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Demanding
fans can't forgive their exiles - 24/06/03 2003
Ulster Football Championship - Semi Fianl
Down
2-10 v Fermanagh 0-11 
@ 4.15 p.m. Clones, Sunday 22nd June 2003
Against The Breeze by Paddy Heaney Irish News
Article taken from Tuesdays Irish
News
Shane King created a strange spectacle after Sunday's semi-final in
Clones on Sunday. A former Fermanagh player, he transferred to Down last year.
And after coming on as a sub, he played a crucial part in the Down goal which
crushed Fermanagh's hopes of reaching their first final in 21 years. It's unlikely
King will ever experience a more emotionally turbulent 27 minutes. He was booed
angrily by many Fermanagh fans on his introduction to the pitch. Not surprisingly,
his former team-mates didn't welcome him with open arms. It
wasn't long before he was decked by defender Ryan McCluskey, who was then sent-off.
Every time King got near the ball an hostile buzz reverberated around the ground.
The 28-year-old was visibly perturbed when he spoke to reporters after the final
whistle. There he was, a Down player, wearing a Fermanagh jersey, trying his damnest
to look overjoyed, but failing to convince anyone. He wasn't happy. He wasn't
sad. He was in no man's land. The reaction of the jeering
crowd had clearly rocked him, although he tried his best to put on a brave face.
"I am slightly disappointed with some of the Fermanagh supporters. I gave them
eight years of my life, I thought they might have been a bit more reasonable.
It doesn't really bother me," he said. His breaking voice told a different story.
Should King have expected a different response when he entered the fray? One
argument says that a section of the Fermanagh crowd was always going to let their
feelings be heard. Unpleasant, but not unexpected. I don't buy this. Their behaviour
was unacceptable. We continually watch managers plot the downfall of their native
counties. On Saturday, Colm Coyle tried to oust Meath from the Championship. Last
year, Mickey Moran masterminded Donegal's victory over Derry. Mick O'Dwyer has
guided Kildare to an All-Ireland semi-final win over Kerry. Galway manager, John
O'Mahony is currently planning to defeat his own county, Mayo in the forthcoming
Connacht final. When managers cross the divide, they are not the subject of ridicule
or scorn. Colm Coyle wasn't booed in Clones at the weekend, so why should Shane
King? And unlike some managers, there is no financial incentive for King to play
for Down. Indeed, he would have earned more mileage money staying in Dom Corrigan's
panel. He transferred to Down because it made sense. He'd
married a girl from Newcastle and they settled in the area. Fed up with the gruelling
schedule of travelling to and from Fermanagh, he opted for Pete McGrath's panel.
As a 27-year-old, he was too young to retire and he wanted to continue playing
inter-county football. Is he a Down man or a Fermanagh man? It doesn't matter.
He's a competitor. He wants to test himself against the best players, and he wants
to do it in at inter-county level. He is living in Down and the GAA has a responsibility
to offer him that opportunity. Fortunately, neither Pete
McGrath or Paddy O'Rourke took the lamentable attitude of Dublin manager, Tommy
Lyons who ruled out the prospect of Fermanagh's Rory Gallagher playing for the
Dubs. Lyons stated his desire to pick a true blue 15. This was a bit rich coming
from man who was born in Mayo. His approach is also inherently wrong. It seems
that the immense sacrifices made by players who travel long distances to county
training is now viewed by some supporters as a pre-requisite rather than a bonus.
Shane King gave eight years of his life to the Fermanagh cause.
There was no hue and cry when he departed. In one of his last games for the county,
he came on a sub only to be hauled off minutes later. The Fermanagh fans who booed
him on Sunday did their former player a terrible injustice. A
Fermanagh official came onto the pitch and apologised to King after the match.
"You didn't deserve it," he said. He's right.
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