Joe Brolly was Off The Ball
FORMER Derry great and TV pundit Joe Brolly has taken to the airwaves – this time on radio – to have a go at Jim McGuinness.
Brolly was reacting to McGuinness’ Irish Times column on Tuesday in which he suggested new ways of ending defensive football.
Brolly could be heard on Off The Ball on NewsTalk to expand on an earlier tweet slagging off the former Donegal manager.
“It’s a bit like the inventor of myxomatosis lamenting the fact that rabbits are dying. Jim’s obviously someone who’s keen on his legacy and all of that and it doesn’t take a genius to work out what’s happened to the game and once teams started to try and mimic Donegal’s style, then it was obvious what was going to happen,” said Brolly.
“I mean I have to say that I did enjoy the column. But I did think it was breath-taking itself in its audacity.”
And instead of McGuinness solution on having at least three players in the attacking zone at all times for teams in a match, Brolly shared his own idea of how to prevent overly defensive football.
“I’m not sure the three up solution will work. I know I’ve been peddling this for a couple of years but my solution has always been the kickout solution – only the four midfielders between the 45s for the kickout and the ball isn’t live until it’s touched between the 45s. If the goalie doesn’t kick it as far as the 45, then it’s a 30 metre free-in in front of goals,” he said.
Plus he shared a expletive-sprinkled example of fans’ frustration at the prevailing conservative style of football.
“I said to the Derry chairman two weeks ago – we were at a function – I said, ‘Are you going to stand over this? You’re responsible to us, the people of Derry, the guys who aren’t allowed to play club football to watch this s***, so this can be purveyed – nine, 10, 12, 13 men behind the ball, conceding 100% of the kickouts. Are you going to stand over this?'” Brolly continued.
“And the crowd shouting – can you curse on this programme? – ‘Kick the f***ing thing!’ You can hear the people screaming all around us: ‘Jesus! Would you kick the f-‘ and boys refusing, turning and hand-passing back and kicking it laterally’. You just hear everybody becoming enraged.”
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