try not replying to this post. give it your best shot.
they won a soft all oireland mate
he managed them when KK & Tipp were at their peak
Tessio did a great job with Galway overall
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Who’s Tessio??
He did, he felt hurt at the time but I believe all bygones are just that following various representations over the past 12 months or so.
Of course history is written by the victors.
Tessio built this team and got them to two All Irelands. The only blot on his copybook is 2013 when Tipp and Kilkenny capitulated and they couldn’t take advantage of it
Anthony Cunningham. He supposedly looks like Tessio from the Godfather movie.
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I’m a fan of AC, but the players wanted him moved on and he should have stepped away quietly.
Bygones now.
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How did he hold them back? Would the current outfit have toppled Kilkenny four or five years back?
Tessio conducted himself with great dignity despite the fact his players lost their nerve in winning positions in two All Ireland finals and then threw him under the bus.
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He should have locked the door
They had been in a great position at half time in both 2012 and 2015. There was every reason to be optimisitic for the 2nd half. They imploded both times.
This year they played well in the first half but the scoreboard didn’t reflect thier dominance. They had every reason to be pessimistic. They didn’t implode this time. Despite going behind they came back and won it.
Tessio took over a team of useless lumps like Tannion, Collins, Moore, Tony OgRegan who were born losers and gave debuts to;
hansbury
paraic mannion
cathal mannion
daithi Burke
Johnny Glynn
Jason Flynn
Joseph Cooney
Conor Cooney
He plucked 24 year old Gearoid McInerney from a hagard somewhere in south galway while everyone sniggered at him but within 2 years mcinerney is possibly hurler of the year.
He brought conor whelan into the team straight out of minor and introduced the world of hurling to a superstar.
Ml Donoghue took Tessios team, added Adrain Touhy to it, motivated Canning to get fit and hey presto Galway win the All Ireland.
Tessio deserves a statue in Eyre Sq but the Glaway crowd being thick as ass shit wont see it.
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So the players bottled it in 2012 and 2015 and decided to throw the manager under the bus as a result.
Micheal Donoghue has showed Cunningham up a bit. Gearoid McInerney is 26, but Tannion would still be centre-back if Cunningham was there.
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I think the line of communication between management and players was the big difference.
Cunningham seemed to nail this in 2012 but early in 2013 things fell apart and were never really the same again.
The exit of Tom Helebert was key in my opinion.
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I think it’s unfair to say the likes of Mick the Savage and the Bull Mulloley are bottlers. It’s possible they lost to a better team. It’s possible that the half time pep talk instructed them to hold on to what they had rather than to drive on. It’s possible fitness was an issue, an issue which the current management team addressed. This victory has vindicated the players actions. Cunningham’s decision to try and hold out in an untenable position should raise questions about his decision making.
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Donoughe was excellent from the line all year - had his some work done and made the right calls in game. But he’s also had the benefit of having an experienced team.
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I remember the talk in 2013, and 2014 was a disaster obviously, but I don’t remember hearing much about unrest in 2015. The decision to push Cunningham out came as a bit of a surprise, but I’ve heard a lot since then that makes it understandable. I don’t think that authoritarian style cuts it with players at the moment. They expect to have a voice and they’re not wrong either.
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Mindset as much as decision making. Immediately distrustful of the players and alleging ulterior motives. If any of the lads were doing it to prolong their careers it didn’t work out too well under Donoghue.
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Cunningham is the man who brought Conor Cooney on as a substitute in the 2012 All Ireland Final (first game), only to withdraw him less than 10 mins later.
In the All Ireland replay of that year he played an injured James Skehill in goals.
He is also the man who withdrew one of the teams most consistent performers in Aidan Harte for a washed up David Collins, apparently at the request of Collins himself…
These are all decisions that cost Galway dearly in All Ireland Finals and say all you need to know about Cunningham’s decision making when under pressure
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