I never criticise players or managers online.
This pages ethos is positivity so I’m not going to allow a platform built on positivity to be used by the keyboard warriors to do just that.
After a game and a few beers with friends maybe things can get negative after a long day and a disappointing defeat. We are all entitled to our private opinions. Sport is about opinions.
For a while I like many others was critical over the way, the Gaelic football game had went, this can’t be laid at the door of any manager or player.
There is however a breed of keyboard warrior who love to criticise players and managers.
Anything less than their team cakewalking every game and competition is not acceptable to them.
This might be ok if it’s the likes of English or Scottish premier league teams.
The managers and players of these clubs are unlikely to read what Scouse Joe from Gilford thinks or Manc Bob from Pinebank and even less likely to care less.
If some of these targets of the keyboard warrior did get the sack, their blow will be cushioned by the millions of pounds in the bank.
In Ireland though everything is local.
So not only do I not engage in online criticism I also delete any comments criticising players or management of local teams.
For example a couple of local “experts” thought it was acceptable to come on criticising the Armagh minor team and management after they had narrowly lost an All Ireland final. I’m sure they meant no real harm.
I had just written a lengthy article praising the team.
I deleted the negative comments these were 17 and 18 year old lads, days after playing in the biggest game of their careers.
Many of them will never play in bigger, Armagh have only been in a handful of minor finals and those lads did us proud.
The people who love to criticise online will then bleat on about freedom of speech, if their comments are deleted yes you have freedom of speech.
You dont have freedom to use someone else’s platform built up over years to criticise local players and managers.
When it has been made clear that the platform doesn’t want to be used for that purpose.
Over the past year four teams I keep an eye on have all had the keyboard warriors looking for managers heads.
This time last year Celtics Brendan Roger’s had a mob on his back.
Sack Roger’s sack the board At least if Brendan had lost his job he wouldn’t be struggling to make ends meet. So at that level maybe fair game Not too many calling for his sacking now all the same.
On Saturday Glenavon who are on a poor run of form, with a limited budget were beaten by Glentoran
Glenavons new manager just in a few months and the warriors were out in force sack the manager all over the Glenavon socials.
Derry City who were in the running for a double only a fortnight or so ago lost the cup final yesterday.
Sack Higgins get back to Limavady eff of Higgins etc on the Derry city media’s even when city drew games. The sense of entitlement is strong with football supporters now.
It continued right up to the cup final yesterday. That is not support. Those are not supporters.
We all understand heat of the moment stuff but these warriors were bleating on about sacking Rory Higgins from the start of the season.
In the lead up to yesterday’s LOI cup final they were on social media actually hoping city would lose, they got their wish and gleefully got stuck in at the final whistle online.
Unlike the premier league managers.
These are local people, their players family and friends will be actually reading this stuff. Imagine waking up to read a guy from just down the road who you might even know wants you to lose your actual bread and butter income?
Then you get the experts who have never kicked a ball at a high level never mind managed a team putting in three or four sentences in about how they would sort the whole thing out. Oh right the guy who relies on his job in Irish football to pay his mortgage this year hasn’t thought that getting someone to score more goals might be a good idea.
Thankfully id say the club boards don’t make their decisions on the experts who played a bit of five aside. A huge difference criticising a team or manager privately with friends after a defeat than publically calling for a man who lives down the road from you to lose his job.
It must be hard to read all the same, when you’ve gambled your families future for three years and some eejit wants you sacked a few games into the season or after you’ve just lost a cup final. Think those type of keyboard warriors are safer concentrating all their “knowledge”and vitriol for the premier league.
There was a few people round these parts wanted the geezer sacked a few months ago.
