Galway criticism can help them grow

Diarmuid O'Flynn

I grew up in a family of ten strong-willed strong-minded opinionated argumentative siblings and so, from a very early age, I learned criticism is very much a part of life, criticism especially from those closest to you.

I learned to give it (learned probably too well!) and of course learned to take it. But it’s not easy to take, never was, never is, never will be.

So this week I feel a lot of sympathy for Anthony Cunningham. Having guided Galway’s U21 hurlers to a fantastic All-Ireland win last year Anthony was given the senior job. It was something of a poisoned chalice of course, Galway the perennial All-Ireland contenders, Galway also the perennial disappointment, but Anthony was willing.

After a poor league campaign however, facing into a relegation game against Dublin this Sunday in Tullamore, the question is now being posed in Galway – willing is all very well but is Anthony able?

This week former All-Ireland-winning captain and manager Conor Hayes launched a bit of a broadside against the progress so far by Galway under Anthony Cunningham. It’s not so much the poor results that has Conor so exorcised, it’s the inconsistency of selection, the playing (as Conor sees it) of players out of position

“I’d have Shane Kavanagh at full-back for stability and drop Fergal Moore back to the corner, with David Collins out to the wing,” said Conor. “Lads should be played in their best positions and Collins is struggling at full. I’ve dealt with him for a few years and he’s an outstanding wing-back. And you’ll get the best out of Fergal Moore at corner-back. Centre-back is not his natural position and he’s struggling a bit with that as well.”

All very valid criticisms of course, and Conor then goes on to question some of the management’s sideline decisions, the replacing of the entire Galway full-forward line in the recent heavy loss to Kilkenny his most striking example.

The point I’m trying to make here though is that like it or not (and if he’s human at all, it’s ‘not’), Anthony will have to learn to deal with all that inside criticism. There are those who would accuse Conor Hayes – and people like him who have been in the limelight in Galway before and are now offering their criticisms – of being bad-minded, jealous and undermining the efforts of Anthony and his management team. I disagree – couldn’t disagree more in fact.

I know Conor Hayes, I know he would never consciously do anything to damage Galway hurling – the contrary is the case. Anything he does, anything he says now by way of criticism, is designed – as he sees it – to help. He is saying what he believes and he’s saying it in the hope that it will have an impact, perhaps help to turn things round.

That’s a positive and it is only a positive. When I read or hear someone like Conor Hayes speak I want to know exactly what he’s thinking, frankly and honestly. I don’t want lies. I don’t want shading. I don’t want diluted double-speak. I don’t want bullshit. Let him give his opinion straight from the heart, straight from the shoulder, no holding back.

It’s up to Anthony Cunningham then to deal with that as he sees fit. Every manager worth his salt has his own ideas, but every manager worth his salt should also be able to learn from the experience of others. Galway have problems, the old problem of consistency most of all. Wouldn’t consistency of selection help to settle that? Whatever, Anthony must do his own thing but people like Conor must also do theirs.

A word for Conor though, and for all Galway hurling people – patience. Everywhere he’s been Anthony Cunningham has brought success. Galway hurling is in a bad place at the moment, it is behind Kilkenny and considerably behind on the evidence of Nowlan Park a few weeks ago. But Galway aren’t the first team to suffer a mauling at the claws of these big Cats – I wouldn’t be panicking.

Even if Galway lose to Dublin this Sunday, I still wouldn’t be panicking. No more than Jimmy Barry-Murphy in Cork or Davy Fitzgerald in Clare or John Allen in Limerick, this isn’t going to be a one-year fix – this will take time. It could happen overnight and if it does, all the better. Criticise to your heart’s content (without getting personal about it) but also, be patient with this man and with this team. The talent is there, but long-term dividends, that’s what this investment is about.

Source: http://feeds.examiner.ie/~r/iesportsblog/~3/hbZKS1N6jL4/post.aspx

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