MICHAEL RYAN DIDN’T conceal his displeasure after yesterday’s hurling league final defeat at the Gaelic Grounds.
His Tipperary team suffered a heavy beating by 16 points against Galway and their manager termed it ‘the worst performance’ during his reign at the helm.
“I can’t explain where it all went wrong. That was a complete non-show from us.
“It was the worst performance we’ve had in the length of time I’ve been looking after these boys, very disappointing in a national final, that we’d choose today to come up with one of those.
“We’ll go back and have a think about things but nothing appeared out of order to us since this day last week. We were just flat and, to be fair, counter that with Galway, who gave a sterling performance and showed all the right attributes – hunger, power, passion, precision, they had all those things in abundance.
“Credit (to) Galway. They were deserving winners by a country mile, as it was on the scoreboard.
“We looked way below where we’d like to be in several positions on the field. I’ve been involved in games like this, I’ve played in games like this, and it’s not nice.
“It’ll hurt nobody more than our players, but it’s done, that’s all we can say about it now.”
Ryan was disappointed for the Tipperary supporters that they could not see their team collect another national title to follow on from last September’s Liam MacCarthy Cup triumph.
“I don’t have the answers here for you today. It’s very disappointing. I’m nearly more disappointed for the supporters who came here today and who’ve been supporting us all year long.
“Like, that’s not this team. It’s the flattest performance we’ve ever produced and it’s very disappointing that that comes on the day of a national final when there was silverware on offer.
“But look, it is what it is. As I say, eight games in ten weeks – eight high-calibre games, as far as I was concerned, certainly seems to have taken its toll on us.”
Tipperary’s focus will now shift to their next assignment in four weeks time – a Munster championship quarter-final with Cork.
Ryan’s players face a hectic schedule before then with club games on the horizon.
“The league is done, it’s been eight games in ten weeks, and it’s been pretty intense. It’s time for us to draw breath and to lay our plans for the Munster championship – that’s coming at us fast
“These guys, they’re not machines. We had certainly laid our plans upon winning today and being able to rest the guys for the week ahead. We’ll still follow that plan, but it is a real concern of ours just in terms of the workload that’s expected from them.
“Because you know yourselves, county championship at home is huge. North championship the following week is going to be huge for them, and there’s also a round of county football in there.
“It’s not ideal preparation. It will give us two weeks, or 13 days, from this day fortnight to the Cork game.
“Absolutely it is a concern of ours and we would certainly be impressing that view upon our county board. This group needs to be protected as well.”
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I personally would prefer a mediocre team with a majority of which irish than a world class team packed with foreign players eligible.
*that are eligible
I agree Francis, what’s the point in international football otherwise, might as well just have club football if players can switch countries as well
Noble is about as Irish as a jellied eel!
Jon Flanagan would be a nice addition to our squad. I always looked on Ireland as defensively sound and average in midfield and attack, but our current defense is shocking… Other teams will definitely target that
Mark Noble at West Ham as well by all accounts
I understand why English players who are substandard go for the Irish option as it means international football and a boos in their paypacket, but I can’t get my head around McCarthy and McGeady. Born and bred Scots, certain to make their national team (if they can make ours) but they opt for a foreign country? Weird.
It isn’t surprising at all when you see naked sectarianism in west Scotland, like N Ireland.
Both have grandparents who were irish and had to move to Scotland for work reasons and brought up there kids as irish In a foreign land and both had great respect for there parents and grandparents heritage I for 1 have no problem with them playing for Ireland . Plenty of players out there who have jumped on the international bandwagon like Matt holland who sang god save the queen I think 4 Ipswich at wembley in d play offs and turned up 4 a friendly a few days later playing 4 Ireland the likes of that makes me wonder
Mccarthys on record as saying his granddad made him promise on his death bed that if he ever got good enough for international soccer that he would play for his homeland Ireland. Hard to say no to that in all fairness.
While Stephen Ireland is on record as saying that when his grandmother was on her death bed that.. oh no wait
His ‘grandmothers’ you mean Noel? Cork lads are allowed several .
Interesting how people question the plastic paddies now who played in the past. But when they actually helped get Ireland places no one had any problem with it.
Marie, the secatrian angle makes a bit more sense, thanks. I’m not sure if deathbed promises and/or ancestral lineage would play a part (if I had an English grandfather, would I consider playing for England? No) but they might be heightened if they were subjected to sectarianism and felt unloved by a significant percentage of the population.
I think that is unfair tbh. Matt played well for Ireland and was very happy to play for us, as was a lot of English lads. He was also born and reared in England – so he was entitled to sing that national anthem. We have to get over this crap.
John Lydon summed it up. In England he was considered Irish and in Ireland he was considered English. So he was both, and there was very little difference anyway, he said.
Significant populations in West Scotland still consider themselves Irish before British. The opposite to N Ireland I guess.
When a lot of the other teams goad Celtic fans with “the famine song” what do they expect? Not just Rangers.
Anyway, a lot of countries do this. Italy have done it several times with some players.
Rossi is from New Jersey? Christian Vieri was an Aussie! They had a few Argentinians..some Swiss (Di Matteo) and wasn’t there an English born player..name escapes me.
Doubt they would care if Rossi sang Star-Spangled Banner if he ever made it back to play in the MLS..
Can’t believe Trigger has inspired a debate on the virtues of players nurtured by Irish grassroots football versus granny rulers, the serious issues of sectarianism in Scottish society or intellectual arguments around degrees of ethno-national allegiances!
To recap: Trigger believes there are Irish qualified players out there that would definitely strengthen the squad but he can’t name one for certain.