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I didn't say McGuinness wouldn't go for outsiders, last winter he came close to recruiting another Fermanagh man, who declined last minute. I just can't see him going for anybody from a potential rival Ulster County, His preference would be someone from within Donegal, but unfortunately we just don't always have the top picks available within. RG was brought in and taught by McGuinness, Jim had a track record of this tactical setup with Naomh Conaill before the Donegal job, RG didn't have any track record playing any such system, he was educated in that style from Jim, albeit aside from tactical team setup, he is said to be a good coach. RG has his chance during 2015, 2016, 2017 seasons and he failed to deliver, then Declan Bonnar arrived in 2018 and won back to back Ulster titles and a Division 2 title and McKenna Cup in 2018 - 2019. He eventually managed to win an Ulster title with Derry after 5 years with Derry. Commodore (Donegal) - Posts: 1908 - 02/07/2026 11:28:06 2683619 Link 0 |
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Stephen Rochfords record before joining Donegal is impressive, but if solely comparing their records in the Donegal backroom team, there isn't much between them. 2017 was really poor year for Donegal, Declan Bonnar came in for 2018 with John McElholm and there was a dramatic turnaround in fortunes, winning Ulster was a huge turnaround. McElholm felt Donegal would have done better in 2019 had he stayed on. Commodore (Donegal) - Posts: 1908 - 02/07/2026 11:35:56 2683624 Link 0 |
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Donegal actually had a very good league in 2017 and were only score difference away from reaching the league final. The championship, though, was disappointing, with heavy defeats to Tyrone and Galway, and the style of football wasn't exactly easy on the eye either. There are actually certain similarities to this year in the contrast between the league and championship. That opening league game in Killarney in 2018 - David Clifford's debut, by the way - felt like a breath of fresh air. The football Donegal were playing was far more positive. Michael Murphy spent a chunk of the league carrying injuries, while Patrick McBrearty was outstanding. Donegal were relegated in the end, but they were unlucky. Kevin McLoughlin is probably still running with the ball after the number of steps he got away with! The Ulster Championship that year was excellent too, but once McBrearty suffered his cruciate injury in the Ulster final, Donegal's chances were severely damaged. It also didn't help that the powers that be handed arguably the greatest team of all time two home games in the Super 8s, which consequently meant Donegal had to play both of theirs away. McBrearty's injury was the biggest factor, though. Every team needs its best players, regardless of who the manager is. He was never quite the same player again as he was in 2018. Even this year, Donegal missed having him available to come off the bench, provide leadership, and chip in with a few crucial scores. To me, that was the best football Donegal played under Bonner. A lot of that was because the team had been freshened up so much and there was a real energy and positivity about the way they played. Had McBrearty stayed fit, it would have been very interesting to see just how far that team could have gone. Ulsterchamps_32 (Donegal) - Posts: 1034 - 02/07/2026 18:38:17 2683765 Link 3 |
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RG took 5 years to win an Ulster title true but that was after he took them from Div 4 to Div 1. Don't forget that RG Got to 2 ulster finals in a row , and that was the team that Declan took over. All I am trying to say is that RG record in GAA management should not be dismissed ulsterrules (Donegal) - Posts: 321 - 03/07/2026 09:21:47 2683823 Link 0 |
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If looking at Rory Gallagher's record, he was a really good coach, but as manager he failed repeatedly to get Donegal over the line in the 2015 & 2016 Ulster finals, we tended to do ok in the National league (Avoid relegation) under him, but his teams always peaked too early and seemed to show our hand too early. Also he was divisive behind the scenes in the Donegal job, particular with his loyalties to Killybegs - Kilcar players, I recall chat of a fall out in Donegal diamond after the team returned after getting knocked out in 2015, I believe one established player got off the team bus before they even reached Donegal town. In 2014, Jim McGuinness was gradually preparing for the likes of Lacey, McGlynn and Thompson to be replaced with the likes of Declan Walsh (Malin) and Leo McLoone, but Rory came in and abandoned that, continued with the old guard for longer in starting positions, which I think cost us. They should have been coming on from the bench. Commodore (Donegal) - Posts: 1908 - 03/07/2026 11:52:31 2683881 Link 0 |