Jim Macquarie listened with interest to the criticism of Armor’s style of play in this year’s Division 1 campaign.
McCorry, the former right-hand man of Kieran McGeeney and former manager of Armagh and Down, felt there was a lot of “crap” talk about Orchard County going on the defensive.
He felt a similar attitude towards the down of Connor Laverty, who narrowly missed out on promotion.
Meanwhile, Armor was relegated to Division 2 on the final day.
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Macquarie said:
“What they were trying to do. They were accused of being too open last year.
“Then when defense becomes a little more structured, it’s accused of being too defensive.
“Considering the number of players that were missing and what they had to do in the game, I thought they did a really good job.
“Instead of losing, they missed the league final.
(Image: ©INPHO/Philip Magog)
“All this negative football people talking about, they’re talking about downs right now. Being negative. The ‘Kilcoo Method’: Everyone is behind the ball, hitting at the break.
“This year’s armor is more defensive, very passive, and has no offense.”
“Because they were in the final along with Kerry, Galway and Mayo.
“There’s not much difference between any team these days.
“The Dubs were able to attack and score four goals with all 15 players in the top 50 (against Delhi in the Division 2 final) and 13 in the top 20 at one stage.
“They missed a lot of chances with Armagh’s attack.
“I thought their remarks were very unfair.
“Listen, everyone has an opinion. It’s mine to add to the mix.”
*****
Jim Macquarie continues to be a coal miner.
His age remains a mystery, but he has a bus pass, tells jokes, and still gets calls.
He has been with Valen for two years. The Down club has sent 12 players to his U-20 rank in the county this year, and six to the senior panel.
Burren also has Armor defender Paddy Barnes, who married in the area and moved to the club.
(Image: ©INPHO/Presseye/Russell Pritchard)
McCorry says the stick has already kicked off in a Whatsapp group ahead of next Sunday’s Down/Armagh Ulster semi-final derby at Crohn’s and he expects it to continue straight through the rest of the week.
If that’s the case, he can’t be Armor/Down any more.
McCorry lives in Rostrevor (Down) and has been trekking and biking around Mournes for years. He is from Ragan (Armagh).
The St. Paul man coached Killie Bee (Armagh) and managed Armagh in the 90s (1991-95).
He won the Ulster title for two years with the Armor Miners (alongside Dennis Hollywood, Brendan Hughes and Paul Kelly) and was Kieran McGeaney’s assistant manager for three years (2019-21).
Initially, he managed Drumgas (Down) to win the Division 3 title, defeating Kilcoo in the final.
doubles
Macquarie won two league and championship doubles at Mayo Bridge.
He twice managed Kilcoo and was part of Down Club’s meteoric rise under Macquarie, along with young Conor Laverty (now Morne’s senior boss).
In the late 2000s and early next decade he led Kilcoo to four senior championships, four league titles and the Ulster Club Final (2012). He went down for a year as senior manager before walking away, stating that he had failed to win the support of some of the county’s executives after leading the county to Division One before losing to Derry and Wexford in the championship. spent (2015).
During his coaching 35 years later, he defeated two cancer attacks, one in his leg and one in his kidney.
“It’s been 33/34 years and it’s been quite a stint. I thought my coaching was over[after a second attack of cancer]but I recovered well enough to go back to Kieran.”
McGeaney.
“Kieran called me a week before I had my surgery and invited me to go out for coffee. I’ll chat with you when I do.”
“Leave it alone. I never thought about it. To be fair, he came back the next year and knew everything was fine and I was out.”
different
“I was still getting screens and scans, so I didn’t have to go back as a manager.
“The assistant manager did a really good job. We went from Division 3 to Division 1. I think I contributed to that.
“It’s been great working with Kieran. Kieran McGeanie’s recognition is completely
It depends on the person.
“He’s been a great coach, a great leader and a motivator and has done an amazing job on and off the pitch. It’s very unfortunate that he didn’t have the success that other managers have achieved.
“Hopefully that will happen this year.”
Macquarie first encountered cancer in 1998.
“I had a rare form of muscle cancer that they found in my leg,” he says. lost.
(Image: ©INPHO/James Crombie)
“I was lucky that they got treated early and didn’t need chemo or chemo.
radiation therapy.
“My leg’s range of motion is not the same as other legs. But I can still squat and ride a bike.
“There’s a big empty space in the leg where there should have been muscle, and a big scar. That’s it.
“I was very lucky when I had kidney cancer for the second time in 2016. I didn’t need chemo or radiation.
again.
“They removed the kidney and had it all attached around it.
Spread
“I had clear cell kidney cancer, a good cancer to get because it needs a better explanation.
It didn’t spread—so blessed.
“You might say it’s bad luck to succeed twice, but I’m lucky to be able to get through two matches and kick the ball.
“Hopefully, with any luck, it won’t happen a third time.
“I certainly don’t take anything for granted when it comes to health.
“It puts things into perspective a little bit in terms of:
family, where you are in life and what you want to do
do.
“You move on. Every time you feel a little bit of pain or feel a little sick, you can’t look back and think, there’s cancer or something.
“Many people are far worse off than I am.”
Kilcoo have a certain appeal in Ulster football.
They picked up six starters against Donegal last weekend and in 2021 won a stunning All-Ireland final after extra time against Kilmacud Crookes with Laverty on board.
Macquarie knows that better than anyone.
“There is recognition in Kilcoo from the outside,” he says. “Here is one of the most welcoming places you can visit. The people are wonderful.
(Image: ©INPHO/Tommy Dickson)
direction
“I was there for two stints. , there were no new developments.
“I didn’t really feel like we were going in the right direction, so I left. I was away for a while.
“They asked me to come back. Everything has changed. The facility is second to none now.”
“It wasn’t just the physical, it was the attitude that was important to how they achieved the success they wanted.
“The work that the underage coaches were doing was great. My job was to get them on board and get them ready to win a championship.
“Paul McIver came after me and did a great job signing Mickey (Moran) for the Downs and Ulsters and All Ireland.
“A very dedicated group of players and community for football. I really enjoyed working with them.I still have some great friends.
Laverty is one of the hottest traits in coaching, leading Down to the Ulster Under-20 title and working with Monaghan under Seamus McEnany.
naive
“Connor was brought in very young. He was raw, raw, and had a lot of dialogue that he still talks about from time to time,” McCauley says.
“Conor was great. He loves football so much that he always wanted to be a coach. He lives and breathes it.
“Family, sheep farming, football, that’s what Connor wants to do.
“He (down) had a great resume helping out at Fermanagh with Trinity, Monaghan before the ’20s. He’s done a lot of coaching at the top level. You’re a manager.” coaches as a coach, but does not manage as a coach.
“He has a great personality as a coach. and they continue to deliver results.
“The players have come and embraced that big style. He’ll be very, very astute.
“He’s got that thick skin that believes in what he’s doing and gets it done. That’s probably what a coach needs. He certainly shows it perfectly.
“It doesn’t matter. Anyone who pats you on the back will be stabbed in the back with a knife in no time. He may find it, but I hope not.”
“Great player. Great person to deal with and doing a great job down.”
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