Nov 21,2024
Brendan Rogers says Derry's senior players had no input into the choice of Mickey Harte's successor but admits that many of the squad have "a love" for former manager Rory Gallagher.
Gallagher was Derry manager for just over four years - ending a 24-year wait for the Ulster SFC in 2022 - before stepping down in May 2023 following serious allegations regarding his private life.
In a social media post, Gallagher's former wife Nicola claimed she had been the victim of domestic violence over a period of years during their marriage. Gallagher stated that any allegations against him had been investigated and no charges were brought.
The Fermanagh man had been hotly tipped for a return to the Oak Leafers after Harte stepped away in July, but the Derry county board ruled that out in late September, before eventually appointing Paddy Tally last week.
"You’re just trying to explain the environment you’re looking for and trying to get better and they [the county board] get the understanding and they’ll go about seeking the guys that are the right fit for us. They do speak to us a lot but no, we’re not sitting around a boardroom.
"It's not wrong to say that a lot of players would have an affection to how Rory Gallagher coached us and ultimately he did get us all our senior success. There’s a love for how he treated the players and they got on very well with him so I would imagine that’s where the speculation came from.
"There were a lot of 'apparentlys’ and ‘supposedlys’ and ‘heard from a good source’ type conversations but, again, what went on in the background, we’re not privy to whether the consideration was there or not.
"Would he have been a good coach for us again? Absolutely. The man’s IQ for football is phenomenal but it just wasn’t to be and I guess that’s part of the committee and executives to make that decision.
"But of course there’s a love for him. Someone who brings you success and developed a lot of our players into the players that we are. Even myself, he transitioned me from full-back to midfield. There are things to be liked but it wasn’t to be this year and I think the players can just understand that and move on. You can’t sit on it forever.
"I can't see why he wouldn’t [take another county job]. A lot of things went on in the background, and that’s his personal life, but he’s very capable of being an inter-county manager. I’d be very surprised if somewhere down the line if he didn’t get an inter-county post because life has to move on as well too."
Rogers already knew Tally from his time as trainer for Brian McIver, who gave the Slaughtneil man his Derry debut in 2015, and despite a cool reaction from some fans, he insists the squad have no issue with another bainisteoir from neighbouring Tyrone.
"Maybe that's just the Derry-Tyrone rivalry but us as players don’t really see it as an issue," Rogers said. "There’s always going to be people with a negative vibe and you maybe don’t hear the positive stuff as well.
"Mickey Hate was a bigger figure, in terms of he was at the helm of Tyrone for the guts of two decades. Maybe that was a bit more significant but I don’t think it’s as big a deal now.
"There are a lot more managers managing different counties now. In an ideal world and traditional society you would want someone from your own county to drive it and win an All-Ireland, but it’s not always the case.
"The fact that the likes of Paddy Tally has already been with us, back as far as 2015, I don’t see that being anything that carries any weight anymore."
"Paddy gets lauded for his defensive credibility, and rightly so, but nobody gives him credit for how to get out of a defensive system. There is a transition player there and I think he's really good at that, which complemented what Kerry had.
"What he could actually do is help make us a better transitioning team, to give the likes of Shane McGuigan far more one on ones. I’m excited to see what he has learned from the last time he was with us. He has clearly seen something in us that made him want to take the job in the first place and for me that’s exciting."
Two stars of Gaelic football announced their inter-county retirements earlier this week.
On Monday it was Rogers' Derry and Slaughtneil team-mate Chrissy McKaigue, and on Tuesday, Dublin midfielder Brian Fenton.
Rogers has no hesitation in nominating McKaigue as the best player he has soldiered with for the Oak Leaf county.
"The best player is not about who can kick the worldy points and stuff," Rogers, who was speaking at an event to support the AIB GAA GOAL Mile competition, said.
"He was fit to mix it with the best in Ireland on any given day. Even at 35, he was marking David Clifford, who is seen as one of the best players ever. So, that's the level that man has kept himself at for 17 years. That's unbelievable longevity.
"He played from full-back to half-back, midfield at times for Derry, and it didn't seem to matter where he was at, he was so effective. Not everybody can do that, and not everybody can do it to that level of expectation, still have a voice in the dressing room, drive things on and have a never-ending desire to win.
"Those things don't come around too often, so glad I played with him, but I lose my driving partner to training now, I'll have to find somebody else!
"I think he's earned the respect of a lot of people from how he played and conducted himself. That's something in itself without even talking about the medals and things that he's won. He'd be known for a competitor and I think that's what he'd love to be known as as well. A damn good one at that.
"He's still in as good a shape as ever so you don't know when it's going to stop. But he feels that that's enough, and he's given enough service, he doesn't need to give any more."
Rogers admits that the departure of seven-time All-Ireland winner Fenton was more unexpected.
"I suppose the surprising thing is that Brian is 31. You look at the likes of Paul Conroy winning player of the year at 35 as well. I think himself and Chrissy played in the same All-Ireland minor final against each other, so you think players of that ilk and quality… you kind of want them hanging around forever.
"But Brian has been in the absolute thick of it for Dublin since he stepped foot on the panel, and he's barely missed a game since. There’s a lot of commitment, dedication goes into how he got to where he was. Sometimes, you just feel enough is enough. Does he have anything to owe? Probably not. Suits me anyway! Another man not to mark. An unbelievable talent.
What stood out playing against him?
"His versatility. I know a lot of people would look at him for his elegance in terms of when he’s on the ball, he could spray passes with both feet, he could kick points with both feet, from 20 or 30, 40 yards, whatever it may be.
"But on the back foot, I think he doesn’t get as much credit for how he plugs holes in defence. His organisational skills, his communication in the heat of battle, in big games. I think his versality is in every avenue, not just fielding a ball or kicking scores. The defensive thing, when people don’t see it, what happens off the ball. His last-ditch blocks and things like that. He was nearly on the end of everything, all the time.
"You don’t get too many versatile players like that. He was nearly a specialist at six things rather than just one. And that’s a difficult thing to master. Like, the guy was marked every day he went out, and still delivered."
Dual player Rogers delivered himself for Slaughtneil at the weekend, scoring seven points from play in their thrilling extra-time win over Cushendall.
He will be back in action in the Ulster SHC final against Down's Portaferry on 1 December.
