Micko

[kerry1891]

@Cheasty

@Jayo76

Mick O Dwyer was the greatest Gaelic football manager of all time

That’s an opinion, not a fact.

Personally I’d rank him behind Heffo, Boylan, Harte, Gavin, McGuinness and at best on a par with O’Mahony, McGee, Morgan and Coleman. All those either changed the game or won with teams which had no reasonable right to expect to win.

Steven Poacher or Shane Curran would have struggled not to win several All-Irelands with players of the quality he had. All they needed was somebody with basic competence to oversee them.

The reality is that the Kerry team of the 1970s were streets ahead of Dublin in terms of quality. Miles ahead. Yet Dublin beat them twice. That was an indictment on O’Dwyer, and it was seen as such in Kerry, and he was nearly sacked after the 1977 loss. He would have been sacked had Kerry lost 1978, and who knows they might well have done if you hadn’t been allowed throw the ball into net and if Robbie Kelleher hadn’t handed the ball to Mikey Sheehy, because Dublin were all over them at 0-7 to 0-2 up. Those two goals kept Kerry in that game, a game where Kevin Moran could barely walk.

O’Dwyer’s spell with Kildare between 1991 and 1994 was a failure. One Leinster title in four years with that double All-Ireland minor winning Leix group in Leinster’s weakest era ever was a modest enough return.

O’Dwyer’s second spell with Kildare between 1997 and 2000 was probably his most impressive managerial accomplishment.

how had Billy Morgan’s Cork no right to win? Cork had some good minor and under 21 teams coming through, picked up transfers in Tompkins and Fahy and Kerry were aging and slipping. Billy did very well with Cork but they were hardly in the no right to win category?

Kerry in 1975 were rank outsiders v Dublin and Kerry walked all over them, he certainly deserves credit for that

[myboyblue]

I watched on as Micko stood in the pissing rain in Portarlington, The Heath, Emo, Stradbally, Portlaoise et al, as they ran laps and as he ran matches, and absolutely no amount of money could pay you to be there, even if you lived next door.

And the hoore never once was lacking in enthusiasm, excitement and enjoyment for all the aspects of the thing. There’s no way any amount of money could pay you to endure the nights he did in Laois alone. None.

Lookit, you can hit him with all you like but by Jesus there wasn’t a sight or sound like a Micko whistle A v B game in May. And I’ll go to my grave with the memories of them. He had his faults, and they will come out as they always do and will, as did we all, but he made us dream.

God rest him

[gilgamboa]

There’s drink taken

[farmerinthecity]

@Cheasty

Personally I’d rank him behind Heffo, Boylan, Harte, Gavin, McGuinness

How is he different to Gavin?

Gavin had a terrific bunch of players as well,

Of course having a terrific bunch of players doesn’t guarantee anything - it takes a manager as well to get the best out of them consistently,

[Bisto]

@myboyblue

I watched on as Micko stood in the pissing rain in Portarlington, The Heath, Emo, Stradbally, Portlaoise et al, as they ran laps and as he ran matches, and absolutely no amount of money could pay you to be there, even if you lived next door.

And the hoore never once was lacking in enthusiasm, excitement and enjoyment for all the aspects of the thing. There’s no way any amount of money could pay you to endure the nights he did in Laois alone. None.

Lookit, you can hit him with all you like but by Jesus there wasn’t a sight or sound like a Micko whistle A v B game in May. And I’ll go to my grave with the memories of them. He had his faults, and they will come out as they always do and will, as did we all, but he made us dream.

God rest him

This is some scutter . A drunk pound shop seanchai lets loose . A rainy night in Emo .

[Bandage]

@Bisto

A rainy night in Emo .

A like for this tremendous line. My goodness, you can be cutting when you like, old pal. I’ve taken a dunt or two from you over the years.

[gilgamboa]

@Bisto

This is some scutter . A drunk pound shop seanchai lets loose . A rainy night in Emo

Work of art

[myboyblue]

I see the French paid tribute to the great man yesterday. I’d say that boiled the piss of some of the rugby set.

[Jayo76]

Ah would u stop talking sense, Shane Curran would have won a haul of All Irelands with that Dublin team

[Biff_Egan]

That Dublin team the GGA equivalent of Man City. Dull, monotonous, financially doped. They ruined Ciaran Kilkenny the same way Pep ruined Grealish

[myboyblue]

That’s a bit harsh. There’s not many managers who coulda turned Michael Dara into a FOTY.

[Aertel220]

@myboyblue

I watched on as Micko stood in the pissing rain in Portarlington, The Heath, Emo, Stradbally, Portlaoise et al, as they ran laps and as he ran matches, and absolutely no amount of money could pay you to be there, even if you lived next door.

Were you on the extended panel, a selector or the Laois version of Mick McDonagh?

[Jayo76]

Kilkenny gets to the nub of it, great dual player as a young lad, the Dubs turned him into a bulked up basketballer. And sure look it fair play has a great haul of medals and is a very likeable lad, became a cog in a wheel though.

[Jayo76]

Thats very true

[backinatracksuit]

[myboyblue]

Jungle Joe

Laois boss calls fowl on Jungle Joe

[StoneCold]

Good to see the tradition of keening hasn’t died out, even if it has moved online

[Bisto]

@Bandage

I’ve taken a dunt or two from you over the years.

I won’t lie ,I do take a certain pride in playing a part , however small ,in making you the upstanding man you are today.tough love they call it.

[ChairmanDan]

As Mickos wife, she won’t do any worse than the minimum legal right entitlement to one third of his estate.

[neilld]

Id love to see Kilkenny v Grealish in a Bronco test. As a pro, Jack would have to be handicapped I suppose, about 8 pints the night before. Easily arranged.