Talk:Derek Dougan
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Article Grading: I have classified this article as a start as it describes Dougan's career in a reasonable level of detail. However, the article does need to be sourced. Capitalistroadster 02:29, 26 June 2007 (UTC) |
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[edit] Dropped for playing on All-Ireland XI?
Dougan maintained that IFA President Harry Cavan had instructed manager Terry Neill not to pick him for Northern Ireland because he played in the "Shamrock Rovers XI". I have undone (again) the following addition, which is original research.
However the facts make this unlikely, since Dougan's international career was already over, seeing as he had not been picked for any of Northern Ireland's previous five games. Moreover, he had failed to find the net in any of what were to be his final 10 international appearances. Further, although he made 30 League starts from 42 for Wolves the following season, managing a credible 10 goals, he was now in the twilight of his career, so that he retired from playing completely at the age of 37 after making just three starts in the 1974-75 season, less than two years after the Brazil match.
I appreciate that it is would be wrong of Wikipedia to seem to endorse an unsupported allegation such as that which Dougan made, but it is also wrong to attempt to disprove the allegation in this manner. I have tweaked the currrent wording so that, I hope, the article states what Dougan asserted without agreeing or disagreeing with his assertion. Based on the facts in the article and the above excerpt, it is plausible that Dougan's non-selection was for footballing reasons and his conspiracy theory was all in his head. However, it is nowhere near certain. I don't want to start a battle of original research, but just to cast doubt on the above assertions:
- "had not been picked for any of Northern Ireland's previous five games" -- I don't know aat what point Dougan allegedly clashed with the IFA, but planning for the Brazil game began in 1972, and Dougan's last game was in March 73. Four of the five matches he missed were in May, when preparations for the Brazil game were nearing completion, and the hypothesized decision to ostracize him might already have been taken.
- "failed to find the net in any of what were to be his final 10 international appearances" -- while Martin O'Neill was the up-and-coming striker, Dougan had played in other positions and was captain, so could plausibly have been accommodated elsewhere, or on the bench.
I make these points not to begin a debate here about which theory is correct; that is not for Wikipedia to decide. I only mention them to show that attempting to prove something from first principles is impractical in a short article; that's why it's forbidden. We can only state the agreed facts and leave readers to decide whether to believe one side or the other or keep an open mind. It would certainly be relevant and useful to add citations along the following lines, if these come to light:
- A newspaper report from 1973 mentioning Dougan's being dropped from the NI side and offering either
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- an official explanation from the manager or the IFA, or
- some informed speculation from a journalist (whether favouring the conspiracy theory or not)
- A later quote from Harry Cavan or Terry Neill responding to Dougan's allegation
jnestorius(talk) 17:35, 27 June 2007 (UTC)
