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Fans sent Glentoran boss McDonald sick text messages
Tuesday, 10 November 2009
Alan McDonald has been locked in talks with his Glentoran bosses after the 6-0 defeat to Coleraine on Saturday
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Glentoran boss Alan McDonald was last night locked in talks over his future after the events that surrounded the Glens’ humiliating 6-0 hammering by Coleraine on Saturday.
The former Northern Ireland international captain was left shaken by a tirade of abuse from fans following the weekend embarrassment at The Oval — the club’s worst ever post-war home league defeat.
But the tirade didn’t stop there and it is believed he received a number of sickening text messages to his personal phone that night after some so-called ‘fans’ passed his number around.
Glens chairman Aubry Ralph was standing by his man and after spending some time in London yesterday to hammer out details for the club’s proposed summer tour of Thailand, he flew back to Belfast immediately. He then met up with McDonald to discuss what course of action would be taken.
McDonald said on Saturday that he was considering his future and the personal abuse he took during and after the game at the ground and when he got home will have him thinking long and hard about where he goes next.
It is clear that the decision rests solely with McDonald as Ralph’s view of the weekend’s events where that while the supporters had every right to feel aggrieved, they had taken their protests a step too far.
Speaking after the tension which followed the defeat to the Bannsiders, Ralph said: “I can understand their frustrations but I don’t see what purpose this serves.
“Everyone has a right to go about their place of work and do their duties and from my point of view we have had quite extensive fines for the behaviour of people. This doesn’t help in terms of the image that it portrays for football in general.
“We are trying to attract sponsors into the game and this doesn’t help very much.
“I understand people’s frustrations. I had an email from a man who left after 55 minutes. I get emails all the time and I try to respond to people, if they leave their names and they don’t use profanities when they write to me I try to write back.
“They don’t always agree with my point of view and I don’t agree with theirs but at least I answer people.
“I would ask people to be patient. There is a long way to go.
“All the old clichés — it’s a marathon not a sprint, and of course we are disappointed, who wouldn’t be but I don’t see what purpose all that serves.”
The purpose it has served so far is that it has put an increased amount of pressure on a manager, who, despite winning the league title last season was already feeling the heat.
His case hasn’t been helped by under performing players but it seems that McDonald has borne the brunt of the criticism from the majority of Glentoran fans.
However there is a way of dealing with this sort of thing and not drag the good name of Glentoran through the mud.
Glentoran Community Trust, an organisation set up to help promote the club in east Belfast and beyond by helping those close to The Oval, this week announced that they, having set a target of 200, are sending 1000 shoeboxes filled with luxuries to soldiers in Irish Regiments serving in Afghanistan.
However this week when people outside the game hear the name Glentoran, they will think of the scenes of rabid animals spewing venom at the club’s manager and the fact that his personal life was infringed.
What happens in this case though is that the manager may be left with only one option and that is to head for the exit door.
Few managers anywhere would be able to survive having had a vast majority of supporters lose faith in them and when it comes to the crunch, no one can carry on with a chorus of boos, and perhaps much worse ringing in their ears.
Just in the past quarter of a century, it has been the supporters at The Oval who decided when it was
time for managers to go. Tommy Jackson, Robert Strain. Tommy Cassidy, Roy Coyle, Paul Millar — every one of them hounded out by a green, red and black clad collective of Roman Emperors pointing their thumbs to the ground.
McDonald’s problem was that he has been too quiet about what he has done behind the scenes, but then again if he had shouted it from the rooftops, he’d have been condemned as a cocky show-off.
But the fact of the matter is, no other Glentoran manager has spent so much time and energy building the infrastructure of youth development at the club and just a couple of years in they are already seeing the benefits with young players like Johnny Black, Andy Hall, Grant Gardiner and Jimmy Callacher all getting their chance in the first team.
Those players alone could prove invaluable in the future, as will the others who are sure to come off what is expected to be a conveyor belt of talent. Then, in maybe 10 years time, people will think back and even if it is grudgingly, they will recognise just what Alan McDonald brought to Glentoran FC.
And hopefully, too, they will all realise that no matter what was going on on the pitch — and it has been woeful at times — he deserved better than this.
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spot on chris
Posted by modestosilo | 12.11.09, 19:31 GMT
I would advise McDonald to walk away now as if he thought things after last Saturday were bad it will be worse this Saturday when the fans are closer to the pitch. McDonald Out! Enough is enough!
Posted by Darren | 11.11.09, 23:17 GMT
Nobody deserves the treatment Alan McDonlad has received over the weekend - disgusting. Every time the Glens hit a bad patch its "out out out!" Coyle out! Millar out! McDonald out!". Who else would be better? Paul Kirk was sacked by Distillery becuase they never won a trophy! Marty Quinn, would he do better? Roy Walker was brilliant at the Crues for a couple of seasons but he has not reproduced anything like it since. We have many exciting new players coming through. Give Big Mac a chance!
Posted by Harry | 11.11.09, 13:18 GMT
Whilst respecting the right of everyone to express a point of view, the venom directed by a section of Glentoran supporters towards what they consider to be 'a failed manager' has always down the years been very vitrolic and uncalled for.These are the very people who turn people away from football.
Posted by A Wise Man From The East-A Blueman | 10.11.09, 19:43 GMT
alastair - you said it yourself, you're not a glenman so you haven't had to sit and watch some utterly shambolic performances week in week out. This is not a knee jerk reaction to a defeat on Saturday - a spanking like this has been coming for weeks and everyone could see it a mile off. Late comebacks have been papering over the cracks. The players look lost, the manager doesn't know his strongest 11 after 2 years in the job, the substitutions are confusing at best and we are shipping goals left right and centre. The rot needs to be stopped now before the situation gets worse. The 'hooha' is not about three lost points (and a 12 goal swing in goal difference against the blues) its about fans not wanting their club to go further into decline.
Posted by Ian | 10.11.09, 17:10 GMT
The current crop of youngsters are the best to come through the ranks at the Oval since Colin Nixon, Paul Leeman, Andy Kirk, Stuart Elliott and Michael Halliday all broke through at the same(ish) time.
None of Callacher, Black, Hall, Gardner, McBurnie and McGovern are the finished article, but their potential is great and McDonald deserves credit for developing the youth-structure that had become very poor in recent years. Sean Ward was just about the only product of our youth system to make an impact in the last 5 years.
However, this does not mask the fact that McDonald does not possess the skills required to be a first team manager.
Enough is enough and we need a new manager.
Posted by Number Fourteen | 10.11.09, 16:47 GMT
Personal abuse is wrong, it shouldn't come into it. But when you take over at Glentoran you know what you are doing. Do well and you'll be hailed as a god, do badly and you might fizzle out. But if you asked Alan McDonald before he took over what he would expect to happen if he guided a championship winning team to two years of terrible football culminating in a 6 nil home defeat he would've described what's happening now himself. Football breeds emotion, it's what makes it great.
Posted by Ryan | 10.11.09, 15:27 GMT
There are a few big name ( so called ) players that need to take a very long look at themselves
if macdonald goes a new broom may just sweep clean !!!!!!!!
Posted by star of the east | 10.11.09, 15:25 GMT
i havent been at the oval for 10 years but this sort of fans revolt was happening then same as now .
You have no divine right to win ,and you surely have no god given right to subject alan mcdonald to this sort of verbal garbage if you lot are so good at management step up to the plate at the end of the day you are ONLY supporters
Posted by NOT AT ALL SURPRISED !!!!!!! | 10.11.09, 15:19 GMT
Mark, stupid comment as king kenny was the last person to win lfc the league!!! Think Alan should leave and save face before more horrendus results come along!!! Should have had Roy Walker if it wasnt for that stupid badge issue. UTG
Posted by Michael Simpson | 10.11.09, 14:58 GMT
Although I am not a Glentoran fan, in fact I support the Blues, I don't think anybody deserves to be subjected to the sort of behaviour Alan McDonald has had to face in the last few days. Ok they have had a very bad result on Saturday and their performances have not been good lately but they are third in the table and basically all they lost on Saturday was 3 points.I really don't know what all the hooha is about!
Posted by alastair | 10.11.09, 14:14 GMT
Although I am not a Glentoran fan, in fact I support the Blues, I don't think anybody deserves to be subjected to the sort of behaviour Alan McDonald has had to face in the last few days. Ok they have had a very bad result on Saturday and their performances have not been good lately but they are third in the table and basically all they lost on Saturday was 3 points.I really don't know what all the hooha is about!
Posted by alastair | 10.11.09, 14:13 GMT
Yeah. A great youth set-up. Reserves (including several first team players) lost at Coleraine 3-0, Colts lost to DC 3-2 and u17's lost to Glenavon 4-3. Future looks rosy, ha, ha.
Posted by A Blueman | 10.11.09, 13:36 GMT
If he had all the benefit of all those young players and also Glentoran at heart. Then why did he want to runaway at the first chance he got when an I.F.A job came on the board. Im sorry to say this but he has to go. The 6 nil hammerin was just the final nail in the coffin for most Glenmen. I follow this club like many others week in week out regardless were we are in the league. And I've been watchin the same boring no idea football for to long. If we win the next 5 matches It'll still be papering over cracks, A phrase that I've heard alot of to describe about Glentoran recently and that is said by the media as well.
Posted by easty | 10.11.09, 12:27 GMT
So Glentoran supporters are supposed to sit back and let the club fall apart? Chris Holt said it himself - some of what we have had to watch this season has been woeful. What do we do then? If we stop going then the club cannot survive financially, if we vent anger we are accused of being "rabid animals spewing venom at the club’s manager".
If I wasn't performing at my job to that degree then I'd have been out the door weeks ago.
There is no need for personal abuse, especially text messages sent to his personal mobile - no one deserves that. But McDonald took on the job of Glentoran manager and there is a certain pressure with that role. Supporters pay hard earned money to see a certain level of performance and so far this season we havent even come close. We have arguably the most talented squad in the country but some of the players look like they havent a clue what to do on the pitch, so strange are the tactics and selections. For the sake of the club please walk away Alan
Posted by Ian | 10.11.09, 12:20 GMT
As said below, he may be good at setting up youth academy's but thats why clubs have Youth Academy directors etc
They don't manage the first team.
Kenny Dalgiesh does this at Liverpool, does he manage the first team - NO
Keep him in that role, if he's good at it.
You still can't get away from the fact that the majority of fans don't want him in charge of THEIR 1st team any more.
Posted by markgfc | 10.11.09, 11:12 GMT
Brilliant, so let him continue with the kids! But for the love of God get someone in charge of the 1st team that knows what they're doing!
Posted by Ryan | 10.11.09, 09:14 GMT
what a joke? was it not paul kirk who developed countless players and in revenue over 300k in players? what alan has done is to embarrass the good name of glentoran. He is clueless and the way things are going we will be trophyless this year. It was a last minute goal that won the league it was not as if we won the league by a canter. Alan has progressed to ruin the squad we have especially clarke who he dropped out of the team and has ruined his confidence. As for youth products gallacher is not good enough yet and we will see how many players alan can produce.
Plain and simple alan you are not wanted so walk. We are tired of the pathetic excuses in the programme notes and no tactics and idiotic subs. If ralph wants to lose 420 in 3 season tickets not renewed then so be it.
Posted by philgfc | 10.11.09, 09:05 GMT
Nobody would dispute his great work in regards to the youth set up, also he is most definitely a very nice man. But unlike on the pitch he just doesn't have the leadership and authority the Glens need.
Posted by Paul | 10.11.09, 09:00 GMT