Listening without prejudice

IT’S FUNNY, the sideshows and nuggets thrown up by a saga such as the current conflict in Cork.

Funny peculiar, that is, but you still learn some things along the way. Anyone who’s taken a passing interest in this row over the last few weeks now has a far better grasp of GAA technical procedures when it comes to appointing managers and selectors, not to mention the nitty-gritty of voting processes at the Cork County Board level.

Listen and learn. That can’t be a bad thing.

We’ve also learned that without prejudice is not just part of a George Michael album title, but we’ll come back to that point shortly.

If you are so minded you could take the view that both players and county board are relatively close to aresolution: there is one majorstumbling block in terms of progress, but in the present circumstances we’ll take any glass half-full we can see. The pessimists have had most of the best tunes so far.

For instance, regarding the 18 hours of talks between board and players last weekend, the county board issmarting at what it sees as apersonalised attack on one of itsofficers; on the other side, the players’ anger at the appearance in the media of a document which was headed and underlined ‘without prejudice’ isunderstandable.

We’d prefer to focus on the fact that the parties were actually able to talk for 18 hours and take ourcomfort where we can.

The ribbing that has been dished out to Leesiders in the last couple of months shouldn’t surprise anyone, but the smugness informing the slagging is misplaced. The schadenfreude being experienced east, north and west of Cork’s boundaries is undercut by a certain queasiness as potentialmeltdowns come into view. Of course, these are disasters in which Cork is ascribed the role latterlyoccupied by Jerome Kerviel in the world’s financial markets.

In one scenario the GPA’s “fullsupport” for the Cork players would have serious implications for other counties in the coming season. Inanother, Cork manager TeddyHolland’s enforced removal from office would have huge consequences for all those county boards, fromMalin to Mizen, which are following the stand-off with keen interest. As one party directly involved with the Cork situation said to us, any such series of events would bring down the entire GAA administrative edifice. We don’t think he’s exaggerating.

At the most basic level, however, if Cork don’t participate in this year’ssenior championships they’re devalued. That’s not empty talk: Ken McGrath and John Mullane, two men who have had more big days than most opposing the red jersey, said as much last week. Nobody wants to put an asterisk on the roll of honour — not this year, not any year.

Yesterday in these pages a man who is uniquely qualified to speak on this entire issue outlined a possiblesolution. Donal O’Grady wasappointed Cork hurling manager following the strike of 2002 and sketched out a blueprint which would involve Teddy Holland stepping to one side temporarily while allowing a person to fulfil a ‘director offootball’-type role for the duration of the national football league.

It’s elegant: there may be some fine tuning involved — “tweaking” is the negotiating expression du jour — but it would allow progress on core issues.

Unfortunately, even that approach is reliant on one man.

It may not be fair that the only way forward seems to involve Teddy Holland resigning, but no-one else seems to have come up with a road map for peace which doesn’t involve some collateral damage.

It may not be fair to ask a manager who has never even patrolled the sideline for his team to resign, but apart from anything else, what are the chances of footballers and manager forging a working relationship against the backdrop of the last three months?

It may not be fair to throw thatresponsibility into Teddy Holland’s lap. But right now, as George Michael put it, that looks like the only way to heal the pain.