Armchair critics suffer from short memories in condemnation of Galway management

IT’S been a challenging year for Micheál Donoghue and everybody else associated with the Galway hurling team. Things just never really clicked.

Sure, Galway offered a tantalising reminder of their capabilities when edging out Kilkenny at Nowlan Park last Sunday week, but it proved something of a false dawn.

As hard as the Cats hit them, Dublin were even more aggressive and robust on Saturday evening. Galway didn’t back off and met fire with fire, but by the end they were the ones who looked the more physically battered.

There are always recriminations when teams lose big matches and Galway are often leaders of the pack in this regard. Past deeds are quickly forgotten and some of the most trenchant local critics are rarely slow in releasing their bile.

Within hours of Galway’s shock exit from the championship, some Twitter and forum experts were calling on Donoghue and his management team of Noel Larkin and Francis Forde to resign.

It’s an unfathomable reaction. Galway have won only five All-Ireland senior hurling titles and Donoghue was the man who led the county to long-awaited Liam McCarthy glory just two years ago.

Galway had some good teams since completing the championship double in 1988, but a succession of managers, including Jarlath Cloonan, Mattie Murphy, Noel Lane, Conor Hayes, Ger Loughnane, Anthony Cunningham and yours truly were unable to do what Donoghue and his men delivered.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.

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