When it comes to ‘player power’, it’s strictly business

When it comes to players wanting management moved on, there are lot more nuances and paradoxes at play than meets the eyes and headlines.

First of all, while the recent revolts in Galway and Mayo have been portrayed by some doomsayers as a sign of the growing pressures of the inter-county game and its supposed increasing elitism, the truth is so-called ‘player power’ is common at club level, you just probably haven’t known or heard a lot about it.

It’s not only because the club game hardly garners the same publicity as any county team. Often such difficulties and differences are dealt with discreetly. A couple of club officers sound out players that represent and gauge the mood of the dressing room and the word comes back that it’s just not working out with Johnny Joe, and it hardly will next year either, and it’s best for everyone if he quietly moves on.