Post by JOAN on Aug 21, 2007 3:17:25 GMT
Found this in the Irish Examiner
What’s eating Billy Morgan?
By Michael Moynihan
ON SUNDAY, Cork football manager Billy Morgan finally reached the promised land. His side reached the All-Ireland final, and not by the skin of their teeth either: they put a 10-point trimming on fancied semi-final opponents Meath, the conquerors of Tyrone.
For Morgan, the man who steered Cork through some stormy encounters with the
Royals in the late eighties and early nineties, the result must have been extra sweet.
A shame, then, that he chose to mark a fine victory with settling some scores at the final whistle. Right after the game the Cork manager had a word for RTÉ’s sideline reporter: (“Would you tell Michael Lyster . . .”).
A little later he expanded on that point for the print media at the usual post-game scrum in the bowels of Croke Park (“The boys upstairs gave us plenty, and some of ye too”).
At that point Morgan took a journalist’s dictaphone and put it inside the waistband of his pants. When the journalist asked for his dictaphone back Morgan handed it over and then ended the briefing abruptly, walking away.
People tend to have a low opinion of reporters generally, and no doubt as word seeped out about the incident some belly laughs were enjoyed: serves them right, what are they getting so precious about anyway, etc. You know the stuff.
But by any of the normal rules of society Morgan’s action was grossly insulting, a gratuitous attempt to humiliate someone going about their day’s work. If it happened in any other sport in any other country you can only imagine the reaction.
In fact, you don’t have to stretch your imagination that hard: just picture having to confront that scenario as part of your working day. Or your father dealing with it. Or your wife.
If Billy Morgan has a problem with the media in general, then there’s no excusing an attempt to humiliate the representative of one particular newspaper. He can co-operate with the State broadcaster, after all, in the heat of the post-game moment.
If Billy’s problem is with this particular newspaper, then that’s news to us. Over the last few months we’ve interviewed Cork football players and selectors and reported on all their games. At no time have we been told there’s a problem with the Irish Examiner and/or its coverage of the Cork footballers.
If Billy has a problem with the bona fides of the journalist involved, Brendan Larkin of this parish, then he certainly picked the wrong man.
Brendan Larkin represented Cork at football and was on the first Cork team to win an All-Ireland minor championship. He has a record of almost 50 years service as player and administrator with his own club and the Cork County Board.
It might be worth pointing out that his record of service to the GAA in Cork stands comparison with anybody’s. That includes Billy Morgan.
It’s easy to get up on your high horse and preach about standards. A pulpit can be an intoxicating place to stand, and preaching from that high can go to one’s head. Often you can end up making a plea for standards which are impossible to reach. Not here, though. This is more about reaching minimum standards.
Cork’s victory on Sunday was overshadowed by Billy Morgan’s odd behaviour, and the Cork County Board’s reluctance to comment on the matter at the time of writing doesn’t cover them in glory either — particularly when the person involved is a past officer of that body.
The goodwill generated on Sunday by a young team breaking free of the confines of Croke Park to express themselves with a free-flowing performance was tainted by their manager’s behaviour afterwards. The whole incident brought to mind the old saying that whatever about the after-effects of failure, it takes a rare individual to be embittered by success.
He nevers fails to spice it up.
What’s eating Billy Morgan?
By Michael Moynihan
ON SUNDAY, Cork football manager Billy Morgan finally reached the promised land. His side reached the All-Ireland final, and not by the skin of their teeth either: they put a 10-point trimming on fancied semi-final opponents Meath, the conquerors of Tyrone.
For Morgan, the man who steered Cork through some stormy encounters with the
Royals in the late eighties and early nineties, the result must have been extra sweet.
A shame, then, that he chose to mark a fine victory with settling some scores at the final whistle. Right after the game the Cork manager had a word for RTÉ’s sideline reporter: (“Would you tell Michael Lyster . . .”).
A little later he expanded on that point for the print media at the usual post-game scrum in the bowels of Croke Park (“The boys upstairs gave us plenty, and some of ye too”).
At that point Morgan took a journalist’s dictaphone and put it inside the waistband of his pants. When the journalist asked for his dictaphone back Morgan handed it over and then ended the briefing abruptly, walking away.
People tend to have a low opinion of reporters generally, and no doubt as word seeped out about the incident some belly laughs were enjoyed: serves them right, what are they getting so precious about anyway, etc. You know the stuff.
But by any of the normal rules of society Morgan’s action was grossly insulting, a gratuitous attempt to humiliate someone going about their day’s work. If it happened in any other sport in any other country you can only imagine the reaction.
In fact, you don’t have to stretch your imagination that hard: just picture having to confront that scenario as part of your working day. Or your father dealing with it. Or your wife.
If Billy Morgan has a problem with the media in general, then there’s no excusing an attempt to humiliate the representative of one particular newspaper. He can co-operate with the State broadcaster, after all, in the heat of the post-game moment.
If Billy’s problem is with this particular newspaper, then that’s news to us. Over the last few months we’ve interviewed Cork football players and selectors and reported on all their games. At no time have we been told there’s a problem with the Irish Examiner and/or its coverage of the Cork footballers.
If Billy has a problem with the bona fides of the journalist involved, Brendan Larkin of this parish, then he certainly picked the wrong man.
Brendan Larkin represented Cork at football and was on the first Cork team to win an All-Ireland minor championship. He has a record of almost 50 years service as player and administrator with his own club and the Cork County Board.
It might be worth pointing out that his record of service to the GAA in Cork stands comparison with anybody’s. That includes Billy Morgan.
It’s easy to get up on your high horse and preach about standards. A pulpit can be an intoxicating place to stand, and preaching from that high can go to one’s head. Often you can end up making a plea for standards which are impossible to reach. Not here, though. This is more about reaching minimum standards.
Cork’s victory on Sunday was overshadowed by Billy Morgan’s odd behaviour, and the Cork County Board’s reluctance to comment on the matter at the time of writing doesn’t cover them in glory either — particularly when the person involved is a past officer of that body.
The goodwill generated on Sunday by a young team breaking free of the confines of Croke Park to express themselves with a free-flowing performance was tainted by their manager’s behaviour afterwards. The whole incident brought to mind the old saying that whatever about the after-effects of failure, it takes a rare individual to be embittered by success.
He nevers fails to spice it up.
