Given the events of the last week in Kerry, it's worth tracing a line back to January 2003.
different time, for sure. All-Ireland champions Armagh were taking in the sun in Mauritius, while Kerry, the runners-up, were heading for South Africa.
Just before they flew off, manager Páidí ÓSé sat down with journalist Kevin Kimmage.
Two full seasons had passed without Sam Maguire wintering in the Kingdom. While the rest of the nation fell in love with the tale of Armagh, their charismatic manager Joe Kernan and his loyal and austere soldiers, romance was thin on the ground wherever Páidí went.
He explained the expectation within the county, describing Kerry fans as "the roughest kind of ****ing animals you'll ever deal with," adding: "And you can print that".
It caused a stir alright.
Radio Kerry produced not one, but two polls to gauge the reaction. The majority wanted him to step down. Public figures of all shades weighed in.
Marty Morrissey just happened to be holidaying in South Africa himself. He was pressed into action, recording an interview with a contrite ÓSé.
ÓSé made a show of asking Morrissey for his phone. He called Charles J Haughey to ask if he should do the interview, and was happy he had the imprimatur of 'The Boss'.
Nothing blows up in winter as it can in Kerry. Present manager Peter Keane is experiencing it right now with a forwarded WhatsApp message detailing dressing room rows and other intimate team details.
Not only that, but Keane has the indignity of seeing John Mitchells club delegate Pat McAuliffe's views - from a county board meeting - on his tactical approach splashed over national media, and the chairman Tim Murphy rubber-stamping these thoughts.
Compare this to Celtic fans who, enraged by their club's inability to win every single trophy available, have attacked their own players, as well as pouring an astonishing level of hate down on manager Neil Lennon.
The same Lennon who spent seven years with Celtic, played over 200 times and captained them across three seasons, who came back as manager and won three league titles, two Scottish Cups, brought them to the group stages of the Champions League and knockout stages once, who managed them to a famous win over Barcelona.
And who came back last year to manage them to the league and cup double.
At the weekend, over 200 supporters gathered to protest Lennon still being in his job.
It prompted me to conduct my own poll, asking on Twitter who indeed are the roughest ****ing animals out there - Celtic or Kerry supporters.
At the time of writing, 252 votes have been cast. Kerry lead with 52.8 per cent of the share.
Spare a thought for Keane. Just like Páidí, he has effectively stopped all Kerry players talking, leaving him the sole voice.
Some measures leave a man open to accusations of egotism. But he pressed on.
When journalists 'met' him for a pre-Championship Zoom call, he hammed up the stereotypical Kerry cuteness. Asked about how he spent the lockdown, he killed some time by talking about how proficient he became at baking banoffee pie.
An enquiry about the injury list brought the bizarre answer of "bits of leg injuries".
At the time, the feeling was that, having captured the National League and got a proper feel for Dublin across two games last autumn, they could snap up their 38th All-Ireland.
Look now though. Former Kerry players dominate the media. Most of them had a close relationship with coach Donie Buckley, who left the set-up last March. Feeling stung, they are lashing out at Keane.
And while Neil Lennon can escape to his house, Keane cannot hide away. As the owner of a Supervalu in Killorglin, he will require Colm Cooper levels of mastery in finding time and space, dodging down an aisle or pretending to be engrossed in the homeware shelf when he senses an amateur pundit with something to get off their chest.
A decade ago, I interviewed former Donegal player Brendan Devenney. He discussed the routine in the days that followed Donegal defeats.
The players might go for a few drinks together. The stories piled up and multiplied through the Chinese whisper network. Come Monday evening, Highland Radio would have a phone-in, each caller egging each other on to go further in their criticism of the players.
"A hanging court", was Devenney's description.
Phone-ins now are old hat. Not even 'Terrace Talk', the flagship show in Radio Kerry, could attain a level of hysteria the week after the Cork defeat.
The dangerous stuff is to be found on WhatsApp, and social media in general. Most managers know enough to stay miles away from the online stuff in general.
But, increasingly, it's coming after them.
Chiefs face major headache in attempting to schedule a 2021 season that suits all
It's remarkable how a mood can be captured and instantly become universal consensus.
For years there has been a clamour for Gaelic games to have a split season. The response from the ruling classes has always been to point at the calendar and ask how it could possibly be done; you can't fit a pint into a half-pint glass.
And then along came a global pandemic. When it appeared as though there would be no action again until a vaccine was developed, the world of sport managed to find a way.
Competitions were remodelled and trimmed back, some trophies were stored in an obscure cupboard, the Super8s series was slashed and round-robin ambitions perished quickly.
Leagues and Championships were played for and everybody was just so thankful we could get out into the fresh air after being cooped up over lockdown that there was no dissent. Club action was run off first, then county and voila! There's your split season. Oven-ready!
But now comes the hard part; the difficult second album, the sophomore season. It takes a good pandemic to achieve a split season, it needs a great pandemic to achieve back-to-back split seasons.
If the club goes first, then you are looking at a very tricky financial situation. The associated costs with running a club will apply and yet, as it takes a few months for a possible vaccine to work its way through the population, the chances of crowds at club games are minimal.
And no crowds at club games means no income at the gate for the clubs themselves. If a Club Championship is staged after that, then the income belongs to the county board.
All of this will leave clubs in a precarious financial position.
If they go with the county game first, then a full league programme followed by a Championship that is to be finished by late June, the middle of July at the latest, it presents problems as you are enforcing a close season on club players of around eight months.
Nothing is simple anymore.
