National Forum

Mickey Harte

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Replying To FoolsGold:  "He mentioned that he seeked one final year, because six months of this year were lost to Covid, and was knockout. Probaly would have wanted a full year with McShane, McKenna.
They are forwards which Tyrone lacked for a while"
I wouldn't have blamed him for that. The tyrone team of the last decade achieved as much as could reasonably be expected. They have have lost out an ulster or two but regularly got to all ireland semis and then the final two years.

Have they lost out on an all ireland in the 10's. No, that dublin team was a good bit ahead of them, as was mayo team. I doubt any manager would have done better. The bottom line is that they lacked some quality up front and probably another midfielder (though they've managed that challenge for 20 odd years now). Canavan, mulligan, o'neill, mcguigan and dooher were all better than forwards of the last decade. Add sean cavanagh, Gormley, mcmenamin and Philip Jordan and that's pretty much 2 thirds of a team that was better individually than the team of the last number of years.

In fairness to the team of the last while they have never downed tools on him and got themselves in great physical condition. Most others eras are marked by a team taking a heavy beat. Gallagher recently in donegal and orourke in monaghan. Hartes reign ended in the muck in ballybofey with a team that left everything on the field. And as you mention with the green shoots real quality forwards I fully understand why he didn't want to leave it there. There is a strong case that he should have been given another year.

Ulsterchamps_32 (Donegal) - Posts: 336 - 14/11/2020 10:36:37    2308623

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Thanks Mickey for the endless memories you give us fans in Ulster especially against that Kerry side and the exhibition against the dubs in croke park on that wet day, truly great times and it's only in times like we are now do we reliase how special they were.. an incredible tryone side that we won't see the likes of again.. you are a Tyrone legend and wishing you many years of health and happiness and please god we will see you on the sideline in the not to distant future..

mick2007 (Monaghan) - Posts: 271 - 14/11/2020 11:17:40    2308631

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Replying To sean og:  "We do....."
Very good ; D

Donegal_abroad (Donegal) - Posts: 895 - 14/11/2020 11:20:19    2308632

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Poor form from the Tyrone county board imo. Given the year we have had I think Mickey deserved the year he wanted and take it from there. Loved watching them during their All Ireland years led by Peter the great, Stephen O'Neill and Dooher with Mickey on the line. Lots of talent there but going to be difficult boots to fill. Imperative Tyrone get the right people in and don't get it wrong like Donegal did after Jim.

panamasam (Australia) - Posts: 2458 - 14/11/2020 11:20:44    2308633

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I have wanted Mickey to step down for the past 4 years or so. Now that he has I do feel sad but ultimately I think its time. Ideally he would have at least step down as ulster champion but it wasn't to be.

I don't think 1 more year would have made a difference as the same problems that have been present for a large number of years would have remained. No free taker, too loyal to under performing players and too stubborn to change tactics.

Looking at the tyrone panel for the past 4 years or so just show how stale it has become.

Hopefully Mickey enjoys his retirement. Although it wouldnt surprise me to see him back in some other management capacity.

kevin03 (Tyrone) - Posts: 244 - 14/11/2020 11:25:34    2308634

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Just want to acknowledge this end of an era and wish Mickey Harte all the best in his future years.

Though I can't say I ever agreed with the style of play of the Tyrone teams he managed, there was no doubting his managerial brilliance, the wonderful talent of his All-Ireland winning teams and most of all what a thoroughly decent individual he always showed himself to be.
Considering what he has gone through in his own personal life and the tragedies that have rocked Tyrone GAA under his tenure, it is a credit to him to have achieved what he did when many others might understandably have walked away.

Personally I think he should have been allowed go out on his own terms, but sometimes change can be the best thing too.

From all in the Kingdom, we tip our hat to the man who so often got the better of us.

TheHermit (Kerry) - Posts: 5828 - 14/11/2020 12:23:47    2308648

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what more can you say about the man.done it all.
wonder would he take the wexford job.....we need a new manager!

perfect10 (Wexford) - Posts: 3841 - 14/11/2020 12:29:40    2308652

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Replying To TheHermit:  "Just want to acknowledge this end of an era and wish Mickey Harte all the best in his future years.

Though I can't say I ever agreed with the style of play of the Tyrone teams he managed, there was no doubting his managerial brilliance, the wonderful talent of his All-Ireland winning teams and most of all what a thoroughly decent individual he always showed himself to be.
Considering what he has gone through in his own personal life and the tragedies that have rocked Tyrone GAA under his tenure, it is a credit to him to have achieved what he did when many others might understandably have walked away.

Personally I think he should have been allowed go out on his own terms, but sometimes change can be the best thing too.

From all in the Kingdom, we tip our hat to the man who so often got the better of us."
Very magnanimous post.
My wife is a Kerry woman and I remember enjoying the Tyrone /Kerry rivalry no end in the 00's.
Coming from a county with no success in decades I had huge admiration for what Tyrone were doing and enjoyed the sheer frustration in Kerry from not being able to get over the line in those brilliant tussles.

My father in law (football man to the core who still can't understand my preference for hurling)
Summed up his respect for Mickey Harte with this description....
"he's a man you'd chew glass for!"

skillet (Limerick) - Posts: 710 - 14/11/2020 14:12:53    2308682

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Replying To panamasam:  "Poor form from the Tyrone county board imo. Given the year we have had I think Mickey deserved the year he wanted and take it from there. Loved watching them during their All Ireland years led by Peter the great, Stephen O'Neill and Dooher with Mickey on the line. Lots of talent there but going to be difficult boots to fill. Imperative Tyrone get the right people in and don't get it wrong like Donegal did after Jim."
Dont see how its poor form from the county board.
He has been in charge 17 years and yes brought the county unprecedented success but think it has to be time to move on. His style of play brought much success but tyrone need to change and adapt if they want to ever have that success again and i dont see M Harte as person to bring about a different style or that success. Move on and let the next person in have a go. The longer M Harte stayed on the harder it would be for his replacement

KillingFields (Limerick) - Posts: 1636 - 14/11/2020 19:34:31    2308857

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Replying To border Gael:  "I have the greatest admiration for Mickie Harte. He has kept Tyrone in the top 5 teams in the country since taking over as manager in 2003. He had a brilliant team ro work with then. Hes built at least 3 teams since and kept them in the top tier. at the moment hes just acquired a very promising forward line up in Mc Shane, Mc Kenna, Young Canavan, Mc Curry, Bradley, Mattie Donnelly ,Sludden,.
My head says..bring back Tony Donnelly and add Fergal Logan and let Mickie take the helm for one last hurrah with what I firmly believe is an all Ireland winning team.
Let it be a transitional transfer of management.
Let Mickie take his final bow out in glory."
That's hard to disagree with and sounds very fair and loyal and magnanimous and all things right and good.

seanie_boy (Tyrone) - Posts: 4220 - 15/11/2020 00:00:46    2308983

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Replying To skillet:  "Very magnanimous post.
My wife is a Kerry woman and I remember enjoying the Tyrone /Kerry rivalry no end in the 00's.
Coming from a county with no success in decades I had huge admiration for what Tyrone were doing and enjoyed the sheer frustration in Kerry from not being able to get over the line in those brilliant tussles.

My father in law (football man to the core who still can't understand my preference for hurling)
Summed up his respect for Mickey Harte with this description....
"he's a man you'd chew glass for!""
That's a great one! :)

seanie_boy (Tyrone) - Posts: 4220 - 15/11/2020 00:04:09    2308984

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Will forever be grateful to Mickey for all he done for Tyrone football. He is a legend in his own time. He is Tyrones greatest ever manager and I would have preferred to have seen some type of transition year where Mickey could be seen to work with and hand the baton on to his successor. I think he deserved this one year given the forward line he was getting to work with now. Mc Shane at full forward was of his making and haven't recently been able to bring in Mc Kenna and Canavan to add to Mc Curry,Bradley,Sludden,Harte,Donnelly etc it was looking like we were seeing a lot more firepower up front which is what we've been lacking in recent years. I really think he deserved to be part of the management team goin forward for at least one more year. Irrelevant in the larger scheme of things in term of his legacy. He is a giant in Tyrone football and a well respected and decent man. I wish Mickey the best,thanks again for the brilliant memories that made us cry with joy.

seanie_boy (Tyrone) - Posts: 4220 - 15/11/2020 00:36:19    2308994

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Just read over some details about his career etc. The feud with RTE gets plenty of attention but I also see he was one of a number of managers who wrote to RTE to complain about them reducing the amount of games Brian Carthy commentated on at the time.

Who were the other managers?

And although I really like Brian Carthy, what on earth made Harte and the other managers involved think they had the right to dictate to RTE who they should and shouldn't employ to do a job?

I wonder how Harte and the other managers would have reacted if RTE had written to them to tell them who to pick on their football teams.

Anyway leaving that aside, well done to Harte for all the work he did in promoting Gaelic games throughout a very tough time in his own life.

890202 (Wexford) - Posts: 1204 - 15/11/2020 00:55:45    2308999

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Mickey, like Joe Kernan, NEVER got the credit they were due simply because of geography. I have always been consistent in saying that politics and partitionism, particularly in the South, bias, prejudice and tribal dislike etc came in the way of giving both these men the regard they were due. Now HS may prefer not to publish my opinion but I hold faith to it. There were those who poured scorn on Tyrone and Armagh because they stood up to Kerry and Dublin and that simply didn't go down well in the South and never has.

Ulsterman (Antrim) - Posts: 9294 - 15/11/2020 02:59:56    2309007

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I always liked Mickey and fully backed his football philosophy and wish he could have remained Tyrone manager for another 20 years lol!

Na seriously it is exciting times ahead. We will hopefully have a manager in place who will put his full trust in our very talented players.

I heard rumours Jim Gavin is being talked to. Serious money being offered by some of Tyrones most successful businesses to get him on board.

Wally (Tyrone) - Posts: 727 - 15/11/2020 07:02:22    2309011

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All the very best to Mickey in his retirement from the Tyrone senior football team, hes broke my heart more than once but iv nothing but respect for the man, hes done it all with Tyrone so what more can you say.

Somehow I don't see Mickey as the kind of guy that will happy to just stay at home of an evening watching the telly drinking mugs of tae, I'm sure he'll be down the club now with a whistle and who wouldnt want a man like Mickey with his experience around the place.

Mickey is a true laochra Gael.

KingdomBoy1 (Kerry) - Posts: 11732 - 15/11/2020 09:12:45    2309025

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Just watching Mickey Harte on TV and hearing him analysing the match the sheer passion and involvement he has. I think he is going nowhere and the other commentators a good day and joy watching restores some faith in the GAA. Cheers Mickey.

IssacBall (Derry) - Posts: 42 - 15/11/2020 15:32:24    2309238

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Replying To IssacBall:  "Just watching Mickey Harte on TV and hearing him analysing the match the sheer passion and involvement he has. I think he is going nowhere and the other commentators a good day and joy watching restores some faith in the GAA. Cheers Mickey."
He was pure class in his analysis today...BBC have landed a real coup there..BBC is now the place for proper analysis of games.

mayotyroneman (Tyrone) - Posts: 1768 - 15/11/2020 15:59:11    2309277

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Replying To IssacBall:  "Just watching Mickey Harte on TV and hearing him analysing the match the sheer passion and involvement he has. I think he is going nowhere and the other commentators a good day and joy watching restores some faith in the GAA. Cheers Mickey."
Yea was great to see Mickey Harte on the BBC getting the respect he deserves, and showing the decent knowledgeable amiable GAA man that he is rather than the one portrayed by by some sections in irish media

mhunicean_abu (Monaghan) - Posts: 803 - 15/11/2020 16:13:00    2309295

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