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Liam McHale was involved when St Brigid's won the 2013 AIB All-Ireland senior club football title. Lorraine O'Sullivan/INPHO
Speaking out

'The propaganda that was perpetrated against Liam McHale was completely wrong'

The ex Mayo player’s coaching credentials have been passionately defended by St Brigid’s Shane Curran.

A PASSIONATE DEFENCE of Liam McHale has been launched in the wake of the former Mayo player missing out on the chance to become part of the senior management team with Kevin McStay in his native county.

Ex-Roscommon goalkeeper Shane Curran, who was coached by McHale when St Brigid’s won the 2013 AIB All-Ireland senior club football crown, has described as ‘shameful’ the treatment of McHale by the Mayo county board.

The perception that McHale was not ‘wanted by the Mayo players’ or that his coaching skills were not up to scratch, has been rejected by Curran as ‘pure and utter nonsense’.

“I think the circumstances in which they didn’t get the job and the process involved, I think was flawed. I’m an outsider looking in like everyone else. But it certainly seems there was a political ambivalence to him getting the job. The one thing I would say about the process is that the propaganda that was perpetrated against Liam McHale was completely wrong.

‘Ridiculous’

“This notion that was put into the national GAA world that Liam McHale wasn’t wanted by the Mayo players or wasn’t a good coach, that’s pure and utter nonsense. Ridiculous stuff to say about someone and typical of a lot of the politicians that are involved in board level in a lot of counties.

“They don’t understand football or footballers or coaches. They think they do but they don’t. To allow his (McHale’s) name to be bedraggled, I thought was one of the most shameful things on the Mayo county board side. He’s a wonderful coach, a wonderful human being, a great person, drenched in the sweat and blood of Mayo football.”

Shane Curran and Kevin McStay Shane Curran with Kevin McStay after St Brigid's 2012 Connacht club final victory. Mike Shaughnessy Mike Shaughnessy

Curran insists he has no qualms with the credentials of the new management duo of Noel Connelly and Pat Holmes while he also expressed his hope that McHale and McStay may have a future role with Roscommon.

“That’s not to say the men that got it aren’t capable men. Noel Connelly and Pat Holmes are very capable managers in their own right. I’ve no doubt (Liam) would have loved the opportunity but that seems to have gone.

“It could please God end up being a plus for Roscommon. I’m hopeful that in the coming years that both men may get involved and drive Roscommon forward with the necessary structures that need to be put in place off the field. They have the capabilities to do that.”

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Cake by Shane Curran is published by Penguin Ireland. More information can be found here.

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