

Meath are coming from a long way back. I think we can’t really judge O’Rourke until his second year in charge.

I’m glad football is back but I mightn’t be feeling that way when I’m leaving

MacCumhaill Park tomorrow.

Donegal have a great record in Ballybofey but themselves and Mayo are just going in different directions.

There have been a lot of draws between these teams in recent years. Not this time. I think Mayo will win comfortably.

That would mean Donegal looking at the drop and, where they are and facing into transition, Division Two wouldn’t be the end of the world.

The danger is you go into free fall and drop down the divisions fast, as happened to Derry, Westmeath Cork and Armagh.

LEaRninG cURVE: colm O’Rourke has his work cut out SUccESSFUL: He might not have played for Kerry but Jack O’connor (centre) has won the lot as the Kingdom’s manager

FLYING IT: Kevin McStay appears to be steering his native Mayo in the right direction