Board slated as Dub players back Morris

DUBLIN senior hurlers have criticised their county board following the resignation of manager Marty Morris after 10 months in the role.

The squad issued a statement expressing their shock and disappointment at Morris' resignation adding that it highlights, "an apparent lack of support," from the board.

Morris, sensationally quit on Friday citing a lack of support, financial and otherwise, from the board executive for his plans for the team next season as the reason for his decision. He also claimed the board had already approached someone to replace him.

The players, however, remain hopeful that the matter can be resolved.

"At present the players are very disillusioned and while no player wants to make any rash decision about his immediate hurling future, we find it very difficult to see any further progress being made on the hurling front with the current impasse.

"Hopefully, this incident will maybe shed some light on the Dublin County Board's apparent lack of support to two consecutive managers.

"The players having spoken to Marty Morris are still confident that his decision can be reversed and hopefully, with the support of the Dublin County Board we can continue to put Dublin hurling in the spotlight for results on the field and not the controversial circumstances we find ourselves in once again."

However, Dublin chairman John Bailey completely rejected the claims which were made by Morris, adding that the board had done all that was asked of them by Morris.

"What Marty Morris has said doesn't reflect what has gone on in the past number of weeks and I'm bitterly disappointed at some of the comments made there," he told Newstalk106fm.

"At the meeting between myself, the county secretary John Costello and Marty Morris we had a discussion on a specific point which I informed the manager I had to bring before the county board management committee for decision. That decision was immediately relayed to Marty Morris."

However, Bailey refused to reveal the nature of the contentious issue.

"It's a confidential issue between the county board and Marty Morris and I don't reveal confidential issues.

When I relayed the decision to the manager he requested 24 hours to dwell on it. The next I heard on the matter was news of him stepping down on the radio." Bailey dismissed suggestions that player expenses or membership fees for the use of a gym by the team next season had anything to do with Morris' decision.

"I have bent over backwards for the Dublin senior hurling team this year the players have not wanted for anything whatever I was asked to provide by Marty I provided."

He also rejected the claim that Morris' management team had stepped down as well, saying he had been in contact with two of them who were still in place.

Morris has only been in the job for 10 months having been appointed following the departure of former manager, former Kilkenny All-Ireland medal winner Kevin Fennelly who also fired parting shots on his

departure about a lack of support from the board. Bailey also angrily refuted the suggestion that he had someone else in mind for the job.

"May I also reject the allegation that I had been out talking to players and to other people about the job before I talked to Marty.

"I never talked to any other person about the job while Marty was still in the position".