Cassidy: Delay suits bosses only

Kevin Cassidy admits he is glad to be a manager and not a player in Donegal after the decision to push back next year’s county championship until the county exits the All-Ireland SFC.

The new Gweedore boss feels sorry for club players who might have to wait as long as October next year to play their first Championship game.

Yet the decision was made by the clubs although Jim McGuinness had proposed to them that one round be played in April and May.

“It’s nothing to do with county players,” said Cassidy. “From when I was playing, you’d rather be playing a club championship game two weeks before the championship. You’d like to get a good game under your belt to know how you’re going. But inter-county managers won’t allow that these days.

“If Donegal get past the August Bank Holiday (All-Ireland quarter-finals) next year what will happen is the championship will be played over six weeks or less. I don’t think that’s helping club football in Donegal. You’re asking club players to train all year and it could be over and done in six weeks?”

Because of the long summer break in the club championship in Donegal, Cassidy has been able to play football in the US these last two summers. Many more will now attempt to do the same next year. But in his new brief as a club manager, he looks on the competition’s delay as a positive one for him in planning ahead.

“It might be a wee bit easier. We’d be told ‘you’re playing in May’ and then come April or May it’s off. You’d be told the game is on in three weeks’ time and then it’s off.

“At least with this decision you know it’s off until Donegal are out of the championship. With McGuinness there, there was never going to be championship games in the summer.”

Cassidy also feels the black card is aimed at curbing the defensive activities by some Ulster teams in recent years. While he is for the new disciplinary measure which comes into play from January 1, he fears it could cause chaos at club level.

“I think it went from Tyrone and then to us after our own success. A lot of the tactics were to do with stopping dangerous players around the middle. Don’t concede frees inside the scoring zone but foul everywhere else.

“It’s worth a shot and has more of a chance of being a success at inter-county level. But at club level it’s going to be a massive problem. The standard of refereeing at inter-county is better but at club level you could have a guy who thinks showing a black card might be an easier way out.”