Messages

My number 1 tip would be to be invest in a half decent bluetooth speaker. Kids love music and you can get so much exercise and movement created simply by playing music and getting them to star jump, hop, run fast/slow and pause when music stops.

I focus on simple things like moving round the space and bounce ball 10 times, throw then catch the ball in the basket. Kids love it when you introduce adults who'll then try to knock the ball out of the basket, gets them to focus and finding space and improving their peripheral vision by avoiding collisions.

Interesting reading the debate around whether 6.5s should play games at the end of the session. I've looked after the age bracket for 6+ years and if you ask kids the one thing they want to do its games. Still think there's room for very small sided, fun-focused games.

Totally disagree with that. Its almost certain you will have kids that do not come from "football" houses and your training is their 1st introduction to a ball. Then you will have ones that are well ahead. Introducing games where you are scoring and winning/losing will increase your risk of alienating those "weaker" kids and will effect you in the long run. I have seen it happen time and time again. Typically the clubs that do what you are saying a very large and dont really care if they lose a few. My club we need every child available  to us.

My wee boy just turned 6 last month, his coaches are first class. up unti they started back it was all focused on getting hands on the Ball and games that weren't actually related to football or hurling, like trying to knock down cones on the other teams side etc. it seems now they are starting to do actual games, and they've started going to play other teams (no scores or anything kept and no real regard for rules0 jus to get them moving the ball etc.

ive found my son wasn't overly keen on it until they got a taste for actual games and now its all he talks about and constantly wanting to go out into the garden to practice. I think his coaches have done it really well how they built it up to actually planning games with some kinda structure.

Did your child ever see or touch or play with a ball before going to training? I assume so, as you his parent are posting on a GAA forum. Imagine the child who parents dont even own a ball. Your child might excel in this scenario but what about the others? U6s going playing games against other teams is ridiculous by the way.

Yeah he had but what im saying is he had no real interest, I think he's under 6.5 if thats how the ages work now or possibly u7. but how his club went about it was very good, all about fun and getting their hands on the ball. as I say wee games trying to throw the ball and knock cones down etc to get a feel for the ball and just get it moving.

The wee games they are playing now are just really kids running about and kicking the ball but he loves the whole thing of being against another team etc, the coaches for all the teams are brilliant just encouraging both teams and letting the kids get a feel for it. its usually 5 or 6 a side and each club brings as many players as they have and break up into small games. every kid gets loads of time on the ball they all take turns in goals and seem to really enjoy it. as I say to get my wee boy to go to football used to be a real struggle but now he relishes going during the week and on a sat.

My number 1 tip would be to be invest in a half decent bluetooth speaker. Kids love music and you can get so much exercise and movement created simply by playing music and getting them to star jump, hop, run fast/slow and pause when music stops.

I focus on simple things like moving round the space and bounce ball 10 times, throw then catch the ball in the basket. Kids love it when you introduce adults who'll then try to knock the ball out of the basket, gets them to focus and finding space and improving their peripheral vision by avoiding collisions.

Interesting reading the debate around whether 6.5s should play games at the end of the session. I've looked after the age bracket for 6+ years and if you ask kids the one thing they want to do its games. Still think there's room for very small sided, fun-focused games.

Totally disagree with that. Its almost certain you will have kids that do not come from "football" houses and your training is their 1st introduction to a ball. Then you will have ones that are well ahead. Introducing games where you are scoring and winning/losing will increase your risk of alienating those "weaker" kids and will effect you in the long run. I have seen it happen time and time again. Typically the clubs that do what you are saying a very large and dont really care if they lose a few. My club we need every child available  to us.

My wee boy just turned 6 last month, his coaches are first class. up unti they started back it was all focused on getting hands on the Ball and games that weren't actually related to football or hurling, like trying to knock down cones on the other teams side etc. it seems now they are starting to do actual games, and they've started going to play other teams (no scores or anything kept and no real regard for rules0 jus to get them moving the ball etc.

ive found my son wasn't overly keen on it until they got a taste for actual games and now its all he talks about and constantly wanting to go out into the garden to practice. I think his coaches have done it really well how they built it up to actually planning games with some kinda structure.

Even hurling has become fairly tedious though. The same few teams playing each other over and over again and it has got very much possession based as well with a lot fewer goals in matches it would seem.

Pretty much agree with most commentary on the ills of football and am genuinely at a loss as to why no attempts have been made to return the game to something entertaining to a neutral. Maybe it's because most games have a period where  football breaks out and makes us think that matches are better than they were in reality?
Some of the most straightforward fixes appear to be requirements to keep a certain amount of players in each half at all times or more interestingly not allowing a team to play the ball back into their own half.
However, for all its ills, football appeals more than modern day top level hurling which is becoming increasingly unwatchable.
This article from hurler on the ditch is a good summary of much of what's going wrong:
https://hurlerontheditch267913442.wordpress.com/
Basically he laments the lack of goal threat, the ability to score at will from ridiculous ranges, incessant throw balls, unlimited steps, lack of contests.
I'd obviously take issue with his assertion that football has been proactive in making sufficient changes though, both codes need to adopt the approach of other sports and make changes to keep one step ahead of the coaches!!

Read the article there and makes some good points, I love hurling but to be honest id far rather watch a club game than a county game these days. Club level there's a bit more of balls into the forwards as opposed to just getting the ball between the 2 65s and hitting a shot, it really is getting predictable and boring. I dont know, there's no real way to change it. If you tried to implement a you cant score from your own half policy it would just encourage teams to drop everyone back and only engage at half way, akin to football. maybe make a goal worth 5 points? at the very least keeps teams in it for longer.

I think the main problem is Hurling as a game is best watched when players are playing off the cuff, I loved the teams of the late 90s and 00s some cracking hell for leather battles, just  dont get the same feel for it now. The players are class, they are fittest they've ever been but it does just seem too take away from the game as a spectacle.

What was the seeding system employed...?
The bye law as passed years since was top for in previous years league div one seeded 1-4....
That doesn't seem the case....wonder when the bye law was changed, which convention......?

I think it should revert to straight knockout- there is always dead rubbers in the group format

Straight knock out and if they really want to give clubs more than 1 game throw in a back door system, but the groups are terrible and as you say always have dead rubbers at least with straight knock out and a 2nd bite at the cherry there's no proper dead rubbers

Naming teams aren't worth the paper they're written on, GAA better going like soccer, have a squad number and that'll do the job in the programme and name the starting 15 an hour before throw in

Beginning to wonder do people have it too easy in life?

We've had an ad online/recruitment agency and other media platforms for a few weeks and its seems no one is actually looking to work lol!

Anyone finding it difficult to get new employees and decent ones at that?

Almost anyone looking a job now wants working from home/ hybrid working/ early finish on a Friday. Are you offering any of those or any combination of the 3? I think that companies who aren't are really starting to struggle with recruitment.

Yeah some of the incentives for certain jobs is crazy, my wife got a new job starts in a few weeks, got a massive pay increase from where she is now. Can work from home 2 days a week and after 6 months goes to a 4 day week with no change in pay. Also private health insurance and free gym membership. I honestly couldn't believe that companies offered packages like that.

Horses for courses, go 5 at the back with Duffy sitting as the 3rd CB, Richard Dunne levels of heroics needed tonight.

[Football has become a game that is very difficult to attract a neutral, I struggle to watch games that ive no dog in the fight]

I watched 10 minutes of Monaghan and Tyrone and switched it over. Genuinely couldn't be arsed watching Monaghans slow build up, passing the ball across the pitch and back, constantly afraid or unable to slice a pass into the forwards. The outcome looked inevitable within minutes, Tyrone with everyone back, then breaking up field when Monaghan give it away and nick a score.  Boring predictable shite .

Football has become a game that is very difficult to attract a neutral, I struggle to watch games that ive no dog in the fight and anyone I talk to seems to be the same. Hurling still has the appeal that you can watch a game between 2 top teams and it keeps you interested, football not so much.

I'm getting the same way too. You watch a game, and head down to throw the laundry in the dryer, and three or four minutes later you come back and maybe, just maybe, there's been a point scored. Leaving aside our current predicament, I'm even close to giving up on watching Donegal, such is the lack of enjoyment to be had from watching them. I said it in the thread for last year's Ulster Final, a game in which we were very competitive and could have won, that it would have been a hollow victory, so grim was the fare that was served up (think I said the same in the '16 final when Tyrone nicked it right at the end). We had some promising, fast moving football under Bonner in 18 and 19, but its been utterly dreadful since then and unfortunately the vast majority of the other teams are the same. Even watching Dublin go about their methodical, systematic, possession-based takedown of the opposition towards the end of the six in a row period was as dull as watching paint dry.

Apart from David Clifford and Shane Walsh and the runners of Mayo and your county loyalty, there just isn't much to attract spectators in gaelic football these days.

You'd wonder how that's different to games 20 years ago when scorelines are broadly the same?

Plenty of reasons, more frees now a days, a lot more scores come from dead balls now than did in the early 00s for example, id love to see the free counts from games in the 00s compared to now, forwards are told to go down like they've been shot if touched inside the 45 as its a free hit for a score, again down to the stats. Less wides, teams are now instructed not to shoot outside 'scoring zone' and 'give it to the shooters' you end up with similar scores but far less entertainment, teams holding the ball rather than shooting a wide and giving up possession.

its a different game now, the days of players/ teams being man for man is pretty much gone unfortunately, I often look and think how would a Peter canavan or a Mulligan get by today?

The game is now dictated by analysis and GPS. players are given stats a after a game and there are teams that if the players stats aren't good he's dropped, no wonder players are robotic.

[Defending is a skill and a joy to watch if done right which people forget about.]

If people don't like it then don't watch it. Really sick of this complaining about the state of the game. There are a few tweaks which could make it a bit better but that's about it.

People won't be happy until its just 15 attackers vs 15 attackers scoring 19-100 a game. Defending is a skill and a joy to watch if done right which people forget about.

Thats clearly what people are saying, they aren't watching it unless their own county/ club is involved.

the bit ive highlighted ive agreed with, but the modern game has actually stopped the skill of defending. its now strength in numbers, used to love seeing a corner back strip a ball when a forward tries to take him on 1 on 1. or a Conor Gormley block in 03. Even on defending the forward mark stopped defenders even getting a good chance to dispossess balls from forwards, a forward catches a clean ball and the defender cant even touch him. madness.

Defenders dont actually need to be able to tackle anymore, just kill space and be disciplined in your positional play can carry you through

I watched 10 minutes of Monaghan and Tyrone and switched it over. Genuinely couldn't be arsed watching Monaghans slow build up, passing the ball across the pitch and back, constantly afraid or unable to slice a pass into the forwards. The outcome looked inevitable within minutes, Tyrone with everyone back, then breaking up field when Monaghan give it away and nick a score.  Boring predictable shite .

Football has become a game that is very difficult to attract a neutral, I struggle to watch games that ive no dog in the fight and anyone I talk to seems to be the same. Hurling still has the appeal that you can watch a game between 2 top teams and it keeps you interested, football not so much.

Watched Tulsa King, Sylvestre Stallone as a 70 odd year old gangster put to to Tulsa by his family, actually really enjoyed it and easily binged. Think they are making a 2nd series. Great ending to it too.

Derry going down so easily was actually laughable at times, Hurson bought it every single time. I really hope this isn't the way the game is gonna be from now on any touch at all players just go down. Brutal to watch

Hold up - did O'Neills get the new kit deal?

https://twitter.com/ONeills1918/status/1631383957722767398

Nah its Castore, I think thats just gonna be one of O'Neills retro fan wear ranges

You're probably right MR2.

As I say though, just doesn't feel like a "war against the Crown" killing. The same c***ts that did this would have untold opportunities in the average year to cold-blood kill a PSNI member, but it's never been high up on their "strategy" before... for as stupid as they are, they'd have known that this action closes down their operations for a long time. So why now?

This would be my thinking too, not saying it's not dissedants but not really their M.O usually it's a device left under a vehicle or a bogus call etc. many would say because they haven't the b*pls to do it so brazenly.

Drug gangs on the other hand are different, look at the last number of drug linked killings they all follow a similar pattern to this, excecution style regardless of who's about. Look at the 1 in lurgan, the one in the DC and the 1 outside st Mary's. All very similar to this one

I can totally get that the MO is different but did they not spray a cop shop when a pizza guy was delivering pizza one time? Shooting in Derry killing a journalist

Taking a hit out on a cop is something from TV, taking an opportunity to get attention is the most logical though

I get that but both those occasions I'd say we're with some sort of cover, this just seems more brazen for them, unless it's a different tactic to drum up more fear.

I agree it would be strange for it to be drug related but tbh nothing really surprises me anymore.

Believe it or not the thing that would lead me to agree it's prob dissidents and not drug gang is the fact he wasn't killed, the drug gangs tend to do the job right

You're probably right MR2.

As I say though, just doesn't feel like a "war against the Crown" killing. The same c***ts that did this would have untold opportunities in the average year to cold-blood kill a PSNI member, but it's never been high up on their "strategy" before... for as stupid as they are, they'd have known that this action closes down their operations for a long time. So why now?

This would be my thinking too, not saying it's not dissedants but not really their M.O usually it's a device left under a vehicle or a bogus call etc. many would say because they haven't the b*pls to do it so brazenly.

Drug gangs on the other hand are different, look at the last number of drug linked killings they all follow a similar pattern to this, excecution style regardless of who's about. Look at the 1 in lurgan, the one in the DC and the 1 outside st Mary's. All very similar to this one