‘I’m not a dictator, but we need to look at fixture list’

TYRONE manager Mickey Harte was understandably happy with his side’s victory over Down in the Ulster Championship last night, but he took issue with the scheduling of the club championships that will see all his squad in action again in the coming week.

Tyrone now face a tough Ulster quarter-final against reigning champions Monaghan on June 15 in Clones and Harte (right) explained how he won’t have the county’s players at his disposal.

‘The whole entire club championship programme is on now so we won’t have the players for 10 days. That’s not ideal. This is the argument that comes out as well that the club players don’t get a fair say.

‘There’s a few county players, too, that don’t get a great say because they have to go back and play club championship football, beginning next Wednesday right through to the following Sunday. That’s difficult for them.

‘We want to give our club players every chance as well.

‘In Tyrone it’s knockout as well so it’s more than vital that they perform as well. So it’s not ideal.

‘For those who suggest that managers have too much power, I wasn’t even asked for my opinion whether I liked that or not. It’s much aired that managers are allpowerful and that they are dictators. That’s not the position in Tyrone.’

Tyrone’s scheduling of club championship is in marked contrast to the situation in the likes of Donegal, who postponed their competition at the behest of manager Jim McGuinness until his side’s participation in the AllIreland series is over.

‘I wouldn’t want to be a dictator,’ said Harte. I wouldn’t want to be bossing anybody. But at the same time I would like to be as fair as I possibly could. County players want fair play as well.’