Nic & Tony last night .

[corbyeire]

your not alone on the rating of the manager

plenty of people on here think the same

when i heard top 4 i was laughing - with 3 going down it will be a struggle again

[Olander]

Ah lads give TC a break, in his tenure at the club the one real area he has excelled is in the transfer market, cast your mind back to our last year in the 1st, the signing of Wes Charles and Conor Gethins were integral, this year Brianias was the only real signing that didn't impress, Tony can't stop players from getting injured for 7months i.e Armstrong and Mensah - who both looked like good players I must say. I also felt Colli James was a very decent player, was sad to see him leave, maybe you have a point with Fagan. I felt Tony's real downfall was the local lads more than anything else, he had no other choice but to play them for half the season.. no suprise we improved after the transfer window, you could commend him on the signings of players like Fitzgerald etc.. this year Tony has a far better grounds to build on, the deadwood has all been released, we will have the advantage over the likes of Harps and Cobh this year who will be going through the same sort of process we went through. There is no real use in vilifying TC for lastyear, this is his make or break season, he has kept the players he wanted and his budget is increasing, lets give him our support for the first 10 games at least.

[MyTown]

personally i wish we hadn't equalised in UCD in the middle of the season because i have it on very good autority that TC was gone if we had lost.

I guess that's one of the many places we differ. I could never wish for a result going against us in any circumstances. To me it is the exact opposite of what support means. But I know you're sick of my posts on the topic so fell free to take the <ignore> option 'cause what's coming next will have you and your supporters reaching for the bucket.

On another thread you said that because of family and work committments you couldn't get to away games which is perfectly reasonable. Believe it or not, I too have a family and work committments, but on the day of the UCD game that you hoped we'd lose because you had it on good authority that the manager was going to be sacked, I decided to go to Dublin to support the team, and had an absolutely brilliant feeling when Stephen O'Flynn rose to equalise with the last touch of the game. It made the journey home to my family a very enjoyable trip altogether.

[WoodquayBoy]

you could commend him on the signings of players like Fitzgerald etc

Without wishing to contradict myself, I agree with you totally on this. He has signed some very good players — Fitzgerald, Regi, Gary Rogers — and fair play to him. He signed some turkeys tool, but sure who doesn't.
I don't want to be coming acorss as a moaner all the time, so credit where credit is due, but I still think another manager would get more out of the players and wouldn't play a striker in midfield, a midfielder at centre back and a centre back at left back.
Anyway, roll on the new season . . .

[Olander]

I agree with you totally on this. He has signed some very good players — Fitzgerald, Regi, Gary Rogers — and fair play to him.

At least we can agree on this.

but I still think another manager would get more out of the players and wouldn't play a striker in midfield, a midfielder at centre back and a centre back at left back.

I personally feel Tony can get alot out of players, for example last year David O'Dowd improved immensely under Tony, and this year Derek O'Brien has certainly improved under Tony no end, obviously this isn't all Tonys doing and credit must be given to Derek.

I take it from your player descriptions you are talking about Murphy, Lester and Charles, it was as much Murphys call that he played in centre mid as it was Tonys, thats where he started playing when he first played with GUFC and he had a season of it in Derry, Johnny Lester is a centre back - players positions can change if they are versatile, I do take your point about Wes,however a cynic could argue all 3 goals he scored were from left back against Sligo, Longford and Derry, all winning goals.

[GuisaSaigon]

He signed some turkeys tool

A bit harsh on Dimitri there Boy?

[GuisaSaigon]

Ah lads give TC a break, in his tenure at the club the one real area he has excelled is in the transfer market, cast your mind back to our last year in the 1st, the signing of Wes Charles and Conor Gethins were integral, this year Brianias was the only real signing that didn't impress, Tony can't stop players from getting injured for 7months i.e Armstrong and Mensah - who both looked like good players I must say. I also felt Colli James was a very decent player, was sad to see him leave, maybe you have a point with Fagan. I felt Tony's real downfall was the local lads more than anything else, he had no other choice but to play them for half the season.. no suprise we improved after the transfer window, you could commend him on the signings of players like Fitzgerald etc.. this year Tony has a far better grounds to build on, the deadwood has all been released, we will have the advantage over the likes of Harps and Cobh this year who will be going through the same sort of process we went through. There is no real use in vilifying TC for lastyear, this is his make or break season, he has kept the players he wanted and his budget is increasing, lets give him our support for the first 10 games and least.

Good post Olander, some people on here harp on about TC, bitching and moaning but were too scared to say anything to his face at last week's forum.
He's no Alex Ferguson, but he's no Stan either! I have questioned some of his decisions in the past but overall I'm happy with him and have faith (not blind) in him as a manager.

[gufct]

Some of his harshest critics on the internet were in Becketts but not one of them was brave enough to say to his face what they keep on lambasting him on here for.

I shared the car with My Town coming back from Belfield and we didnt feel the journey as we were so happy to see Our Team getting a valuable and deserved point and if I ever felt like Galway Hoop did id give up supporting gufc. Even in the days of Dave O'Connell I never wanted United to lose any game

[WoodquayBoy]

A bit harsh on Dimitri there Boy?

Whoops!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If Dave O'Dowd came on so much under Cousins, why didn't the manager retain him? Surely he was a better prospect than Barry?
Anyway, as I said, onwards and upwards, roll on '08

[Claret Murph]

Some of his harshest critics on the internet were in Becketts but not one of them was brave enough to say to his face what they keep on lambasting him on here for.

I shared the car with My Town coming back from Belfield and we didnt feel the journey as we were so happy to see Our Team getting a valuable and deserved point and if I ever felt like Galway Hoop did id give up supporting gufc. Even in the days of Dave O'Connell I never wanted United to lose any game

Hells bells Dave O'Connell , I will never forget the cut of him when he walked out in Terryland for the first time at a home game or was it the cream turtle neck that got my attension ,one guy next to me said he looks like a drug dealer ......

[MyTown]

For the purposes of clarification Dave O' Connell is the editor of the Tribune group of newspapers in Galway. Dave Connell was the manager who came in between the end of the Don O'Riordan tenure and the Third Reign of Tony Mannion. So while he got plent of stickh from the die hards (who will ever forget JC_GUFC's lap of honour to get rid of Bobby Byrne? ), he came to a club on its knees in every sense. I don't believe we covered ourselves in glory at the time in the way he and Eddie Hickey were treated, but there was nobody in charge and no money in the kitty. It happens. The last I heard of Dave Connell was that he was a regional development officer for the Irish Senior Ladies Soccer Manager, Noel King.

[gilberto_eire]

Some of his harshest critics on the internet were in Becketts but not one of them was brave enough to say to his face what they keep on lambasting him on here for.

I shared the car with My Town coming back from Belfield and we didnt feel the journey as we were so happy to see Our Team getting a valuable and deserved point and if I ever felt like Galway Hoop did id give up supporting gufc. Even in the days of Dave O'Connell I never wanted United to lose any game

i hope your not including me in that, i wasnt there as i had commitments elsewhere...... also so what if they didnt say anything, to say it would bring embarresment on you is an under-statement.
it was a Q+A forum about the club you would want to be some prat to ask a question that creates drama

[gufct]

bring embarrasment on me ??????????????

[gordongekko]

Some of his harshest critics on the internet were in Becketts but not one of them was brave enough to say to his face what they keep on lambasting him on here for.

The fact that there was a lad sitting near you heckling everyone that said anything against the club did not encourage anyone to bother to ask the question.

[gilberto_eire]

bring embarrasment on me ??????????????

no didnt mean you GUFCT, in general terms!!

[Patrick Dunne]

The club organised a forum for supporters to give their opinions, and many people there did so. I would say that at least 75% of the questions or comments were negative (albeit from a small amount of people). To suggest
that supporters were silenced by club loyalists is bizarre.

At this stage, repetitive negative posts by some supporters about the manager/season tickets are boring and futile. People have had their say here (many times) and have had the opportunity to ask questions at the forum.

I'm all for debate and dissent at Galway United. A whingefest is another matter entirely.

[gordongekko]

To suggest
that supporters were silenced by club loyalists is bizarre..

I was there i heard it. The two lads beside me heard it and the lad asking the questions about the season ticket prices heard it as well. I am only stating a FACT.

[JC_GUFC]

To be fair Dave Connell's signings were absolutely shocking.

Fair enough maybe he had no funds to sign players but bringing in the calibre of player that he did simply because he knew them was a joke.
I don't think anyone could stand by and accept what was happening.

Last I heard he was managing Mount Merrion in the LSL, apparently they've loads of cash and have numerous ex-league players playing with them. One of them being Sean Byrne.

[gufct]

The person beside wasnt prompted by the me or the club but he was frustrated as were a lot of other people by the the 2 lads who took over the meeting and wouldnt let anyone else ask questions. wb Gordon havent seen you since the old into the west board.


Ive said before we can keep on going round in circles about the season tickets but the decision that was made was after a long and drawn out process where a lot of people who had differing views on the subject had their say but ultimately we had to bite the bullet if the club is to move to the next level.

Pa, My Town & Trainee will confirm this.

[galwayhoop]

MyTown & gufct

what i am saying is i wish we had lost (looking back now) not that that at the time i hoped we would lose. a big difference. i would never cheer against the club so don't twist it if you don't mind. i was told quite recently, on very good aurthority, that TC would have had to walk the plank had we lost that night, i would not have lost sleep had he gone.

i don't rate TC and feel he is incapable of bring the club to where we all want it to go. I believe the club, off the pitch, is moving in the right direction (big respect for NL and what he has done) but this is not mirrored on the pitch.

feel free to come on here and berate me at the end of the season if we finish challenging the top 4. personally i believe it will be more challenging for 4th from bottom* but sure that football, a game of opinions!!


*then cue proclamations of the season being about consolidating our premier division status, building for the future, time for benefits of full time to kick in, look at Drogheda, time for the new players to gel....etc, etc, etc