So what big games exactly are you saying Galway lost because they were “soft”?
I see your point, but do Meath have a Glass, McKeague etc…?
You could probably hone in on the final round robin game against Armagh last year and the de-facto 4th round qualifier against Mayo that it catapulted them into as games they probably ought to have won. They had a second half malfunction in the later. The second-half capitulation against Mayo in the Connaught final of 2021 was a sore one too I’d say.
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Keoghan is class to be fair. That minor team from 2021 that beat a fine Tyrone team in the final must have something about them. Still very young though.
32, he’s it all done
True. He’s unlikely to lead the charge under Colm O’ Rourke’s successor. Darren Fay had a fair body of work and retired by that age. Different times for Meath.
Derry didn’t have Glass when Gallagher took over. Players tend to emerge when you give them good coaching. Meath had a few lads in the Timo Werner Cup final who looked the part. Mostly called Jack. That Costello fella looked pretty good. Maybe they have other lads within the county who won’t commit? What age is that Eamon Wallace fella? They had a chap against Kildare a few years ago with an Irish name who looked the part but he never featured for them again. Ruairi O’Coilean or something. Bryan Menton and Conor McGill are fairly top players? I think?
Glass was a highly-touted minor who came back from the AFL. Good coaching me arse
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You think Gallagher’s coaching made no impact on Derry?
Even though they went from losing at home to Laois in the qualifiers to winning two Ulster titles in a row and being a dodgy refereeing decision away from an All-Ireland final?
You referred to Glass specifically. Waffle away though
I referred to Derry not having Glass when Gallagher took over. Gallagher took over in September 2019. Glass returned to Ireland in September 2020.
Perhaps you have information to the contrary?
Also even the best players benefit from good coaching. It’s quite the coincidence that Derry suddenly developed a load of on pitch leaders when Gallagher got a good run at coaching them, fellas who hadn’t been leaders up to that. McKaigue and Rogers included.
If you think McKaigue and Rogers weren’t already leaders in that set-up you’ve gleaned even less knowledge from your extensive tv viewing than I thought.
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McKaigue and Rogers had won fuck all with Derry until Gallagher came in and revolutionised the whole set up. With the “leadership” of McKaigue and Rogers and a different manager, Derry were relegated to Division 4. They’d have continued to win fuck all as well without Gallagher.
He must be 29/30 now. He was a real speedster when he first came on the scene back around 2013. I thought the likes of Padráic Harnan might bring back that 1980’s/90’s grit and stubbornness but it didn’t materialise. I’d agree though that a top class manager could transform Meath. The same applies to Kildare. There’s even more untapped potential there.
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You’ll choke on your hyperbole if you don’t relax there
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I stated facts. Derry had won fuck all with McKaigue and Rogers up to 2022 and showed fuck all until 2021.
The Derry county team was a joke until Gallagher came along. It had no support, no interest and continually went out of both Ulster and the qualifiers early and meekly because the players themselves weren’t particularly arsed.
Gallagher changed all that the same as McGuinness did with Donegal.
In fairness I don’t think too many of us here would have seen many Derry games in person during the late 10’s to judge them. I saw them in Wexford Park in 2019 when they dismantled Wexford but that was before Gallagher took charge and I thought it was mainly down to the Wexford managements ineptitude.
If I remember correctly Glass only returned to inter-county action in 2020 after Gallagher’s appointment. *McKaigue was on the scene a long time by that stage with limited success.
*plenty of success with Slaughtneil obviously.
I think we can all agree that Gallagher made Derry and he’ll be dangerous with any outfit he takes over. The talent will need to be there to be persuaded to get onboard, or a very successful club team in the county or a very large population. I’d say outside of Dublin and Kerry (and probably Donegal for other reasons), there will be county board members or delegates pushing for his appointment or approaching him.
It would be easier for Gallagher to get back on the horse in the club game. Less public opposition. Then if he’s done a year or two with a club, that clears the way for him to get back into inter-county without much opposition.
If he goes straight into managing a prominent county, it could become a media storm which ends with the withdrawal of the appointment which might put every other county off hiring him forever.
It may be the route he’ll take. I have a suspicious feeling that his ex might have another bullet left in the chamber to bring him down another few pegs if his ambition gets the better of him again.