It goes on. Jim McGuinness has had his say on what Rory Gallagher had to say about what Jim McGuinness had to say in his book.
The pair haven't spoken since they parted ways in the summer of 2013. McGuinness is insistent that he sacked Gallagher while the latter is adamant that he quit.
Yesterday, Gallagher released a statement in which he referred to the 'inaccuracies' within the book, albeit for the purposes of saying he wasn't going to comment on them (whatever they are). He said he was disappointed McGuinness had chosen to write about the break-up of the All-Ireland winning Donegal management team.
On the Last Word with Matt Cooper yesterday, McGuinness responded to Gallagher's response.
Like Gallagher, he is 'disappointed'. They are all disappointed with each other. McGuinness says the book is an honest account and there was no attempt to sensationalise the details.
There is still a dispute between the two as to the manner of Gallagher's departure.
I’m very comfortable with the book. The facts of the matter are in the book. In terms of the people in the book, we’ve been very, very fair. I didn’t want the book to be a tabloid; I didn’t want it to something that was controversial – something that was going to drag the tone down. In my opinion, it’s a very honest account and it’s a very true reflection of myself as a person and also of the team.
It’s very disappointing. Rory makes reference to his departure yesterday in a statement. All I can say to that is, in terms of the protocol around that, I would consider it gold standard, absolutely gold standard. Every single thing was 100 per cent done correctly.
I spoke with the county chairman; I spoke with Rory; I spoke with Maxi (Curran); I spoke with Francie (Friel). I let them all go. I spoke with Pat Shovelin, the other member of the management team and informed him. I spoke with Michael Murphy and informed him as the players’ representative and captain, and then I re-rang the chairman of the county board to say that everything had been complete.
Where the ambiguity is there, I don’t understand, and I don’t know where that’s coming from. The book is the book and I’m happy with the book.
Here is the statement Gallagher released yesterday.
I have received many requests for my reaction to the description given by Jim McGuinness in his book with regard to my departure from the Donegal Senior Management Team in September 2013.
At this point, I am not interested in commenting on the inaccuracies in the book while involved with the Donegal Senior Team. I am comfortable in the knowledge that Donegal County Board officers are aware of the true circumstances of my departure.
I will say I am disappointed Jim has chosen to comment on the breakup of the management team at this point. The players, management and backroom team had a very clear understanding that what happened within the group remained within the group.
Following my departure I did not comment on the matter as this would have been unfair on the players and the new management team whose focus was on the year ahead. I am really looking forward to the new season working with a brilliant squad of players who have given Donegal so much over the last five years.
The management, players and the County Board will be doing everything in our power to achieve success again for Donegal in 2016.
Here is the background to the current dispute.
In the book, McGuinness details how he was enraged at an interview Rory Gallagher gave to the Irish News three days before the 2013 All-Ireland quarter-final against Mayo. Gallagher suggested that both Mayo, and Donegal's Ulster Final conquerors, Monaghan, were in collusion to topple Donegal.
Rory was a very visible and vocal part of the set-up. We ended up hosting a lot of media nights and he was a natural at talking away and giving an interesting perspective without ever saying anything that he shouldn't. So I was stunned when, just before the quarter-final, he gave an interview to the Irish News in which he spoke about Mayo and Monaghan being in 'collusion' to try to beat Donegal. This could only serve to provoke Mayo - and they were still smarting form the previous year's All-Ireland final. He tried to tell me afterwards that the conversation had been off the record. I found that hard to believe, so I spoke to the journalist involved and he refuted the claim. I could figure what Rory's thinking was.
After the Irish News interview, McGuinness hauled Gallagher in to a meeting and established a more dictatorial credo, saying there would be no more 'lengthy debates or joint decisions' between manager and selector. McGuinness would call all the shots.
Gallagher hemmed and hawed about signing up to the new dispensation, saying he required time to think about. McGuinness said there was nothing to think about.
Immediately deciding that their relationship was unworkable, McGuinness called county chairman Sean Dunnion and said that Gallagher as well as selectors Maxi Curran and Francie Friel would be leaving the management team.
While McGuinness was preparing a statement about the changes to his team, reports emerged in the media that Gallagher and Curran had quit.
So I rang Sean Dunnion and told him to state what had really happened; to state the facts. I needed them to release a statement confirming that I had made the decision. But by then it was too late. What should have remained a private meeting had degenerated into a public event. By midnight, Rory was still arguing that he had quit and was refusing to concede that he had been let go.
