Kieran McGeeney: Some people aren’t interested in the truth about Armagh

Geezer is not a happy man

Kieran McGeeney the player never stood back from any challenges in his inter-county career with Armagh and certainly isn't long in setting the record straight on rumours of unrest within the Orchard County under his management either. There has been various reports that players have decided to quit the panel due to the severity of the training sessions under the former Kildare boss in recent weeks, with suggestions of early morning gatherings proving too much for some well-known club players.

Speaking at the launch of the 2015 Allianz football leagues in Croke Park, the former centre-back says the reports are simply untrue.

'I’ve talked to the people who wrote them and gave them our training schedule but a lot of people just aren't interested in the truth. I can’t put it any plainer than that. I showed them our exact training schedule. It’s very hard to lie when there’s 40 people there so that’s it. To say that we’re training ten times a week, at six in the morning, and then two games at the weekend, 12 times a week. The reality is that we’re training three or four times a week and that’s it. The more you tell people the truth, the less they want to print it.'

Armagh begin their Division Three campaign this weekend against Tipperary and there are injury concerns for Niall Geoghegan, Andy Mallon, Kevin Dyas and  James Morgan. Paul Grimley's successor isn't going to let the rumours of unrest disrupt their preparation for the game in the Athletic Grounds, no matter who might be behind them.

'People with different agendas, and it’s just silly. Then when you do tell them the truth they say it’s only a bit of craic. As I say, sometimes the story isn’t as good when the truth is involved. I can’t do much about it.'

McGeeney has no problem with hard work and is no slouch in terms of keeping himself in top shape as the bulging biceps from under his Armagh T-shirt indicate. He feels that the debate surrounding the recent comments by Joe Brolly about GAA players now finding themselves as 'indentured slaves' is exaggerated.

'Generally, most county teams train Tuesday and Thursday on the pitch, maybe two gym sessions of around 40 minutes, then something at the weekend. Sometimes coming up to the summer you might get away for a training camp, and do two sessions a day at that, but that’s the exception rather than the norm.'

The former All-Star contrasts the work done by GAA players with that of those involved in other sports and feels that hurlers and footballers are not even close to putting in the same effort. The ex All-Ireland winner, who is known to do MMA training to keep up his fitness and stamina levels, feels that the demands on GAA players are being overstated.

'Anyone who is even just keep-fit orientated with train three or four nights a week. Minimum. And you look at an amateur cyclist, or rower, or triathlete, boxer, they would train much more than Gaelic footballers, because that’s what is needed for that particular sport. But it’s not people who are sitting here that’s writing it. It’s people who don’t want to lose the passes to All-Irelands. And that’s what happens with reporting, now. Maybe we need a new influx of people in the TV media.'

Well Joe Brolly,what do you think of that?

McGeeney served with Armagh from 1992 until his retirement in 2007 and has seen a massive change in training styles and methods in the interim. He admits that training and approaches to team preparation has altered hugely since his early days at club and inter county level two decades ago but if players don't enjoy it then they should stop being involved.

'I just know other teams train harder than us, like I know I trained, longer hours, when I was training. Maybe people will tell you I needed that. And people made it out that I had a dour existence, but I think it was them who had the dour existence. Because there was no passion, or love, for what they were doing. If they didn’t want to be there, go home. I loved it. I couldn’t wait to get to training. With Marsden to knock the bollix out of me. We had good times. It was a big part of my life, I loved it.'

Armagh are already one of the favourite sides to win promotion to Division Two but McGeeney admits that facing sides like Clare and Limerick, as well as Ulster rivals Fermanagh, means that his side will need to get a good start to gain early momentum.

'I think it’s going to be a lot tougher than people realise. You have teams who have made a big effort this year trying to push up. When you see the likes of Clare pulling hurlers into their football team, and the same with Tipperary, you know they mean business. Every division is competitive and if you lose one, even in a division that turns out to not be competitive that year, that means you have to win all your matches.'