'Jim Gavin has stood up for his player in a way that Jim McGuinness never did or never could do'

Charlie Redmond has defended the Dublin boss in the wake of criticism from McGuinness.

FORMER DUBLIN STAR Charlie Redmond has heavily criticised Jim McGuinness for his suggestion that Jim Gavin brought “the game into disrepute” for his handling of the Diarmuid Connolly affair.

Gavin refused to partake in one-on-one interviews with the broadcast media after Dublin’s Leinster semi-final win over Westmeath.

It was Gavin’s way at protesting The Sunday Game’s attack on Connolly’s “good name” after his brush with linesman Ciarán Brannigan back in early June.

The Dublin boss has since fully resumed his media duties, but former Donegal manager McGuinness had a pop at Gavin in a recent Irish Times column.

“I do feel (Gavin) made a mistake in this instance and the smart thing to do would be to retract the comments,” McGuinness wrote on 4 July.

“I feel that Gavin’s comments bring the game into disrepute.

“Dublin are a big team and a big entity. Gavin is the top manager in the country. There is a responsibility that comes with that. This was a clear-cut incident: one of his players infringed and had to be punished.”

When McGuinness’s comments were put to Redmond on 98fm this morning, he came out swinging in defence of his former team-mate.

“I’m 100% behind him and hope he continues the ban on giving RTÉ any interviews,” he stated.

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“Now Jim (Gavin) is a bigger man than me and he will decide enough is enough and give an interview after the game but whatever Jim decides, he’ll do it for the betterment of Dublin and not because somebody has coerced him or forced his hand. Jim will do what he believes is right, and whatever he does will be right.

“When somebody wrongs a Dublin player, and the Dublin people believe that Diarmuid Connolly was wronged, they are going to stand up and they are going to fight for him.

“And they’re going to fight tooth and nail to make sure that player is represented. These players are fighting tooth and nail to give Diarmuid Connolly a chance to get back to Croke Park, albeit in a semi-final or a final if we can get there.

“They want Diarmuid Connolly to go on to Croke Park at some stage in this championship season and that’s their goal.”

Charlie Redmond is tackled 1992 Charlie Redmond in action against Donegal in the 1992 All-Ireland final INPHO INPHO

Redmond went on to have a pop at the Beijing Sinobo Guoan assistant manager, referencing his fallout with Kevin Cassidy in 2011.

“Whatever Jim McGuinness says, I just completely disregard because that man brought Gaelic games to depths that it has never seen previously.

“Jim Gavin has stood up for his player in a way that Jim McGuinness never did or never could do, because… there’s a huge amount of loyalty within this Dublin team.

“He himself actually chastised one of the great players of Donegal, Kevin Cassidy and threw him off the panel for an interview and a very pass-remarkable interview that he gave to somebody. So that man’s standing with me is none.”