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5 things we learned from Jim McGuinness

Former Donegal manager Jim McGuinness spoke to Ger Gilroy on OTB AM, and - as usual - was in fine...



5 things we learned from Jim M...
Videos

5 things we learned from Jim McGuinness

Former Donegal manager Jim McGuinness spoke to Ger Gilroy on OTB AM, and - as usual - was in fine form.

We have collated the five best talking points from one of the finest speakers in the game:

 

1. He is devastated for Paddy McBrearty

"When you work with a player, you know and you see them come up from a very young age... it's almost like your children. When they have problems, you take it so much to heart. I think everybody in Donegal will be devastated by this news.

"He's just been exceptional for the county this year, and has blossomed into the player that we were hoping he was going to be. He was always an exceptional player, but now he has become a leader within the team. He's stepped up at crunch moments in crunch games and been a leader for Donegal."

 

2. Dublin have an unfair advantage in GAA

"I don't think it is fair [for Dublin's home games to be played at Croke Park]. A lot of the problems and issues that were raised over the last number of years was because Dublin had an unfair advantage, if you like.

“We were the last team to beat them in 2014 in the championship. Are we seriously trying to suggest they’re going to get beaten twice in the space of the couple of weeks in Croke Park?

“It is almost inevitable that Dublin will progress from this group if they are given two home games at Croke Park."

 

3. Dublin-Donegal should be moved to a neutral venue

“I think the right thing to do would be to play the game in Donegal; to play the game in Dublin and then you have a neutral venue at Breffni Park [in Cavan] or in Clones.

“Can you imagine 40,000 people for Donegal against Dublin and what that would bring to the whole country? It would be a real spectacle.

“Jim Gavin has done an incredible job with Dublin and sometimes they don’t get the credit they deserve because people will say they have the money behind them - they have the juggernaut and they have the population base.

“And I think to for them to go to Clones or Breffni and play in the lion’s den in Ulster and come out the other side and show their absolute true colours in terms of the champions they are. I think that would be good for Dublin’s legacy and good for football.”

 

4. Carlow and Fermanagh deserve more credit than they are getting

"If you don't have the capacity to match up fifteen v fifteen, because they just have better players and incredible athletes into the bargain, if you haven't got that capacity then you have to think about the game laterally. You have to think of other ways to win the match. That's what has happened in the last ten years - people wonder if there is a way they can win.

"There is only so many Kerrys and Dublins - in any sport. If you look at other sports, it is the same dynamic at play. I think that the criticism can be over the top."

 

5. Michael Murphy is the best footballer in the country

"Michael is the glue that is keeping a lot of the parts together. For me, what he brought to the table on Sunday was his class, but also his leadership and composure. He knows when to go, knows when to stay, taking the full-back out of position and the ability to get around the defence.

"There's so much to him, and he brings so much to the table. Now, the question will be asked whether he will need to be supplemented between the full-forward line and the middle of the field over the coming weeks."

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