Martin O'Neill and Roy Keane

[Diggs246]

Im a big fam of Mon, but i have to say if TOD slapped him across the face, i wouldnt complain

[Fizzer]

Another disgraceful interview from O’Neill with Tony O’Donoghue again today.Choking in outrage at being asked basic questions.He could do with getting over himself.Ego before country again for Marty.

[Diggs246]

Can you imagine if Eamon Dunphy interviewed Martin O'Neill, and he wasn't allowed walk out. .. that would be TV

[Olé Olé]

I really thought that was disgusting, not least because Tony works for the national broadcaster and the interview would be broadcast to the Irish public, yet MON still manages to say Tony had enough of his time and he was going to move on.

How Martin was able to recall Tony saying "hard luck" and spin something out of that in this interview months later is a bit worrying too. How many times must he have tossed those words around in his own head to come out that passively aggressive towards TOD?

[jbyrne]

I really thought that was disgusting, not least because Tony works for the national broadcaster and the interview would be broadcast to the Irish public, yet MON still manages to say Tony had enough of his time and he was going to move on.

How Martin was able to recall Tony saying "hard luck" and spin something out of that in this interview months later is a bit worrying too. How many times must he have tossed those words around in his own head to come out that passively aggressive towards TOD?

most of our media love to continually chisel away at our national manager and then one bites back and its all shock and horror. it works both ways and some of TODs interviews over the last few years have been agenda driven and tabloid like.... surely our national broadcaster should be above this kind of George hook type punditry and interviewing style?

the two of them do need to move on though and kevin kilbanes suggestion on OTB last night that FAI and RTE hierarchy should sort a truce is spot on

[backstothewall]

Trapattoni, Noel King and Martin O'Neill have all come to the conclusion that Tony O'Donoghue is a pain in the hole. I don't remember Martin O'Neill having this sort of issue with an other journalist.

To me the most likely scenario seems that Tony O'Donoghue is a pain in the hole

[osarusan]

To me the most likely scenario seems that Tony O'Donoghue is a pain in the hole

I can only go on what I see in the interviews, and from those, I think TOD gets unfairly criticised.

A lot of what I see is him asking reasonable questions (even if they are critical of a bad performance or result) and getting pissy answers back.

[DeLorean]

I can only go on what I see in the interviews, and from those, I think TOD gets unfairly criticised.

A lot of what I see is him asking reasonable questions (even if they are critical of a bad performance or result) and getting pissy answers back.

I don't see it that way, even though a lot of the questions are reasonable. Some of the sympathy for Tony O'Donoghue is laughable I think. Sure, he looks the innocent victim when some of the interviews are taken in isolation, but anybody who has been following it closely for four or five years would know he's made his own bed to a large degree.

He asked Trap if he was going to resign five minutes after the Alaba equaliser in Dublin, he started badgering Noel King (ffs) about playing Kevin Doyle (out of position allegedly!) instead of Aiden McGeady, he needlessly asked MON if the Denmark game was "a humiliation" straight after that match too.

They're just a selection of his more ridiculous highlights, he's also been relentlessly pursuing Dunphy's 'Wes Hoolahan' agenda, even when the reasons for his exclusion had been well established (regardless of whether we agree with them or not).

TOD was up against it from day one, partly because of his own interviewing reputation I would think, but possibly more because of RTÉ facilitating a witch hunt against every Irish manager for a generation.

I don't think O'Neill is coming out of this too well himself by the way, but the 'Poor Tony' narrative is miles wide of the mark.

[OwlsFan]

Trapattoni, Noel King and Martin O'Neill have all come to the conclusion that Tony O'Donoghue is a pain in the hole. I don't remember Martin O'Neill having this sort of issue with an other journalist.

To me the most likely scenario seems that Tony O'Donoghue is a pain in the hole

The Agenda of the RTE Panel for the past 30 odds years has been to attack the Irish manager, no matter who the incumbent is. TOD is the extension of the Panel and asks their questions. MON knows this.

That said MON could deal with the whole thing a bit better but which one of us when the way in which we do our job is questioned wouldn't bristle with anger. I regard it as entertainment, although I note that almost 70% of people in an RTE Poll think MON owes TOD an apology. https://www.independent.ie/sport/soc...-36526308.html

That's correct, they didn't qualify.

What exactly is your point?

The point is you're using the Dutch as a stick to beat MON but they have been in decline for a few years now.

[osarusan]

He asked Trap if he was going to resign five minutes after the Alaba equaliser in Dublin, he started badgering Noel King (ffs) about playing Kevin Doyle (out of position allegedly!) instead of Aiden McGeady, he needlessly asked MON if the Denmark game was "a humiliation" straight after that match too.

I just went and watched that interview.

TOD: We had more possession, but in terms of penetration, maybe the lack of natural wingers, was that an issue for us?

NK: Germany scored 3 goals, we scored 3 goals, don't talk to me about that, will you please. Don't talk to me about that.

Ridiculous answer to a legitimate question in my opinion. Yes, Tony persisted with that line of questioning, but what he supposed to do (as a journalist and an interviewer), not ask a question because the manager told him not to ask it?

I doubt he is bothered by the whole thing. If anything, it secures his place as the interviewer, because RTE don't give a crap about anything other than ratings.

I don't feel any need to have sympathy for TOD, so don't include me in whatever posters you think are spreading a 'Poor Tony' narrative.

If he is asking unfair questions, then I have no problem with the interviewee getting prickly with him. But if he is asking reasonable questions and getting unreasonable answers back, then I think criticism is unfair.

EDIT: Also, I think it is bizarre to describe it as 'Dunphy's 'Wes Hoolahan' agenda'. Many more people than Dunphy (including plenty on this forum) questioned what they saw as O'Neill's underuse of him. Again, I think it's absolutely legitimate to ask why such a player is not being involved, considering the way in which we gave up possession and invited pressure so readily.

[geysir]

That post draw interview with ToD was tetchy and O'Neill didn't handle it good, ability to manage Ireland now is not about O'Neill's impressive past record as a player or a manager. And just how many times does O'Neill play the "look at my record" card.
After the Denmark defeat, the first question put to him was "has your luck run out?" which imo is the most ignorant and insulting question to ask of O'Neill or even any manager who loses out at the final hurdle. It ranks just ahead of "your team were finally exposed today?" in the stupidity stakes.

[DeLorean]

I just went and watched that interview.

TOD: We had more possession, but in terms of penetration, maybe the lack of natural wingers, was that an issue for us?

NK: Germany scored 3 goals, we scored 3 goals, don't talk to me about that, will you please. Don't talk to me about that.

Ridiculous answer to a legitimate question in my opinion.

There's no doubt King was a bit of a loose cannon, and like O'Neill didn't come out of the exchange very well either. But also like O'Neill, King was ready (pre-empting even) Tony's negative line of questioning, presumably heavily influenced by his pals back in the studio.

Yes, Tony persisted with that line of questioning, but what he supposed to do (as a journalist and an interviewer), not ask a question because the manager told him not to ask it?

It was an unnecessary line of questioning under the circumstances - a comfortable win in a dead rubber under a caretaker manager. And teams play without what Tony considers natural wingers all the time without it being questioned, and he was just completely wrong and uneducated by not realising Stokes and Doyle had often played in those positions anyway.

I don't feel any need to have sympathy for TOD, so don't include me in whatever posters you think are spreading a 'Poor Tony' narrative.

I wasn't including you, or any other posters for that matter. It's all over the media/social media, as OwlsFan's poll from the Independent illustrates above.

[osarusan]

We'll just agree to disagree I think.

[Charlie Darwin]

Tony O'Donoghue is a pain in the hole. Which is great because that's what journalists are supposed to be. It's not in any of our interests for interviewers to blow smoke up O'Neill's hole.

[DeLorean]

Nobody is suggesting that he blows smoke up O'Neill's hole. What's going on at the moment isn't in anybody's interests, especially the supporters.