Down Club Hurling & Football

[rosskarr]

I am all for supporting the County team, as we all are and I can understand why Jim doesnt want his boys playing the first round of club games.  However, it doesnt make sense to me that a club game, 1 week before the league final should be called off while club games, 1 DAY after the league final are to be played.  Will county players play on the Monday night after having a game in Croke Park the day before?
Really the mistake was made when the fixtures were announced when this wasnt factored into the equation.  Once we did, there was always going to be someone unhappy one way or the other.  There was an article recently about county players in Kerry and how they play at least 20 club games a year.  Doesnt harm them!!

Have Clubs been informed that Round 1 is definitely postponed or is it a proposal to the Clubs looking for
support for the idea?

[wobbller]

I am all for supporting the County team, as we all are and I can understand why Jim doesnt want his boys playing the first round of club games.  However, it doesnt make sense to me that a club game, 1 week before the league final should be called off while club games, 1 DAY after the league final are to be played.  Will county players play on the Monday night after having a game in Croke Park the day before?
Really the mistake was made when the fixtures were announced when this wasnt factored into the equation.  Once we did, there was always going to be someone unhappy one way or the other.  There was an article recently about county players in Kerry and how they play at least 20 club games a year.  Doesnt harm them!!

Have Clubs been informed that Round 1 is definitely postponed or is it a proposal to the Clubs looking for
support for the idea?

The county Board don't look for support,they'll do what they think is right for Down.  It mightn't please everyone but that's the way it is.
The leagues should have been scheduled to start tonight with the next round next friday and that round could have refixed if we were to get
through to the League final. County training and a  training week in London is what dictates all these matches being on on irregular dates.

[outback]

  Folks, we are in a Div 2 Final,let's be happy, there'll be plenty of league and meaningful championship
football with the new backdoor system and as someone said about the season ending for most teams at the end of Aug,play
this postponed round then

[The Raven]

  Sure the players have been training on consecutive nights so I wouldn't
be worried too much about player welfare in this case.

You seriously think that teams have been training on the field two nights running in preparation for the start of the league, I don't think so.  Player welfare would dictate putting the game after the league final off to avoid injury but this game is going ahead, clowns isn't the word.  Club teams have been preparing for weeks for the start of the league but now hundreds of players are left wondering why they even bother when games will be changed willy nilly.

Our County Board didn't even have the belief in our team to factor in the possibility of reaching the final into our masters fixture list, shows you how much faith the had in the new management and current players.  These tubes are an absolute joke.

The full statement from DCB is below:

A Chara

A request has been made to CCC by the Management and Players of the Down Senior Football Panel to assist their preparations for the Allianz Division Two League Final by postponing Round 1 of Division One and Two of the O Neills All County Football League. CCC have considered the request and are opposed to starring the fixtures and would therefore propose that Round 1 be moved in it's entirety to Sunday 10th May. County Team management have agreed that there will be no further deviation from the All County Football League programme as outlined in the fixture calendar. We appreciate the support of the Clubs in this instance as the County Team prepares for a National Final. With all the Gaels in Down we wish players and management every success in the League Final on April 26th.

Is Mise
Seán Óg Mac an tSaoir

I would love to know if (1) The county management will stick to this, (2) not the county management but the CCC may see further deviation from the League programme (3) the reasons why CCC are opposed to starring this round of fixtures..

They may appreciate the support of clubs in this instance but I don't think they will get it.

What I mean is the County players are used to activity two days in a row. I wasn't talking about Club players

Activity, yes, but two competitive matches with possible consumption of celebratory liquid in-between, no.

1983 we won proper NFL v Armagh on Sunday with full round of league games on Monday night if any of you old enough to remember

[johnneycool]

I am all for supporting the County team, as we all are and I can understand why Jim doesnt want his boys playing the first round of club games.  However, it doesnt make sense to me that a club game, 1 week before the league final should be called off while club games, 1 DAY after the league final are to be played.  Will county players play on the Monday night after having a game in Croke Park the day before?
Really the mistake was made when the fixtures were announced when this wasnt factored into the equation.  Once we did, there was always going to be someone unhappy one way or the other.  There was an article recently about county players in Kerry and how they play at least 20 club games a year.  Doesnt harm them!!

This gets on my tits, they're not 'Jim's boys', they're club players first and foremost. Clubs get the call or they should do.

[supersub]

  Sure the players have been training on consecutive nights so I wouldn't
be worried too much about player welfare in this case.

You seriously think that teams have been training on the field two nights running in preparation for the start of the league, I don't think so.  Player welfare would dictate putting the game after the league final off to avoid injury but this game is going ahead, clowns isn't the word.  Club teams have been preparing for weeks for the start of the league but now hundreds of players are left wondering why they even bother when games will be changed willy nilly.

Our County Board didn't even have the belief in our team to factor in the possibility of reaching the final into our masters fixture list, shows you how much faith the had in the new management and current players.  These tubes are an absolute joke.

The full statement from DCB is below:

A Chara

A request has been made to CCC by the Management and Players of the Down Senior Football Panel to assist their preparations for the Allianz Division Two League Final by postponing Round 1 of Division One and Two of the O Neills All County Football League. CCC have considered the request and are opposed to starring the fixtures and would therefore propose that Round 1 be moved in it's entirety to Sunday 10th May. County Team management have agreed that there will be no further deviation from the All County Football League programme as outlined in the fixture calendar. We appreciate the support of the Clubs in this instance as the County Team prepares for a National Final. With all the Gaels in Down we wish players and management every success in the League Final on April 26th.

Is Mise
Seán Óg Mac an tSaoir

I would love to know if (1) The county management will stick to this, (2) not the county management but the CCC may see further deviation from the League programme (3) the reasons why CCC are opposed to starring this round of fixtures..

They may appreciate the support of clubs in this instance but I don't think they will get it.

What I mean is the County players are used to activity two days in a row. I wasn't talking about Club players

Activity, yes, but two competitive matches with possible consumption of celebratory liquid in-between, no.

1983 we won proper NFL v Armagh on Sunday with full round of league games on Monday night if any of you old enough to remember

Not sure what proper refers to.

That may be the case, doesn't mean it was the right thing to do!

[snoopdog]

To be honest this Div 2 final is a nothing game, the prize is promotion which we have, no tin pot required. yes i will go along to it and hope we win, but the real focus should be Derry on June 7th.

[johnneycool]

I am all for supporting the County team, as we all are and I can understand why Jim doesnt want his boys playing the first round of club games.  However, it doesnt make sense to me that a club game, 1 week before the league final should be called off while club games, 1 DAY after the league final are to be played.  Will county players play on the Monday night after having a game in Croke Park the day before?
Really the mistake was made when the fixtures were announced when this wasnt factored into the equation.  Once we did, there was always going to be someone unhappy one way or the other.  There was an article recently about county players in Kerry and how they play at least 20 club games a year.  Doesnt harm them!!

This gets on my tits, they're not 'Jim's boys', they're club players first and foremost. Clubs get the call or they should do.

and that sort of attitude is why  " Mickey's boys are still playing Div 4  Hurling.  It'll do no harm for the County men
to play in consecutive days.It's done in the Fitzgibbon and in Sigerson.

Mickeys boys are playing in Div 4 hurling as they just aren't good enough. The reason they aren't good enough is that the clubs in Down have fallen back a bit in standard, none more so that ourselves, and one of the reasons for that we loose half a dozen hurlers for months on end to the Mickeys and their mad training schedules, all the while we struggle to get decent numbers at training to raise the standard.

I've no problems players playing two days on the bounce, but expect injuries..

[Line Ball]

Down on a training camp in London at the minute - is this the reason our leagues haven't started yet?  In the past we have always had games on Easter Monday or Tuesday.

https://twitter.com/LiRFC

[Smurfy123]

A booze fuelled weekend from some pictures doing the rounds at present.I wonder do the county board fund the drinking to.Im all for lads having a drink but this is just a piss take and sticks two fingers up to the clubs and more importantly the club player.They can drink no problem but can't play a game?Disgrace.

[redandblackareback]

We are going absolutely somewhere - Division 1 (and Croke Park).

redandblackareback - you do give a f#ck. That's why your post is, for want of a better word, 'emotional'.

I stopped giving a fxxk Aristo last summer when I paid hard earned money to travel to Omagh and also purchase tickets for the replay in Newry only to discover some of "Jim's Boys" decided to clear off on a lads holiday, club players wouldn't even do it. The same boys the teams being built around now.

[supersub]

A booze fuelled weekend from some pictures doing the rounds at present.I wonder do the county board fund the drinking to.Im all for lads having a drink but this is just a piss take and sticks two fingers up to the clubs and more importantly the club player.They can drink no problem but can't play a game?Disgrace.

Hardly.

What pictures are these?

[Line Ball]

A booze fuelled weekend from some pictures doing the rounds at present.I wonder do the county board fund the drinking to.Im all for lads having a drink but this is just a piss take and sticks two fingers up to the clubs and more importantly the club player.They can drink no problem but can't play a game?Disgrace.

Some training camp then?  Every other county in Ireland can put a professional camp together but what do we do, do a bit of training and then go on the sauce.  I guarantee you that club players are looking after themselves in preparation for the start of the league (belatedly now) but now they see their club team mates out on the raz, what does that say about the sacrifices they are making?

There is also the fact that they are putting up two fingers at our supporters and sponsors, many of us follow Down all over the place.  The likes of Club Down, the Down Supporters Club and the private individuals who put up the money for this camp (we are broke after all) these people put their hard earned cash into this joke of a set up for what in return?  Bad manners and disrespect.  Its not on.

[east down gael]

Need to wind it in a bit there.they hardly got promoted to division one of the league by going on the sauce every weekend.for all we know it could be one last blow out before a serious period of training for championship.fans don't pay these boys,if you hand over your money to go watch the team,you're getting something in return.always find it nauseating to hear people commenting on a grown man's drinking habits.

[Line Ball]

Need to wind it in a bit there.they hardly got promoted to division one of the league by going on the sauce every weekend.for all we know it could be one last blow out before a serious period of training for championship.fans don't pay these boys,if you hand over your money to go watch the team,you're getting something in return.always find it nauseating to hear people commenting on a grown man's drinking habits.

I'll make the point again in case you didn't understand, this was a training camp, a football training camp and not a drinking camp.  They can drink all they want at home but when the purpose of an intense, collective few days away is meant to prepare them for a league final and a championship campaign yet it turns into a session then its not on.  On another thread it can be seen that Cavan are in New York and Monaghan were in Portugal and I'm sure these camps were alot more professional than ours.