Kerry great Pat Spillane says that Jim McGuinness “had a bad day at the office” in Sunday’s All-Ireland SFC final and has also criticised the Donegal manager’s track record in big games.

Jack O’Connor’s men triumphed over the Ulster champions on a 1-26 to 0-19 scoreline at Croke Park towards their county’s 39th All-Ireland senior football championship crown, sending the Sam Maguire Cup back to the Kingdom for the first time since 2022.

Speaking on the Indo GAA Podcast this week, eight-time All-Ireland winner Spillane said that McGuinness’s track record in big matches “is not good”.

“Look at all these Ulster GAA folks and there seems to be a herd mentality and a group thing by all of them where they’re cheerleaders for Ulster teams. Kerry get feint praise.

“Tactics may come and tactics may go, rules may come and rules may go. Brilliant innovative may arrive and preach about how brilliant they are and their methods are so successful, that Kerry are so far behind the table, and yet, every year Kerry are either at the top table or very close to the top table…

“I look through all Jimmy’s teams. He has a great game plan and has the players choreographed to that process. But you look at all Jimmy’s big matches. In the cold light of day, Jimmy talked about his players and the errors by his players. Jimmy had a bad day at the office.

“When you look at the analysis, Jimmy’s track record in big matches is not good.

“I hear the Ulster GAA gurus, from the time of Joe Lennon in the 1960s, they have been telling us once they’re winning games they’re preaching to us that they’re miles ahead, that Kerry is traditional, backwards, and not evolving. Guess what, we’re still at the top.”

Tweet

Most Read Stories