Paul Galvin made national headlines last week after the Irish Independent reported on a ‘player backlash’ in the Wexford camp…
To the suprise of many, long serving inter-county midfielder and St Martins clubman Daithí Waters was axed from the panel last week.
Galvin’s decision to remove Waters from the panel was to be soon followed by the axing of last year’s Wexford football captain, Michael Furlong. Last year’s goalkeeper Matt Doyle is the newest addition to the growing list.
Sports journalist Michael Verney of The Irish Independent has reported that both Tiernan Rossitter and Kevin O’Grady have now walked away from Paul Galvin’s panel, allegedly in solidarity with the recently axed now-former team-mates.
The new Wexford boss has since responded to the reports of a player fall-out and how he arrives at big decisions, which ultimately, is the role of a manager:
“I don’t make any snap decisions on players – far from it. I spend a lot of time and energy, wondering. All I have in this role, are my eyes, my ears and my gut… That’s what I go on. I try to be honest with people, I try to be respectful to careers. I have honest discussions with people; I lay out the things I’m looking for, what I’m trying to build, the playing requirements, the positional requirements.”
“These are the things we need to see in this position. Then you weight up your squad, see what you’ve got, you see who are the people who might best fit that role – that position – and that’s how I arrive at decision.”
“You try make the best decisions you can. It’s unfortunate that there’s a bit of a fall-out. I don’t want it. I don’t want any negativity around the group regarding decision making. Unfortuantely, some people don’t like it and players start to express themselves, their displeasure… But players getting involved in managerial decisions, telling you who you should pick or shouldn’t pick, is new to me.”
In the interview with Liam Spratt of South East Radio, he reiterated that there’s a good mix in the group, who are giving their absolute all to be apart of the panel. Galvin undermined the notion of a ‘player fall-out’ as such, highlighting that there’s 30+ hungry players, giving their absolute all for the cause of Wexford football:
“When I see a situation where there’s a reporting of the squad, with a certain slant put on the squad situation – and the dynamic of the squad, I feel like I have to say something. Because I’m dealing with unbelievable guys – thirty odd of them.”
“While some guys left by their own choice, I’m more interested in the guys who’ve been beating the door down to get in here.”
The Kerry native also noted that he’s not in the business of ‘ending careers’ and instead; he’s in the business of starting careers, or restarting careers and that the door remains open.
Read also:
Wexford’s Hurling And Football League Fixtures For The New Season
Listen: Paul Galvin’s Twenty-Minute Interview With Sout East Radio
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