MuckrossHead
County: Donegal
Posts: 3479

1727472
Seanie,

Who is the Donegal official who denies it ever happened?

It's easy to key in the words "Donegal official", much harder to actually name that official as he might deny it.
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I don"t know Muckross.As I said it was from Tyrones "Teamtalk" website that I read this story.Im sure its still there if ye want to take a look.Surely they must have been talking to somebody from within the Donegal set up to put out a story like that? Like I said though,not my story,just relaying it here to demonstrate that its still not clear what has happened.

seanie_boy (Tyrone) - Posts: 4235 - 23/05/2015 18:53:08    1727476

I would be of the opinion that something happened along the lines of what the Donegal player said, why would he say it otherwise?

At the same time I also think that this is something that should be sorted out behind closed doors by the Tyrone management.

Tyrone have done exactly what Dublin did after "bitegate" & closed ranks which they are perfectly entitled to do. There is nothing to be gained by hanging one young fella out to dry when the sledging he was involved in is endemic in the game. No county worth it's salt is going to offer up a sacrificial lamb on the altar of moral outrage when every club & county in Ireland has it's share of mouthers.

Yes, mocking a fella about his dead father is a despicable thing to do, but if it was me I would have the offender doing push ups for a month followed by a conversation, from role models in the management, about limits of behaviour & common decency.

MuckrossHead (Donegal) - Posts: 5028 - 23/05/2015 18:56:34    1727478

I was rather hasty in posting earlier after reading the Tyrone County boards statements. I would suggest we are all been asked to accept a version of what happened based on hearsay. If it was said to someone its horrible but even more horrible is hanging someone on something they may never have said.

arock (Dublin) - Posts: 4897 - 23/05/2015 19:04:57    1727481

Teamtalk has this afternoon learned that the sledging allegations that have been made by Donegal minor football manager Declan Bonner are not believed to be true. In an article in the Irish Star the Donegal man has slammed a Tyrone player for mocking Michael Carroll about the death of his father Francie.

Teamtalk has this afternoon been told by one prominent Donegal official that this is "definitely not the case". Our source went on to say that "the situation has gotten way out of control. It has been fuelled by both radio and newspaper coverage but our investigation suggests that the claim has no foundation".

The Tyrone player at the centre of the allegation has received a large number of threatening messages via social media and his club has informed Teamtalk that they are seeking a meeting with the Tyrone County Board to address the issue with Donegal immediately.

Declan Bonner is a man under pressure to deliver an All Ireland Minor title to Donegal this season and it will be interesting to see how responds to this latest development.
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Thats the story from Tyrones "Teamtalk" website.It just seems strange that a Donegal official is saying one thing to these people while others are saying something different.As I said before if its true then it is completely wrong and can never be condoned.But with a Donegal official allegedly claiming that it has all been blown out of proportion then I really don't know what to make of it all.

seanie_boy (Tyrone) - Posts: 4235 - 23/05/2015 19:10:43    1727482

Teamtalk haven't named him. As a website, it's also hilariously partisan.

Treaty_Exile (Limerick) - Posts: 386 - 23/05/2015 19:17:49    1727484

Yes I am well aware that it would get the same publicity, that is not my point. My point is that the whole shenanigins of this behaviour and it has crept into club games from u14 up needs to be addressed and someone within some county who would be a lot smarter than me needs to draw up a motion for congress to really get all rules properly upheld by officials on match day and all match officials be at the very least a qualified ref standard. Gone are the days of mates/ friends / relatives turning up with a ref for a major inter-county game. If all 8 match officials had ultimate power to call the refs attention to all incidents, too much time and effort has been put into preparing for big games {sometimes questionable what exactly is being coached etc }and off ball incidents to influence the outcome. Are we as paying punters happy to shell out to watch the crap which happened all over the field in both games last sunday or the u21 final only as recent examples and yes its easy to scrutinise to death a televised game but it is going all over the country and is still WRONG AND UNACCEPTABLE a blight on what should be the GAAs summers best sporting occasions and instead something which the whole country should applauding for the atmosphere, camaraderie, skills and sporting prowess but now each week we are watching to see who is being the maggot to get starting dreary threads which are getting as predictable as the lazy journalists who just add the extra buzzwords to a draft review. If something isn't done and I think some county needs to be the leaders on this or where does it all end? Similar to the Scottish old firm games. or the football firms { hooligans }in other soccer leagues. yes a bit melodramatic or ott but did any of us actually think this was what we spend most of our time after games discussing. Not much point coming off a team coach outside a venue dressed in new suits or new track gear looking nice but leaving your morals and values hanging up in the changing room when you go out on the field. That's it and my final say on this matter as it won't make one iotas difference same as when I question the same wrongs at county committee level. What the manager/s say is what happens and those on top don't want to upset them. But it's probably the same everywhere. I know I've made my final CT payment of £83pm seeing what has happened and how even other codes within the county are just merely tolerated but so underfunded regardless of what the top table and the PR guys would have the rest of the country believe. Good night to you all, have a safe journey wherever you will travel to support your own and as the slogan says if nothing else { ARRIVE ALIVE }and hopefully last weekends behaviour no matter how bad, will turn out to be what has been needed to bring a new beginning and we will all be commenting on the great sporting spectacles till the end of September.

disilusioned (Tyrone) - Posts: 4 - 23/05/2015 19:20:10    1727485

Treaty_Exile
County: Limerick
Posts: 375

1727484
Teamtalk haven't named him. As a website, it's also hilariously partisan.
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Its a Tyrone website,off course its partisan.Ye have to assume they were talking to somebody from within the Donegal set up though.

seanie_boy (Tyrone) - Posts: 4235 - 23/05/2015 19:22:33    1727486

Does anyone seriously believe that Tyrone management in all grades actively discourages sledging as the Tyrone statement states? I mean how did Ricey continue to get selected and can we expect Justin McMahon to be dropped the next day if this is the case (to be clear neither have ever been accused of sledging as despicable as what allegedly happened last week). Also that website says Bonnar is under pressure to win an All-Ireland with Donegal minors, presumably to paint him as a desperate man who will do anything - do any Donegal posters on here believe he is under pressure considering Donegal can have no more than 2-3 minor All-Irelands at most I'd have thought?

Soma (UK) - Posts: 2630 - 23/05/2015 20:02:36    1727491

Soma
County: UK
Posts: 1004

1727491
Does anyone seriously believe that Tyrone management in all grades actively discourages sledging as the Tyrone statement states? I mean how did Ricey continue to get selected and can we expect Justin McMahon to be dropped the next day if this is the case (to be clear neither have ever been accused of sledging as despicable as what allegedly happened last week). Also that website says Bonnar is under pressure to win an All-Ireland with Donegal minors, presumably to paint him as a desperate man who will do anything - do any Donegal posters on here believe he is under pressure considering Donegal can have no more than 2-3 minor All-Irelands at most I'd have thought?
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Why ask if sledging is being discouraged by Tyrone only? There are countless incidents of racial and sectarian abuse from clubs and county teams all over the country.Surely its something that should be discouraged by every county board and very club? Jason Sherlock and Lee Chin are guys that have been taking abuse in Leinster club and county games for years.How come nobody asked these questions of their countys and subjected those countys to venomous and spiteful ridicule?

seanie_boy (Tyrone) - Posts: 4235 - 23/05/2015 20:17:08    1727493

MuckrossHead

Tyrone have done exactly what Dublin did after "bitegate" & closed ranks which they are perfectly entitled to do. But if Donegal where not prepared to even give the Dublin lad a chance to clear his some would say that was despicable no?

In fact there are similarities between the two incidents - two allegations that were/are impossble to prove - but also impossible to defend against, I suggest that is grossly unfair. Tyrone have to defend their man especially if its one word against another.

arock (Dublin) - Posts: 4897 - 23/05/2015 20:18:59    1727494

I'm involved in the GAA in Armagh - Tyrone are our rivals, our enemies, our competitors, there is aspects I don't like ( really jealously) but I do and have admired them...

BUT i do feel this level of attack is unwarrented....
I'm not saying that the Donegal player wasn't abused BUT some of the attacks is ridiously unwarrented......
A couple of weeks ago we had a 'number of biting incidents in a Leinster Minor Championship' do we really believe that the Kildare or Offaly Minor management or County Boards deliberately set out to bit an ear of a player..

Two years ago a dispicable act took place on a GAA field in Meath when during a minor game a player lost his 'testicles'. This went to court. Now can we really believe that the management set out to do this ...... No the Gaels involved with that team were honorable men, but sometimes the behaviour of a few can drag the rest down.....

Lets get real:-
1. Do we really know what happened - no
2. Is there anyone objective - no
3. Can we blame a County Board for the possible actions of one or two - no

cuchulainn35 (Armagh) - Posts: 1676 - 23/05/2015 20:24:05    1727495

Fair point Seanie-Boy. But only Tyrone have come out with an official statement saying management at all levels are actively discouraging sledging. Can I ask if you seriously believe this? There have been allegations made at minor and U-21 level about very personal information being known about opposition players, and at senior level past players have openly admitted sledging and we all saw what current players were getting up to Sunday. Do you really believe Mickey Harte will have told Justin McMahon that his behaviour Sunday was unacceptable, as the official statement suggests? Have Tyrone footballers such little respect for their management that they continue to do something their managers are actively discouraging?

Soma (UK) - Posts: 2630 - 23/05/2015 20:32:02    1727499

Soma
County: UK
Posts: 1005

1727499
Fair point Seanie-Boy. But only Tyrone have come out with an official statement saying management at all levels are actively discouraging sledging. Can I ask if you seriously believe this? There have been allegations made at minor and U-21 level about very personal information being known about opposition players, and at senior level past players have openly admitted sledging and we all saw what current players were getting up to Sunday. Do you really believe Mickey Harte will have told Justin McMahon that his behaviour Sunday was unacceptable, as the official statement suggests? Have Tyrone footballers such little respect for their management that they continue to do something their managers are actively discouraging?
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I believe the management would certainly discourage verbals of this nature.The other slagging that goes on in every county and that which many players engage in then probaly not cos that has been always there.Jordan admitted to sledging when it was done on him and sure who wouldn't? Ricey we know was a slagger like numerous other players.I do think that Tyrone senior management will be having a word with players on these matters and I hope so too.I think the players have the utmost respect for Mickey Harte and his team also.

seanie_boy (Tyrone) - Posts: 4235 - 23/05/2015 20:49:38    1727509

I would hope that any decent person would discourage the verbals alleged in this case Seanie-Boy. But to repeat the official statement made by Tyrone "Tyrone GAA in no way condone 'sledging'​ and the managers and coaches of all our county teams, from Acadamh Thir Eoghain​ to Senior, actively discourage this practice." You may disagree, but in my view what Justin McMahon got up to on Sunday with Murphy will have been pre-planned and will have been done with the full consent of Mickey Harte - the history of Mickey Harte teams and the fact that Harte didn't spend any of the game Sunday telling McMahon to stop means I can say this with some confidence. This is entirely at odds with Tyrones official statement. And I say this as someone who believes that there is nothing wrong at all with some sledging, if you spend 60-70 minutes standing next to your opponent then it is difficult not to make the odd cheeky remark. But if you pre-plan your sledging, looking into personal information, it is entirely wrong and this is what may of the opponents of Tyrone at many different grades have alleged.

Soma (UK) - Posts: 2630 - 23/05/2015 21:00:43    1727511

Cassidy also reveals that he played a part in getting Diarmuid Connolly sent off in the second half.

He admits that, although he didn't see any striking action, he put pressure on referee Maurice Deegan and the linesman to send him off.

"I didn't see Marty (Boyle) being struck but I saw him hitting the deck. I was straight on to the referee, to be honest.

"I never used to be a player that would have done that, until this year. You do whatever it takes and it was a chance to get rid of one of their boys.

"The game was in the melting pot then, I make no bones about it. I saw it as a ticket to the All-Ireland final.

"I just said, 'He hit him, he hit him, he has to go.' And I said it to the linesman as well."
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Saintly choir boys all of them as you can see.I actually like Kev Cassidy too so this is nothing against him but I don't think anybody made a big deal about any of this stuff either.

seanie_boy (Tyrone) - Posts: 4235 - 23/05/2015 21:30:08    1727520

Soma..........it goes on with every team.'The history of Mickey Hartes teams"? You must be referring to the name calling and pushing,shoving etc that Canavan,Dooher,O'Neil,Mulligan,the Mc Guigans etc had to deal with.I can only assume you mean that because our boys had to deal with all this crap too ye know.

seanie_boy (Tyrone) - Posts: 4235 - 23/05/2015 21:41:51    1727523

Soma, that is 3 times in one page of posts you have called for action to be taken against Justin McMahon for his marking of Michael Murphy on Sunday. What was that he said to him that requires action to be taken? You obviously know as you are adamant that he has said something inappropriate? What is your source or did you hear it yourself. Is it just because of the way McMahon stuck to Murphy for 7o minutes that you assume he was guilty of inappropriate sledging also. Did you complain last year when Aidan o'Mahony did a much more robust marking job on Murphy in the AI Final? Did you complain about the league match in Bsllybofey a few months ago when Murphy himself should have been sent off for his over physical cynical play? Have you condemned the comments made to Cathal McCarron on Sunday or is it all Tyrone and Judtin McMahions fault? Please get some objectivity.

johnboy7 (Tyrone) - Posts: 79 - 23/05/2015 21:59:28    1727527

I have friends that played for Kerry against Tyrone in the 3 games in 03 05 and 08 they said some of the stuff said to them by Tyrone players was personal to the extreme and they knew girlfriends names mothers names where they worked what car they drove. Can you imagine the lengths they went to to find out this stuff is scary stuff, but I'm glad all this stuff has come out because people tought we didn't like Tyrone because they beat us but now people can see why we really dislike them.

KingdomBoy1 (Kerry) - Posts: 14092 - 23/05/2015 22:00:06    1727528

Johnboy like most people I don't know what McMahon was saying to Murphy last Sunday. What I do know is that after 6 months preparing for this game with the management team, and his task of marking Murphy, he went out and spent most of the 70 minutes sledging him. Everyone on here that was at the game and everyone watching on tv could see this. Now if we are to believe the Tyrone statement that all Tyrone management teams actively discourage sledging then you have to believe that this was an idea McMahon came up with himself, and that he was going against the instructions of Mickey Harte. You can believe that if you want, but its about as believable as Tyrone saying their management teams actively discourage handpassing. Sean Cavanagh said there was lots of sledging by both sides last Sunday, do the players have no respect for Harte at all and his active discouragement of sledging? Most of the things you highlighted have happened and have no place in the game, if Rory Gallagher or Donegal came out with a statement saying they actively discourage sledging I would find it equally laughable. But ya, carry on with the whataboutery approach and continue to see the headlines every week about a new scandal rather than the football itself.

Soma (UK) - Posts: 2630 - 24/05/2015 09:19:50    1727533

Ballydalane parkinsons point is bang on..a person who spouts those type of comments on the field would have no probs denying making them after..ur dealing with someone with no conscience. A joint statement from both co boards saying neither condoned this behaviour cud hav defused the situation...from there it wud b up to in house management teams to tell their players what sort of behaviour is not acceptable-if management don't have the backbone/desency to do that then they shouldn't b n da job. Take the example of the dublin biting incidents...I'm sur dub management laid down the law with players...any fella behaving in that manner is not fit to be a dublin player...same applies here..

blacknamber (Kerry) - Posts: 267 - 24/05/2015 10:02:39    1727541