Horan the latest GAA boss to criticise media coverage

James Horan has become the latest in a long line of inter-county manager to have a go at RTÉ, accusing the national broadcaster of being biased in the run-up to last September’s All-Ireland final defeat at the hands of Donegal.

Horan said a lot of the media comment in the build-up to the final was ‘idiotic’ and ‘factually incorrect’.

"In a two-horse race, if you have the national broadcaster proclaiming about one team and one team only, that’s going to influence officials and various things around the game,” Horan told the Western People .

"Pretty much any big game we play is always about the other team in the media. If you were paranoid, you might think that the representation we get from the national media isn’t fair or reflective, but you’d waste your time if you went down that road.”

Now we don’t mean to be cynical but looking in from the outside, it seems the concession of two early goals and not media conjecture cost his side Sam Maguire, as pointed out on Twitter by Donegal based journalist Chris McNulty.

It would fit James Horan better to question why he opted to leave Kevin Keane one-on-one with Murphy on edge of square....

— Chris McNulty (@ChrisMcNultyDgl) January 8, 2013

Of course Horan’s opposite number in the final, Donegal’s Jim McGuinness had his own gripes with the media immediately after winning the county’s first All-Ireland in 20 years – demanding the removal of journalist Declan Bogue before his post-match press conference. .

So why is it managers are growing continuously aggravated with those in the media?

Whether it’s the constant rule changes every winter, or questionable comments from The Sunday Game panel, rarely a month goes by without one bainisteoir airing his grievances about the media to the, uhm, media.

Our favourite remains Brian Cody’s response to Marty Morrissey’s question over referee Diarmuid Kirwan’s performance at the end of the 2009 All-Ireland hurling final.

Cody has always had a reputation for taking no bull from those outside the Kilkenny camp – and probably those inside it too! - but his parting shot with Marty after the 2009 is perhaps the greatest GAA managerial swipe of all.

But Seamus McEnaney went a step further last August by resigning from the Meath job while serving up a brilliant response to Pat Spillane. You’ve probably seen it already, but it’s one that’s worth watching over and over.