Academy debacle not a distraction insists Donegal boss Paddy Carr 

Paddy Carr insists that the ongoing Academy rumblings aren’t having an impact on the Donegal senior football set-up. 

Donegal suffered a demoralising 11-point drubbing at the hands of Mayo on Sunday that as good as relegates them to Division 2 next term. Carr’s men had contributed to the contest initially with the score level at 0-4 apiece in MacCumhaill Park. However, by the halfway point, Kevin McStay’s men were already 0-11 to 0-6 in front. 

It appeared like the hosts had already thrown the towel in at that stage. And when Ryan O'Donoghue goaled just two minutes into the second half, that really was that. And even though they took their foot off the gas somewhat after that, Mayo still eased over the line by 1-17 to 0-9. 

Jim McGuinness was the latest to have his say on the Academy fiasco, which resulted in Academy Head Karl Lacey stepping away from his role when the 2012 All-Ireland winning boss confirmed he was willing to be part of a potential new Donegal management team involving both Rory Kavanagh and Lacey prior to Carr’s late appointment. 

Pressed on whether that sideshow is having any kind of influience at this moment on Donegal’s results, Carr is adamant it’s not. 

“No - I wouldn’t say that. Lads, modern county footballers, they exist in their own kind of bubble. I mean, communications between themselves, that’s all they’re concerned about. I wouldn’t be using that as any kind of excuse”.  

On why Donegal looked so ill prepared and equipped to deal with what Mayo threw at them on Sunday, Carr said he still felt his team was in the contest at the midpoint even though it was already a five-point game at that juncture.  

“The game was alive coming into half-time and we felt that we were in a good enough place at half-time,” the manager said.  “When Mayo got the goal, the fight seemed to go out of our lads. That is a worry. There is no getting away from that. Heads went down and that's not what lads are sent out to do.

“Momentum goes one way or the other and confidence is linked to that. Lads will be disappointed because they know that they're better than that. Lads tend to go into their shell somewhat, but we have to pick ourselves up and go to Roscommon and then get ready for the Championship.

“Once Mayo got away from us, they were able to get scores at will. We aren't racking up big scores at the minute and that is a concern for us. It's something that we have to work on”.

A freakish set of results and a mammoth win over Roscommon could, theoretically, still save Donegal. But the reality is, they are now headed to Division 2 and management will need to immediately turn their heads towards the Ulster SFC and arresting this alarming slump.  

Carr says that is the aim but admits that will be a difficult task in the weeks ahead. 

“We are totally dependent on something that is very unlikely to happen,” agreed Carr. “This day next week, there will be nothing in it until the Championship. We have to raise the hearts and the spirits. 

“That is going to be very challenging. There is no hiding behind that. Spirit and heart are such fundamental things in a team. Collectively, we went into a shell there. We will have to be a different beast for the Championship.

“The reality is that, for a lot of these lads, their best football has yet to be played. There is talk about transition and it is a work in progress and a work in creation. Sometimes you need a few knocks back before you can move forward. How we deal with that is the key challenge now.

“We have to kick back very quickly on this. We have to evaluate exactly what happened there”.