Galway icon Noel Lane has taken aim at former county manager and pundit Ger Loughnane for his recent scathing remarks about the Tribesmen and their manager.
Earlier this month, Loughnane mounted a savage attack on Galway - describing manager Micheál Donoghue as having reminded him of 'Fr. Trendy' from Father Ted amongst other barbs.
Speaking to the Irish Examiner, Lane - who himself managed Galway between 2000 and 2002 - denounced Loughnane's comments while praising what Donoghue has achieved in what he perceives to be inauspicious conditions.
"I don’t mind criticism or fair judgement and analysis but there’s a line,"
Lane said.
I’m not so sure it’s fair or appropriate to be making personal comments when you don’t know what the personal circumstances are with individuals.
People are entitled to their opinions but agendas should be left out of it – I would be strong on that.
Micheál Donoghue is a fine manager, a great fella who’s done a lot of work in Galway and moved in under difficult circumstances, with the whole aspect of his appointment.
It’s difficult enough without somebody making those kinds of remarks and it’s something we can do without.
Back in 2000, Lane edged out then-manager Mattie Murphy by 33 votes to 21 to take the managerial seat a decade after calling quits on a glittering playing career, but his predecessor's assessment of Loughnane's rant was even more scathing - and personal.
Also speaking to The Examiner, Murphy pointed to Loughnane's own stint in charge of Galway between 2006 and 2008.
"If you were to get upset every time Ger opened his mouth, you’d be upset the whole time," he told John Fogarty.
He had the gig and didn’t do much with it. If you look back on his record here, he came in with huge promises and he went out with a whimper.
It’s very easy to be up there in your ivory tower in RTÉ and proclaiming all these things. He had plenty of chances to do things with Galway and it wouldn’t be high in his CV list.
That's a fair old roasting, and you can read Murphy's full interview over on The Examiner.
Yesterday, we asked if Loughnane's reign as Galway boss was indeed as bad as it has since been made out to be.
[Irish Examiner]
