Mickey Linden: Greater onus on coaches and managers to halt indiscipline

Down legend Mickey Linden believes coaches and managers are duty-bound to ensure their players don’t get involved in on-field violence.

The mass brawl that marred the Ballyholland-Downpatrick Division 1 game earlier this month and escalated into the pitch’s adjoining car park was just one of several that has beset club GAA nationwide in recent weeks.

Mayobridge man Linden, who will be presented with a Gaelic Writers Association’s Hall of Fame award in Dublin this evening, says those who are mentoring the players have to lead by example.

“I think it has to be stamped out. I’m not saying it didn’t happen in our era – because it did. We just didn’t have the mobile phones to record it. It did happen occasionally. I’d really like to see the GAA clamp down hard on it.

“We can’t have fellas jumping wires, going into the crowd and that sort of stuff.

“I was at a Questions and Answers with Seán Cavanagh and Oisín McConville there recently in our own club and we talked about this.

We think there has to be a lot of things to make this change. More respect for referees. Players on the field have to be coached, “this is not acceptable”.

“Coaches and managers have to take the blame as well.”

Linden made headlines last month when - at the age of 55 - he came off the bench to score for his club in their win in the county’s premier reserve final. “I only came on for about 15 minutes towards the end. The game was effectively over. The fellas had all done the hard work.

“I haven’t really stopped training or playing. I don’t play as much obviously but when it comes around to the reserve championship this last couple of years (I’ve had an involvement). I had quit playing and one of the managers approached me because they were short players two years ago and said, ‘listen, would you come back? We’re struggling. We only have 14 or 15 players for this championship match, would you come back and play?’ “That got me roped back in. Then I got the feel of it, enjoyed it again and stayed on. I played on through that championship and did the same this year. I just came in for championship and enjoyed the craic.”

Linden is relieved he isn’t now playing in his 20s. “I do count my blessings that I played in the era I played in because we hadn’t got two or three defenders to beat. Most of the time you had one-on-ones. You might have got teamed up with two players but generally, you were getting the ball in more direct, you had more opportunities to go past your man. Now fellas I feel are more in the habit of turning back because there are so many defenders.”

Although, Linden is happy Down have appointed Paddy Tally, a manager known for his defensive qualities. “I think we needed to go that way. We’ve nearly expended anybody within the county who could do the job. Maybe it is time to bring in someone like Paddy who will give a fresh look to it.”