DONEGAL manager Jim McGuinness has rounded on critics of his team – claiming RTE pundits had disrespected his players.
McGuinness described the broadcasting pundits reaction to Donegal’s victory over Antrim as “way over the top”.
And he was furious by comments made on ‘The Sunday Game’ that night about the selection of Donegal wing-forward Ryan Bradley as the man of the match.
“There’s one thing being critical of Jim McGuinness or my style of football but there’s another thing in being disrespectful and we felt that Ryan Bradley was disrespected,” McGuinness fumed.
“RTE presented him with a trophy and then said there was no man of the match.
“Ryan Bradley has parents and a girlfriend, who were standing watching him accepting a trophy, as proud as punch, and then people later were saying ‘there was no (real) man of the match!’
“Last week they had a joke about us as well at the end of the programme.
“Donegal seems to be this county that everyone can have a good laugh at because we’re not that serious.
“I don’t like my players or my county being disrespected.
“Liam Bradley (Antrim manager) threw out a couple of comments and ‘The Sunday Game’ and Sunday papers ran with those comments.
“There’s a full season to be played but there was no word of our 1-17 against Antrim.
“If people want to criticise how we play I don’t have an issue, but when it gets to your players. . .” he said.
“Everyone’s got their job to do, and everyone’s entitled to their opinion, but when it’s disrespectful there’s a line to be drawn and I feel that line’s been crossed on a number of occasions in recent weeks,” McGuinness said.
“It’s a one-way street, we don’t get our opportunity to give our point of view but as a manager I’ve a duty of care to my players.”
Tags: