Owen Mulligan believes that Mickey Harte future will come under scrutiny again if Kildare send Tyrone out of the Championship.
Now in his 17th season in charge, Harte is the longest serving manager in inter-county football and, though he’s by far the most successful manager in Tyrone’s history, has endured periods where his position has been questioned.
He has had a fraught relationship with the county board in the past and there was a barren trophy spell up to 2016 before he won successive Ulster titles and then steered them back to the All-Ireland final last year to earn some breathing space.
But Mulligan believes that the pressure will be restored if Tyrone make their earliest Championship exit since Armagh beat them in a round two qualifier in 2014.
He said: “It’s hard to know where we are with Tyrone at the minute. There are still loads of question marks around them.
“When Mickey started running the bench the arse fell out of it a bit and Longford ended up posting a scoreline that definitely flattered them.
“Tyrone for their part look like a side not happy in their own skin. I see too many long faces coming out of changing rooms after games. It all looks like too much hard work for them at present.
“A trip to Kildare on Saturday night isn’t a nice place to go to start feeling better about yourself.
“A win is a must for Tyrone or the knives will be out for Harte. It’s very much a case of a win in ‘Newbridge or Nowhere’ for Tyrone this weekend,” he told Paddy Power News.
Meanwhile, Mulligan says that Donegal are looking increasingly like the only team that will challenge Dublin after comfortably retaining their Ulster title against Cavan.
He added: “It used to be Michael Murphy and Paddy McBrearty who were trusted with all the scoring duties and if you marked them, Donegal would struggle.
“Now they’re blessed with scorers from all positions. All of their forwards scored on Sunday. Ryan McHugh, Paddy McGrath and Eoghan Bán Gallagher never stopped all evening.
“Jamie Brennan was his usual classy self and I’m really starting to enjoy watching him light up the Championship.
“We are starting to sit up and take notice of Donegal and that question is starting to be asked, are they number one contenders to stop the drive for five. At this early stage, I believe they’re the only ones that’s showing any promise.”
If you haven't already, be sure to like our Irish Mirror Sport and Irish Mirror GAA pages on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
