Former Armagh captain Jimmy Smyth has jumped to the defence of manager Kieran McGeeney.

Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph ahead of the Orchard County's All-Ireland SFC qualifier re-fixture against Laois today, the 1977 All-Ireland final skipper described the criticism McGeeney has received since the Ulster SFC exit at the hands of Cavan as being "nothing short of a disgrace".

The former BBC commentator said: "Because it's Kieran McGeeney, you have a winner, an All-Ireland champion, an All-Ireland captain, someone who has been in different places, played with a certain style and all the rest of it, he is easy meat.

"Some of the personal attacks on him are nothing short of a disgrace. Totally unwarranted. Like, you don't do that sort of talk because once you do that sort of talk you are removing the argument from the point you are trying to make and you are personalising it. People lose the whole sense of what you are trying to say."

Smyth dismisses the theory that some players are unwilling to play for McGeeney and also points out how he has had no luck with injuries.

"People talk about Armagh players not willing to put themselves out, I mean James Morgan put off an operation so he could bloody play!" he continued.

"There are some very good footballers within Armagh. As well as that, and when you start quoting this it looks like excuses, but the amount of injuries they have. Like Ciaran McKeever going over on his ankle in a club match in Dublin and now that's him out.

"You have Ethan Rafferty who is injured, and then Caolan Rafferty who works for First Derivatives who moved out of the country. And any time McGeeney looks as if he is doing something, there is another person away."

 

Tweet

Most Read Stories