Antrim Hurling

[Bonamargy]

Jesus boys. Westmeath away was always going to be a real test. Don't jump off the bandwagon and start sniping after one defeat. Learn from it, improve and come back stronger next time. Stick with the team and management.

[Hirty Darry]

Sounds like a few of us were ready and waiting for the rocky waters!

Leaving aside the missing Cushendall players I'm not sure losing this fixture should be greeted as a massive shock.

Tough place to go, we're never as good away from home - and let's face it - our standard relative to other teams just isn't what it was!

Promotion was unlikely even before this result me thinks.

The management & players have changed but having top players on the pitch is again a uniquely Antrim issue - no blame apportioned anywhere in this case.
What I hope has changed - is the flow of our club season. If that is re-vitalised then I believe the county results will follow, and now is the perfect time as the county results are foreseeable anyway.

I don't like the way you're thinking if you thought promotion was unlikely.

Anything but promotion (and I'm sure I speak for many) would be a failure.

Who are these so called "top players" not playing for the County? (Aside from the Cushendall players)

[btdtgtt]

Sounds like a few of us were ready and waiting for the rocky waters!

Leaving aside the missing Cushendall players I'm not sure losing this fixture should be greeted as a massive shock.

Tough place to go, we're never as good away from home - and let's face it - our standard relative to other teams just isn't what it was!

Promotion was unlikely even before this result me thinks.

The management & players have changed but having top players on the pitch is again a uniquely Antrim issue - no blame apportioned anywhere in this case.
What I hope has changed - is the flow of our club season. If that is re-vitalised then I believe the county results will follow, and now is the perfect time as the county results are foreseeable anyway.

I don't like the way you're thinking if you thought promotion was unlikely.

Anything but promotion (and I'm sure I speak for many) would be a failure.

Who are these so called "top players" not playing for the County? (Aside from the Cushendall players)

I genuinely never thought we'd get promoted once it was pointed out we'd have to play the bottom side in 1B.
I just think Kerry / Laois having the season against higher standard teams will stick to them - and I doubt our ability to get results away from home.
Failure? Yes that's fair enough if you see it that way.
I've just resigned to acceptance that our days of top level fixtures are over.

As for players not involved this year obviously McManus & Graffin is he's not going to the county - which is why I also said I wasn't apportioning any blame. They are both quite entitled to travel or not to play - it's an amateur game. They have lives.
But from an Antrim perspective our best players will again not be on the pitch.

[Hirty Darry]

I know its only one defeat (but this could be the start of the decline).

As the PR man for the County Manager, please put a positive spin on things SIE.

Last year you blamed Kevin Ryan, the County Board, that the "best club team in last 25 years" had little to no county representation.

This year - No Kevin Ryan, new County Board, as many Loughgiel players as you want - a manager that "actually knows the players".

Can you offer any positivity here?

[Na Glinntí Glasa]

I dont think anyone is shocked we lost yday, i know i wasnt. We were poor against Derry and conceded far far to much against an average Kildare side. This game was always going to be a big test for us to see where we were. We def are not going to go up with any sort of ease from this league.

[Seamroga in exile]

I know its only one defeat (but this could be the start of the decline).

As the PR man for the County Manager, please put a positive spin on things SIE.

Last year you blamed Kevin Ryan, the County Board, that the "best club team in last 25 years" had little to no county representation.

This year - No Kevin Ryan, new County Board, as many Loughgiel players as you want - a manager that "actually knows the players".

Can you offer any positivity here?

We were beaten by 17 points by westmeath with a full contingent of Ryan's squad last year. We were beaten by 7 points on Sunday without the dall men, shorty, Johnston, Mckiernan , T McCloskey, D Hamill, S Beattie. Mcguinness coming back from injury. All in all its a major improvement on the shambles of the previous few years considering there are currently about 7/8 starters unavailable.

[north_antrim_hound]

I know its only one defeat (but this could be the start of the decline).

As the PR man for the County Manager, please put a positive spin on things SIE.

Last year you blamed Kevin Ryan, the County Board, that the "best club team in last 25 years" had little to no county representation.

This year - No Kevin Ryan, new County Board, as many Loughgiel players as you want - a manager that "actually knows the players".

Can you offer any positivity here?

We were beaten by 17 points by westmeath with a full contingent of Ryan's squad last year. We were beaten by 7 points on Sunday without the dall men, shorty, Johnston, Mckiernan , T McCloskey, D Hamill, S Beattie. Mcguinness coming back from injury. All in all its a major improvement on the shambles of the previous few years considering there are currently about 7/8 starters unavailable.

So scoring 5 points from play against a side that Derry ran to 4 points is progress
Ok your the expert
I know one thing Imm not blaming the management as they are trying their best as was KR
You got all your wishes for the county set up and I don't see much difference
Your one bitter lad

[Seamroga in exile]

I know its only one defeat (but this could be the start of the decline).

As the PR man for the County Manager, please put a positive spin on things SIE.

Last year you blamed Kevin Ryan, the County Board, that the "best club team in last 25 years" had little to no county representation.

This year - No Kevin Ryan, new County Board, as many Loughgiel players as you want - a manager that "actually knows the players".

Can you offer any positivity here?

We were beaten by 17 points by westmeath with a full contingent of Ryan's squad last year. We were beaten by 7 points on Sunday without the dall men, shorty, Johnston, Mckiernan , T McCloskey, D Hamill, S Beattie. Mcguinness coming back from injury. All in all its a major improvement on the shambles of the previous few years considering there are currently about 7/8 starters unavailable.

So scoring 5 points from play against a side that Derry ran to 4 points is progress
Ok your the expert
I know one thing Imm not blaming the management as they are trying their best as was KR
You got all your wishes for the county set up and I don't see much difference
Your one bitter lad

*You're

I'm bitter? Hilarious coming from you. Of course you're totally ignoring the unavailability of players to put across your blinkered view. A 7 point defeat is much better than a 17 point defeat. Would you not concur?

[Sleeping giant]

A defeat is a defeat all in all.  My biggest gripe with KR was the way he went about things.  His lack of respect for the hurling teams in Antrim.  He'd very rarely go to club games.  He'd very rarely have changed up his panel from the start.  It was the same old same old with him.  Lack of respect for club teams.   Now yesterday was the first bad result of the year. And we see who wants what on here already.   Nearly delighted at the result. I was talking to two county hurlers on Saturday outside my own club who said it was " a massive game and a very very hard place to go"  one lad also went on to say that the team as a whole was a lot weaker than what they played them with last year, no graffin shorty or mc manus.  Jesus lads. That in its self is a valid reason.   Arguably the 3 best in the county.   Don't all go nuts after one game.     No1 said it would be easy.   

[Jeepers Creepers]

These arguments sound familiar.

[Hirty Darry]

I know its only one defeat (but this could be the start of the decline).

As the PR man for the County Manager, please put a positive spin on things SIE.

Last year you blamed Kevin Ryan, the County Board, that the "best club team in last 25 years" had little to no county representation.

This year - No Kevin Ryan, new County Board, as many Loughgiel players as you want - a manager that "actually knows the players".

Can you offer any positivity here?

We were beaten by 17 points by westmeath with a full contingent of Ryan's squad last year. We were beaten by 7 points on Sunday without the dall men, shorty, Johnston, Mckiernan , T McCloskey, D Hamill, S Beattie. Mcguinness coming back from injury. All in all its a major improvement on the shambles of the previous few years considering there are currently about 7/8 starters unavailable.

So scoring 5 points from play against a side that Derry ran to 4 points is progress
Ok your the expert
I know one thing Imm not blaming the management as they are trying their best as was KR
You got all your wishes for the county set up and I don't see much difference
Your one bitter lad

*You're

I'm bitter? Hilarious coming from you. Of course you're totally ignoring the unavailability of players to put across your blinkered view. A 7 point defeat is much better than a 17 point defeat. Would you not concur?

Going to have a field day with you over the next few months!

That was the positive spin I was looking for.

To be continued.

[Seamroga in exile]

Just posting what I'm seeing. Like always. 

[Weste]

If we can beat carlow and london, then we should have another shot at westmeath in the promotion final. Would the cushendall ones be back for that?

[hurlingstick]

Yesterday's result changes nothing.  We'll still end up in the 2A final agains Westmeath.  Up to PJ and the players now to improve on that 7 point margin beforehand.

[Two Hands FFS]

What SIE & Sleeping Giant fail to remember is that they consistently criticised the management & some players last year...and one player in particular. Posters on here won't forget that.

Anyway it was a disappointing result yesterday. I thought Antrim would win to be honest. Some of the players named by SIE as missing wouldn't make the slightest of differences yesterday. Hopefully we can recover quickly for the last couple of matches.