Seamus McEnaney slams Derry county board for not 'having balls' to reappoint Rory Gallagher
It was confirmed on Thursday that Tyrone native Paddy Tally would take over as Derry's senior manager, succeeding Mickey Harte in the hotseat.
Seamus McEnaney has slammed the Derry county board for failing to reappoint Rory Gallagher as their senior manager.
It was confirmed on Thursday that Tyrone native Paddy Tally would take over as Derry's senior manager, succeeding Mickey Harte in the hotsteat.
However, former Monaghan boss McEnaney has claimed that the Derry players only want to play for Gallagher, who he also claims was twice approached by the county board to return to the role.
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Gallagher was in charge of Derry until the summer of 2023 when he left the role days before the Ulster final after Gallagher's estranged wife, Nicola, posted allegations of domestic abuse against him on social media.
Four months later, it was revealed that Gallagher had been ''temporarily debarred, without prejudice" while an independent safeguarding panel investigated those allegations on behalf of Ulster GAA.
Gallagher challenged his ban and the Disputes Resolution Authority (DRA), an independent arbitration body, found in Gallagher's favour following a hearing on 1 February.
"There is no legal impediment to our client undertaking or accepting a role as a GAA Senior Football manager," a statement from Gallagher's solicitors Phoenix Law read.
"Our client fully intends to return to inter county management in the near future.
"Two separate investigations have led - rightly - to decisions by the PPS not to prosecute. Mr Gallagher has not been charged with a single offence," the statement continued.
The barring order was lifted in February of this year after a hearing before the GAA's Disputes Resolution Authority, allowing Gallagher to return to coaching and management. He has always denied the allegations.
Gallagher, 46, has been working alongside McEnaney, who is currently managing his local club Clonduff in Monaghan.
And former Farney boss McEnaney believes that Derry have made a huge error in not reappointing Gallagher.
Recalling the Ulster Championship opener between Donegal and Derry this year, McEnaney told the Farney Army Pod on Thursday: "I remember doing the opening of the championship this year in Tyrone, when obviously Tyrone people weren't happy with Mickey Harte going to Derry.
"I said Tyrone people will be delighted to know that Donegal will beat Derry this weekend, that Derry will dismantle from there, and this will end up being shambolic.
"Now don't forget that Derry were just after winning the National League at this point, but I knew the cracks because this group of Derry players only want to play for one manager, and that's Rory Gallagher.
"I have no grey area, the Derry county board showed absolutely no balls, if there is not a better word there. They showed no bravery, and no balls to not re-appoint Rory Gallagher.
"Actually, they offered him the job in two periods over the last couple of months and didn't deliver on it, and have tried seven or 10 different managers.
"Now this evening it looks like Paddy Tally is going to be the manager, and let me start with this, Paddy Tally is a brilliant man, brilliant coach, but Derry had a great team in the '90s in 1993 and the county board showed no bravery with Eamonn Coleman (the then manager) and they dismantled a brilliant team.
"Now they showed no loyalty to the best manager they have had since. Rory Gallagher brought the whole clubs together in Derry, Rory Gallagher took them out of Division Three to Division One, won back to back Ulster titles, and would have won an All-Ireland, if he had been in place.
"This Derry county board is about to dismantle probably the greatest team of all times."
McEnaney can't speak highly enough of Gallager's coaching abilities, calling him the best "football brain" around.
"I have worked with some of the best football coaches in the country, Donie Buckley, Martin McElkennon, Peter Donnelly, Peter McKaigue, all of them boys, they are top class coaches.
"In my eyes, Rory Gallagher is different gravy to anything I have ever seen in my life. He thinks about the game differently, he has every player in Corduff thinking about the game differently - he is different gravy, he has easily the best football brain I've (ever seen).
"I'm friendly with Rory Gallagher going back to 2008, I used to pick his brain, if Fermanagh were out of the championship, I would ring him up and qualify the opposition."
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