Two All-Irelands later and we’ve learned absolutely nothing - Manus Boyle

Manus Boyle believes that the current review into how the GAA is run in Donegal should have been conducted by an independant outside body.

Still, the 1992 All-Ireland winner says it’s crucial that the results of the internal review, which is being jointly carried out by both Croke Park and the Ulster Council, should be made public, in respect to the GAA clubs in the county when it is finalised on May 31.

Boyle said there currently seems to be a lack of respect among various GAA groupings in the county towards each other, which he feels is partly fuelled by “egos”.

And the Killybegs clubman is calling for change at the very top, in Donegal, saying the time had come for officials to leave when their term is up and to stop moving sideways to take up other positions.

Boyle explains that the county’s fundraising remains in a poor state and recalled that as far back as 1995 it was being proposed to have a commercial manager in place. However, the county has still not appointed one.

“After winning All-Irelands in 1992 and 2012, we have still learned nothing, and we have continuously made the same mistakes. In over 20 years, we are no further ahead.”

In calling for an outside body to conduct the review, Boyle said that was absolutely in no way a reflection on the impartiality of those who are currently conducting the review.

It’s just that some observers will inevitably feel that however neutral or impartial the committee is, it is still a case of ‘the GAA investigating the GAA’.

Boyle said his main criticism of the many fiascos currently rocking Donegal is that if they had happened in Kerry, Dublin or Galway, any other county really apart from Donegal; “they would have been dealt with very quickly and robustly and they would not be in a similar kind of mess.”

He explained: “And that is my biggest criticism of how we have conducted our business over the years. I think we need a forensic audit of the whole thing by an outside company to come in, but their report would have to be published in full for the clubs.

“The report does not have to point any fingers, it would just have to show the anomalies and how they happened”.

Donegal face Down in the Marshes on Sunday week amid a background of unprecedented turmoil. And Boyle admits it’s hard to gauge just where the team is at right now.

“We had a poor league, there was the Academy incident, the Paddy Carr matter - and he did not deserve what happened to him. You could say we are not in a good position.

“On Sunday week you would be hoping to get a reaction from the players. If we don’t get the reaction we want and need, then many of the Donegal supporters who have stayed loyal so far may turn against the team.

“We all want Donegal to be successful but at present we are lacking leadership in many areas. Leadership comes from the bottom up as much as the top down and there seems to be a lack of humility, a lack of respect and a lack of a lot of the things that you need to do well.

“No team does well if there is not a respect for the players that are playing, for the mentors, for the fundraisers and for the administrators. There has to be a mutual respect for all to get things to work and I think it could be a question of egos, without singling out anyone. It could be some people with higher expectations than others.”

He added that it was time for considerable change in the county.

“We have had people on the playing side and the administration side who have been there for an awful long time so maybe it is time for a big change. And I’m not talking about one or two bodies.

“The situation with the Academy has to be dealt with openly and the ordinary supporter in Donegal deserves to know the findings of the report as well. I would hope the report will be made public and I would be asking a lot of questions if it is not.

“It is the ordinary people who finance the GAA in one way or another. I give 400 to 500 hours per year to train teams so everyone deserves that respect - to hear what went on and what is going on and what are they going to do now to fix it.

“It is not a case of pointing fingers at anybody and everybody, but I do think that we need a bit of a clear out at executive level.

He added: “It is very harsh on new county chairman Fergus McGee who took over this year - an absolute gentleman and a man with common sense. But there are some people who are on the board for too long and some people who have been there since my time.

“We need change, not just on the executive but also in how we pick our managers, and it can’t change for the sake of change. It has to be organised. Nobody should be in a position for three to five years and then simply move on to another position for a similar period of time.

“Once you give that three to five years it should be a case of ‘thank you very much’ now go back to your clubs. The executive has to change, and there has to be more input from clubs in terms of asking questions.

“Because if the clubs had been asking questions all along maybe this might not have deteriorated to the level that it has. Everybody has to take a bit of responsibility here.”