FORMER TIPPERARY SENIOR hurling team manager Michael ‘Babs’ Keating was refused tickets to the All-Ireland final by county board chiefs last month.
Keating was snubbed following comments he made in a newspaper column in the wake of Tipp’s All-Ireland semi-final defeat to Galway.
County board secretary Tim Floyd was so annoyed by Keating’s remarks that he turned down a request from the 1989 and 1991 All-Ireland winning manager for final tickets.
Keating subsequently wrote to the county board to express disappointment after he was refused All-Ireland final passes for the first time in 55 years.
A long-standing tradition in Tipperary is that ex-players and former members of management teams receive tickets for the biggest hurling day of the year from Premier County top brass.
But at a board meeting of county management officials on September 15, Floyd revealed that he was “so disgusted” by Keating’s rant that he “could not bring himself to supply him with tickets.”
Keating’s newspaper article was circulated to committee members on the night and Floyd’s fellow members were “unanimous” in their support of his stance.
Keating had criticised the “extravagance” of spending related to Eamon O’Shea’s senior in a column headed ‘Tipp’s trips to push hotels insults fans.’
The piece ran on Monday, August 24, eight days after Tipp lost to Galway, which gave Keating plenty of time to plan his assault.
Keating slammed Tipp’s training stint at Carton House a week before the game and queried “what all the extra expert advisors were at during their time at Carton House” as his view was that “Tipperary didn’t seem to have a plan in place at Croke Park (against Galway).”
Meanwhile, county board officials have also expressed disappointment with Liam Cahill’s recent call for increased funding and resources for underage hurling in Tipperary.
Cahill, who guided Tipp to the All-Ireland minor decider against Galway, spoke out in the wake of the team’s defeat, insisting that “we need help from our county board in relation to resources and finances.”
But county board officials “resented recent comments on radio airways about lack of investment and little being done with county development squads.”
So far the off season is proving more entertaining than the tripe that we had to endure during the majority of both championships… All we need now is a Davy Fitz sound bite to confirm that silly season is here… Whohoooooo the circus is in town
“sheep in a heap”
Tradition is tradition but Babs Keating is Babs Keating.
Babs was spot on! Time for Tipp to face up to reality.
ah go way
You must be from Tipp ‘Lad’ as you seem to have your head buried in the sand too.
No I’m from Cork where we’ve actually got some real issues. I would be delighted if Cork could get back up to that standard.
Look we all in Tipp know what Babs is like and there is usually an agenda with whatever he says but let’s call a spade a spade here, Tipp have won 4 Senior All Ireland’s in 40 years and Babs was manager for 50% of those let alone the All Ireland’s he won as a players for Tipp so the likes of Floyd and the other gangsters on the County Board should tell us all what they have done for Tipp that qualifies them to make such a call, Babs was 100% correct on what he said but it’s always jobs for the boys in Tipp and hence the 4 in 40 situation. People should see the skulduggery that goes on at club level in Tipp in terms of referee reports doctored and punishing innocent people with bans when the real culprits go unpunished it is incredible and this is all under the watchful eye of Floyd and Co. So take yer criticism like men and accept responsibility for the current state of hurling in Tipp and stop throwing the toys out of the pram or else leave your positions and we can have a clear out and put in people that care about Tipp hurling and here’s a mad idea lets pick people that actually know hurling and have achieved something in the game and don’t just care about their own self worth. Liam Cahill will no doubt be removed now also to satisfy the Lords at the Kings table.
Poor form from the Tipp board, Babs is entitled to his opinion right or wrong.
No wonder Tipp are in the mess we’re in. County board officials with their up their arse and with the tunnel vision on.
Babs was right in his assessment of the semi final as we threw away the game. Limericks u-21 destroyed all them “great” Galway players and Kilkenny beat them pulling up.
Liam Cahill is right in saying the county board needs to wake up. We are way behind in our development squads.
Can’t agree with that. Tipped were beaten by a stupid system. Playing their third game with a 5 week gap to their last game versus Galway’s sixth game with a three week break. Babs is a fine one to comment. We all saw how inept he was at managing intercounty players the last few times he got an opportunity. He can never resist a camera/microphone and is always attention seeking with his comments. Tipped CB were dead right.
Tipperary please stop moaning about your 5 week break between the Munster final and semi final In 2012 Galway won the Leinster final against Kilkenny no doubt on the 8th of July then on the 12th of August they played the semi final against cork and beat them to go on to a all Ireland final against Kilkenny this was a five week break just accept that you were not good enough on the day to win in which remember was a closely contested match so yes you could have won but Galway found reserve !!!! Look it up if you don’t believe me
Too remote from scene to know if criticism of county board and officials is justified. I well remember babs as a great hurler (and footballer) from his playing days and his managerial achievement in late eighties /nineties restoring tipp hurling to the top table in spite of some injudicious remarks along the way. However his second coming was disaster especially losing to wexford with Cummins Sh Mcgrath and Eoin kelly starting on bench. Since then he has never passed up an opportunity to lambast tipp hurling and all associated with it and yet he expects Co board to accommodate him with final tickets. I’m afraid my sympathies are not with him on this occasion.