Getting rid of Harte would be change for sake of change
Beaten by Armagh on home soil, it’s fair to say there will be a lot of hurt in Tyrone this week.
But the real pain of this result stretches far beyond the scoreline of 0-13 to 0-10.
This wasn’t just a defeat for Tyrone. Rather, the result was a crushing confirmation that the party is well and truly over.
In the past few years, Tyrone have been able to take solace from the ranking of the teams that have knocked them out of the Championship. At least Mayo (2013), Kerry (2012), Dublin (2010 and 2011) and Cork (2009) carried a certain cache. Although they fell short, Tyrone could draw comfort from the fact they were beaten by All-Ireland contenders.
However, not even the most fervent Armagh fan would contend that the current team is capable of challenging for Sam.
Therein lies the main reason why this latest setback will cause so much soul-searching in Tyrone. If Tyrone are losing to teams (Monaghan and Armagh) that aren’t considered realistic All-Ireland contenders, where does that put them? I must confess I have a particular soft spot for both Tyrone and Armagh. Their encounters between 2001 and 2005 were utterly riveting contests. The intensity of the rivalry and the standard of the football was often breathtaking. Apart from the entertainment value, the status of the teams also heightened the importance of the games. The Ulster Championship, normally a private feud with little significance beyond its borders, was pushed to the epicentre of the All-Ireland series.
That chapter ended some time ago. The allure that surrounded Armagh’s jersey vanished with Joe Kernan and his men of steel.
Tyrone were different. Even though Mickey Harte’s team weren’t necessarily winning trophies, they were still in the mix. They appeared to have potential.
But following their performances in this year’s Championship, the magical aura that was once attached to Tyrone’s jersey has also disappeared.
The evidence is damning. A Down team that only played for 20 minutes nearly beat Tyrone in the first round of the Ulster Championship. For the Ulster quarter-final against Monaghan, the Red Hands produced another under-whelming display. On that occasion, Tyrone’s system of play seemed to be at fault. Unable to target their inside forwards, they kept the running the ball and getting nowhere. But against Armagh, there could be no more excuses. When Tyrone punted the ball into their attack, the forwards couldn’t do anything with it. The defence was also in disarray. Armagh created five goal-scoring opportunities.
The deeply unpalatable truth facing Tyrone is that they’re just not up to it. The calibre of player required to win trophies is no longer in their ranks.
So, what should Tyrone do? Given that they can’t change their players, the standard course of action nowadays is to change the manager.
Harte has stated he has no intention of stepping down and that he plans to begin his 13th season as manager in 2015.
But should Mickey stay on? Is he still the best man for the job? Those people in Tyrone who would like a change could support their argument by pointing to recent results.
But those in favour of a new regime should consider a few questions. For starters, who is the heir apparent? Tyrone recruit from within so there is no obvious candidate. There certainly isn’t someone with a proven track record of success.
When Harte was appointed in 2002, he had guided the Tyrone minors (1998) and the U21s (2000 and 2001) to three All-Ireland titles. In ’02, Harte was in charge of an Errigal Ciarán side that won an Ulster title, beating Crossmaglen along the way.
Since Harte left his U21 post, Tyrone have failed to land another All-Ireland title at that level. And no Tyrone club has won another Ulster title.
With regard to the domestic scene, the county champions (Clonoe and Errigal Ciarán) of the past two years were managed by Derry men, Damian Cassidy and Ronan McGuckin. The old refrain that Tyrone’s players could be suffering from ‘one voice syndrome’ doesn’t stand up to much scrutiny. By 2008, most of the Tyrone side had been listening to Mickey Harte for more than a decade, it didn’t stop them from winning a third All-Ireland title.
If Harte wants to stay, it’s difficult to justify his removal. Yes, sport can be cruel, and there can be no room for sentiment. But managers are replaced when they fail to succeed.
Look at the last two winners of the Ulster Championship. In Monaghan, Malachy O’Rourke followed Eamon McEneaney and Seamus McEnaney, neither of whom landed the Anglo-Celt Cup. The same applied in Donegal. Jim McGuinness got the job after John Joe Doherty and Brian McIver failed to win a provincial Championship.
But Harte has delivered for Tyrone. Mickey’s critics will argue that such was the talent at his disposal, he couldn’t have failed.
That’s not true.
When Tyrone clinched All-Ireland titles in 2003 and 2005, Kerry and Armagh also had seriously talented teams. It would have been easy to lose.
Furthermore, when Tyrone won back-to-back All-Ireland U21 titles in 1991 and 1992, they had no shortage of talent. They still didn’t win Sam.
Then, there is 2008. Harte’s crowning glory. Peter Canavan had retired. Owen Mulligan had lost form and Stephen O’Neill didn’t return until the last game.
And Tyrone still won. In ’08, the Tyrone changing room still included men like Brian Dooher, Ryan McMenamin, Kevin Hughes and Philip Jordan. It’s not all about forwards. You need soldiers too.
When Tyrone lost to Armagh on Sunday, not a single player was booked in the second half. Would that have happened on Ricey’s watch? Any Tyrone fan who thinks a change of management will transform the Red Hands into a team of winners is seriously misguided. They have neither the soldiers nor the artists.
When Down and Meath started to wane, there were cries in those counties for the removal of Pete McGrath and Sean Boylan. No doubt when both men stepped aside there were people who believed it would only be a matter of time before the good times returned. It hasn’t worked out like that.
It would be no different in Tyrone. The county is going to have a fallow period. And it doesn’t matter who is in charge.
Getting rid of Mickey Harte would be change for the sake of change. It would achieve nothing.
