With Jim McGuinness set to return to the Donegal hot seat in 2024, it will be interesting to see if he can have the same impact on the GAA as he managed during his first stint in charge.
His spell with the side from 2011-2014 brought about seismic changes in not only the county itself, but also in Gaelic football as a whole.
McGuinness changed Donegal from underachievers to one of the top teams in the country almost overnight, winning a provincial title during his first season in charge and then following it up with an All-Ireland the following year. Of course, he did this by implementing a style of play that the GAA had never quite seen before.
He was widely criticised for his tactical approach during this period, especially early on in his reign.
GAA: Spillane recalls his controversial Jim McGuinness comments
Pat Spillane was one of the most outspoken critics of Jim McGuinness and his Donegal side during this time, regularly lamenting their impact on the GAA while appearing as a pundit on RTÉ.
He initially believed that their tactical approach was a plague on the sport, a view he would later soften on somewhat. In saying that, his comments did land him in hot water on one or two occasions.
Writing in the Sunday World, Spillane recalled one particular comments that got him in trouble with the higher ups at RTÉ.
During his four years in charge some of my comments about Donegal and their manager landed me in hot water.
I started off on a bad note and it went rapidly downhill.
McGuinness’s first championship match with Donegal was against Antrim in 2011 in Ballybofey...
Asked to nominate a Man of the Match I said I did not feel anybody deserved the accolade.
Under pressure I eventually selected Donegal’s Ryan Bradley. However, I said I thought he was the best of a bad bunch and did not really deserve the award.
My comments presented an open goal to Jimmy who wanted his players to develop a siege mentally...
After the infamous 2011 All-Ireland semi-final between Dublin and Donegal, I accused McGuinness and his team of crimes against football.
One of the few occasions I was reprimanded by my RTÉ bosses was when I compared the football they played that day to a branch of the Islamic faith.
Apparently there were complaints made to the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland about my remarks. I made sure I never again mentioned Islam and football in the same sentence.
Pat Spillane would go on to say he is actually looking forward to seeing what tactical innovations Jim McGuinness brings to Donegal this time around and that he won't be writing them off in the manner he did over a decade ago.
You get the sense that a lot of GAA fans are equally intrigued to see how things play out over the next couple of years.
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