WEXFORD BOSS DAVY Fitzgerald hit out at the treatment he and his family have received this year, in the wake of his side’s All-Ireland hurling championship exit today.
Fitzgerald saw Wexford lose 2-25 to 2-22 in their qualifier against Clare in Semple Stadium as their 2021 season drew to a close.
He praised the spirit of his team in coming back in the second half before then launching into an impassioned speech where he criticised the ‘small bunch of people that create problems’ in Clare.
“I’ll tell you something lads, I’ve experienced the toughest year that I’ve ever experienced in GAA. The way myself and my family have been treated is an absolute and utter disgrace. The way I felt all week, I didn’t even know if I wanted to come into this game to tell you the truth.
“I’ll put it to you like this – in Clare, the biggest problem we have is a small bunch of people that create problems. They think they’re helping and they’re not and I’m going to put it to you like this – very, very, very simply – I’m a simple person that loves GAA.
“My dad, who I’m extremely proud of, has done an unbelievable job. The amount of abuse and stick and criticism that he has taken, unwarranted, is not – not! – justified.
“And can I say to people, people have brothers and sisters, mams and dads. People have people that actually care about them and what people in the media in Clare have done is absolutely disgusting.
“What people on social media have done is disgusting. What one or two people – one or two clubs – have done, instead of looking at themselves and how they can make their teams better, they have tried to pull us into a place that we don’t need to be. The amount of support I have got from within 90% of Clare clubs is absolutely incredible. It is only the few who need to stop, need to stop, and need to work together.”
Fitzgerald revealed he would be happy to make peace with Clare manager and his former All-Ireland winning team-mate Brian Lohan.
“People said to me, would you ever talk to Brian Lohan or any of this. I’ll tell you straight out, for the sake of Clare, 110% if someone got a meeting between me and Brian Lohan in the morning, I’d do it.
“I mightn’t like Brian Lohan and mightn’t have much time for him and the way he does stuff. He’d have the same for me. But we shouldn’t be at each other in Clare. If Clare are to succeed, they all need to be together.
“And I am saying it straight now, would I put it to bed? I’d stand up in the morning and I would go and talk to anyone, shake hands, and I’d put it to bed. I don’t want Clare to be fighting with each other. We need to have a good hard look at ourselves in Clare and stop that.
“Here the other night (Clare’s minor defeat), the first thing they’ll do is blame the county board for stuff. Easy target again. We need to stop that. I can see people that can get on keyboards and do stuff, have they ever gone down the field, have they ever worked with their clubs, have they ever done stuff? We need to get a grip in Clare and we need to work together.
“I’ll just bring it back, we all have families, we all have to get up in the morning and it hurts so much when your family is…but I am proud of my family. 99% of Clare people are incredible people. The clubs of Clare are incredible. The few people that are creating the trouble, stop. Just stop. And work together.
“I can tell you that me and my family will absolutely support Clare to the last, so we will. When I was a young lad growing up watching Fr Harry’s teams in the late 70s, I absolutely loved them and idolised them. My dream was to play for Clare and all I ever wanted to do was play for my own county.
“I loved them with all my heart. It is not right what’s being done, it is not right. A bit of respect and people stop their egos and working together is more important, and I would encourage that to anyone 110% to work together. I mean that, I would talk in the morning to end everything.
“I don’t want to talk about any more of that again, but there is lies and stuff that was said early on in the year that me and my family are very upset about. That will all come to roost very soon.”
Fitzgerald then concluded by saying, ‘I am finished now. I would like to thank ye for yere courtesy and thank ye for everything. I want to wish ye all the best.’
Earlier he had spoken about the performance of his Wexford side, praising their spirit as they came from 11 points down to ultimately lose by three.
“Ah listen, I’m extremely proud of them. Anything I asked them boys to do, they’ll do it. We probably stayed in Wexford for the first 15 minutes and gave them 11 points of a start and Clare played some great stuff and we let them, we let them attack the ball, we stood off them and if you stand off Clare they’re going to hurt you.
“But many teams would have wilted, we didn’t wilt. I thought we controlled a big part of the game after that so I’m extremely proud of the lads. To be totally honest, I have nothing but admiration for the Clare crew and I wish them the best going on from here.
“I have no complaints. We lost two games. Could we have won them? We could have won them but we didn’t. We’ll say fair play to Clare. I thought we played good enough stuff, just disappointed with the first 15 minutes. I know if we played the first 15 minutes, trust me, you’ve seen what Wexford are like.”
Always the victim.
@@Kevinro1980: has a bright future ahead of him in RTÉ along with the rest of the whingers
Wexford need him now to move on. Wexford have just been knocked out of the championship and all he can talk about is his home county. He is not explaining why Wexford were 11 points down after 20 minutes.
@Jim Moran: Thats what you do when you want to deflect & Davy thinks he is fooling everyone but the good hurling people know exactly what’s going on.
And he can always leave given that he is doing the voluntary and concentrate on his other job. Nudge, Nudge.
@Jim Moran: it’s not about Wexford it’s about Davy! That’s the point he’s making, but I feel it’s also the problem! Hard luck to them, Wexford and Davy, but for Wexford it might be time to cut their losses and for Davy maybe time to take a break from something that’s causing so much angst. I mean it would be different if it was a job and he was getting massively paid for it, but sure he isn’t* and well he’s tried his best so hardly forced out of employment because of it and can’t provide because he’s only getting expenses he’s hardly being paid for it. Maybe he should take a break and come back again somewhere.
He’d wither you.
Well done to Clare, hard luck Wexford.
@Derek Braddish: suppose it’s not nice if you and your family is always getting abuse
@Eoin Fitzgerald: not nice I agree. But Davy is far from the angel that he likes to project.
@Derek Braddish: You’re dead right that davy is no angel but it’s so wrong all the abuse he is receiving. Just think if that was you and your family getting the constant abuse. It would be horrible. I feel sorry for Davy on this one.
That was a long aul rant, so it was.
@Michéal Ó Tuama: 110%
Give it a rest Davey. Your not helping yourself.
He’s supposed to be Wexford manager… about a 10 minute rant on clare
@Padjo Mulk: so true, sounded like he was doing a job interview!!!!
@Padjo Mulk: think Clare scored about 1-7 during that rant. Family abuse aside which is despicable, he doesn’t himself does he.
Man likes the stage
Davy doesn’t seem to understand the difference between criticism and abuse. A county board that sends a minor team out to get a 40 point defeat in a championship game definitely deserves to be criticised. An abundance of criticism does not make it abuse
Davey has been a disaster for Wexford. He’s wasted the best group of players that the county has had in a long time with his negative tactics. His focus seems to have been on what was going on in his native county , and on himself, instead of the job in hand.
@Leonard O’mahony: stop talking rubbish watch when Davy exits you will see the same slop as for last 20yrs coming out of Wexford again . Always dark horses can pull it out of the bag on occasions .
@DB: still. For the amount of money stumped to pay him. You’d expect more.
Here’s a novel idea. Now if may be far fetched as it’s a new idea think it’s called a mobile phone but why can’t Davy ring Brian Lohan. Instead of waiting for someone else to set up a meeting
@Diarmuid #STAYATHOME: Not dramatic enough for Davy.
@Eamonn Ó Maoldomhnaigh: lol
@Diarmuid #STAYATHOME: True story!! Poor Davey, bring on the violins!!
@Eamonn Ó Maoldomhnaigh: it’s the fair city Christmas special, they’ll bump into each other in the pub, hug and make up and then Mrs Brown will come out and they’ll all go outside on the street holding hands and the snow starts do you not know how these things pan put, oh no you don’t…
Davy Mourinho
@Clevie Sal: Jose Fitz!
@Eoin Fitzgerald: solid 5-4-3-2-1 formation today with the false-13 playing in the pockets. Handy sweeper-keeper a la Allison played his part. They need a strong number 9, like Drogba, to play those defence-splitting sliotars around the corners and along the gullys. Wexford have to splash the cash now and get in a proper manager and scouting network to take them to the next level. Nowhere near Champions League standard.
If you don’t like standing in s h i t Davey then don’t drag it to your door.
@John Hayes: Are you part of the mob he’s referring to ?
My family and I…
Which team was he manageing,im confused
Way to always make it about yourself Davy. It’s a wonder teams get sick of him
GAA culture is painful
@WJH: You don’t like Irish culture, fair enough.
Davy and Brian should do call out videos on YouTube like the travellers.
The same old bluster when he has his teams set up so defensively. Wexford look an absolute shambles of an outfit.
@Fergus McGrath: still only lost by three
@Dec Breen: still lost
It was a fair warm day in fairness it would make anyone have a rant.
but he doesn’t want to talk about it
@Kevin Shortall: He took a long time saying he doesn’t want to talk about it!!
A compulsive liar
Come on Davy, your deflecting from the fact that your team were down 11 points after a few minutes and then went on to lose again, like can you not deal with the matcj that’s on today and not gaa politics in your own county
Fergie and Mourinho could take lessons from Davy on how to deflect attention from a defeat.
He just got offered Dublin Hurling Manager
Job
100k plus ..Bye Bye Wexford …Hello Dublin ..Much .
Money for The Money Monster
@Brendan Deegan: I hope he doesn’t come to Dublin. I know we have a ways to go yet to be competitive at the highest level. I just don’t think Davy would be the coach to bring us there.
@Brendan Deegan: Dublin have a fine manager,slap whoever filled you with that horseshxte.
Good man Davy.
Aw poor poor Davey! Bring on the violins!!
Can someone explain to me what this is about please
Snowflake
I’d say most people have had enough of his whinging by now . This is like the needle was stuck in a long playing record . That stuff has little to do with Wexford getting beaten . Of course that other Clare Man give him the platform to whinge again. Time for him to give up that Management, it doesn’t siut him .
You ok hun?? Gimme a call ttyl xxx
Stop Davy. Have a cuppa and relax
In my opinion any team that Davy coaches are on a hiding to nothing unless they are Clare. Who would want him as a manager when he is always rooting for and supporting a different team? One of the requirements as a manager of any team is that the team you coach come first before other teams. Davy is a Clare man and that’s fine, there’s nothing wrong with that but he can’t be an ambassador for a different county, he just isn’t able.
He would give an Aspro a headache
Davy talking about himself again, what a shocker.
Well said. There is absolutely no need for the abuse.
Next dublin manager. Now theres a heart attack waiting to happen.
The man is useless always complaining and making himself out to be the victim
Time to get the fiddle out again.