Glenn Ryan and Davy Burke among managers feeling heat as league reaches pinch point

We're mid-way through the league at this point and managers weren't shy of unloading in front of microphones last weekend.

Perhaps it's a sign of pressure building for some, with relegation threats looming and the prospect of dropping out of Sam Maguire altogether in one case.

They may be still debating the relevance of the top leagues in hurling, but it's certainly not the case in football, where managerial outbursts make it clear - if it wasn't already - that this is serious business.

First up, we had Davy Burke, probably frustrated by the heavy loss in the capital, venting about not getting access to his players for training. Between Sigerson and club campaigns, he hadn't had the full complement available to him for any of their 65 training sessions.

The media weren't too sympathetic to his plight, it's fair to say, their eyes instantly drawn to the number '65'. It's a startling enough number, though I'd reckon it's being taken out of context really. I suspect it's including absolutely everything - gym sessions, meetings, etc.

What seemed more bizarre was his demand that they had to meet up Sunday morning, but that might be down to annoyance with the display, and the manner in which the Dubs cut them open.

Glenn Ryan is one manager clearly feeling the pressure bearing down on him, and he was very unwise to get in a tangle with a local journalist.

The audio of the exchange has been widely shared, yet the original sin here was the county board chairman saying what he said at the county board meeting when he should have kept his counsel. That kind of loose talk leads to awkward set-pieces like last Sunday.

Up in Omagh, meanwhile, Padraic Joyce was fairly blunt in calling out Kieran Molloy for a lack of urgency and directness,