In defence of Davy Fitzgerald

Davy Fitzgerald has been dividing opinion since the days of my childhood.

I remember, vividly, his trademark runs up-field when Clare were awarded penalties. How can anybody forget Fitzgerald sprinting the length of a pitch before, more often than not, burying the ball into the corner of the net?

And, for good measure, his customary turn and leap into the air as soon as the ball flew past the three men bravely standing on the goal-line seeking to deny the Banner number 1 a green flag?

Every time, too, you could rest assured he would not even break stride when his feet hit the ground again. He was like a gazelle. They are fond memories of one of the GAA’s greatest characters.

Fitzgerald is not everybody’s cup of tea. And he will be the first person to admit that himself. But who is everybody’s cup of tea? The reality is, there will always be people, in every walk of life, that cannot take to you as a person.

One of the best things about Davy is he could not give two hoots about that. And he is dead right not to.

At times, yes, he is his own worst enemy. Again, another flaw in his make-up he would not shy away from. But does anybody know any person that does not put their foot in it from time to time? I know I do. And any individual that says otherwise about themselves is, frankly, either deluded or a spoofer. Or maybe a deluded spoofer.

So despite him not being for everybody, I like Fitzgerald. And it is hard not to feel like he has an argument when he spoke last Sunday of how he seems to be treated a little differently to other managers.

The fact of the matter is, Fitzgerald definitely appears to have less scope than his sideline peers when it comes to the number of times he can try and express a point to the officials.

Now, of course, there is no suggestion whatsoever here that the officials consciously treat him any different to other managers.

Yet, due to Davy’s reputation, he does seem to have less rope than others.

Fitzgerald got between Tipperary's Jason Forde and Wexford's Aidan Nolan in 2017

That could also be due to the fact Fitzgerald can come across as more aggressive in his approach to officials. In which cases, he definitely has deserved to end up with touchline bans.

Yet, I think he was unnecessarily sent to the stand in Salthill against Galway.

On this particular occasion, he was vehemently defending a player of his, Damien Reck, that he felt was fouled on the field, off the ball. What was wrong with that?

Unless he personally abused the officials which there is absolutely no evidence or suggestion of, then I think the officials could have utilised a greater level of common sense to calm the situation.

Fitzgerald, too, needs to apply more common sense in these situations, but how often have we witnessed other managers absolutely lose the plot when something has gone against them and they remain on the sideline afterwards, sans caution?

Johnny Murphy, the referee of this encounter, could have managed the incident better.

Then again, Tribesmen boss Micheál Donoghue was none too impressed with his officiating, either, so it is not as if Davy was the only manager of the two left frustrated by the man in the middle.

Speaking to Newstalk’s Off The Ball after the game, Fitzgerald said: “That's the second time in a row we’ve had a fella taken out off the ball. It happened in the last one here a well.

“Yet there seems to be one rule for one set of management and another for another.

So I’m seething at the officials again. I didn’t abuse him, I was making my point quite clearly that our lad was taken out, off the ball.

I noted that former inter-county referee Brian Gavin, writing in Monday’s Irish Examiner, said he would be “surprised” if Fitzgerald was seen along the sidelines again this summer, illustrating how he may be banned yet again.

If that does come to pass, then the authorities need to dish out the same punishment to every manager that reacts in a similar way to something they truly disagree with, during this summer, and beyond.

Afterwards, Fitzgerald highlighted how proud he was of his players’ commitment: “I think that was an awesome Wexford display. No one gave us a chance coming up to Galway today bar ourselves. We should have won that game today, 100% and we’re disappointed, but my God, I’m fair proud of the lads. I think anyone with a pair of eyes out there would see we were the better team.”

If Davy committed one tactical crime last Sunday it was in how he detailed his players to approach the second half.

Wexford manager Davy Fitzgerald leaves his position in the stand following Sunday's draw with Galway

Ultimately, Davy can argue the system he implemented earned his side a point and that it was not his fault the Wexford players were guilty of poor inaccuracies with their shooting.

However, if he had Conor McDonald stationed closer to Galway’s goal for the entire second period Wexford might have carved out more clear-cut goalscoring opportunities.

Fitzgerald’s tactics come under scrutiny all the time. Nevertheless, they are successful, generally.

But when the wind was as strong as it was in the west, Wexford should have utilised McDonald’s power more often at the edge of the square.