The Future for Laois Football

[The Saint]

The negativity regarding the Laois Senior Football team on this board saddens me. Yes, we are down in Division 4, hammered by Dublin in Leinster SFC and by Down in the Tailteann Cup. We have had one poster here asking should we consider withdrawing from championship and league !

Ciaran Fitzgerald famously said to his Ireland rugby teammates  "where's your f*****g pride ?" and the same applies here. The Laois Senior football team are the flagship football team in the county. Down the years young lads would dream of emulating Curly Prendergast, Barney Maher, Joe Higgins and many more. Do we really want to consider going down the same road as Kilkenny ?

Of course our pool of talent seems very shallow at present and we've had no success at underage since 2007. The structure of club football in Laois has it's shortcomings that doesn't help either. On the other hand the split season and the increased number of games gives inter-county players the opportunities to develop that were lacking previously. Many will also have the experience of playing in high-quality 3rd level competitions. We all know too that a team can be better than the sum of it's parts – no county demonstrated this better than Offaly under the late Eugene McGee.

Laois supporters have a role to play too. If you are totally demoralised then it might be better to just walk away rather than contributing to the negative background noise. Of course lads will be hesitant to commit where there is such a mood of doom and gloom surrounding the Laois Senior Football team. Now is the time that the players and new manager need our support most. Remember Offaly supporters Croke Park sit down protest in 1998 and Kildare's Newbridge or Nowhere protest in 2018. We as Laois supporters should have taken the same stance and refused to play the Dubs in Nowlan Park Kilkenny back in 2016.

Laois Abú!

It's not my intention to offend you but this is just pure virtue signalling. Let's all get behind the team and be good little supporters and everything will be grand. For a proud dual county we're now an embarrassment on the football side. Players not committing, being outnumbered in support at every home game for the last 5 years, that debacle vs Down on national tv and so on. I've been to probably 90% of Laois matches in the last 50 years but enough is enough. I'll stand by my previous post... channel everything and anything we have into starting from scratch with underage, see where we could get to in 5/7 years. Take the emotion or whatever out of this and answer this question for me..,what county would you hand on heart say we'd definitely beat in next years Leinster championship? But maybe you're right.. the 250 of us that go to games should sit on the middle of the pitch in OMP next time we're losing and everything will sort itself out.

[Tintin84]

So it looks like it's Justin McNulty announcement shortly!!!

[Spiritof86]

Between McNulty and Banty

[Junior Ex Laoistalk]

https://www.rte.ie/sport/football/2023/1016/1411118-mcnulty-may-make-laois-return-as-tipp-line-up-keane/


McNulty linked with Laois return

[BallyroanAbu]

Keep making the same mistakes, keep getting the same results.  If you point out these errors you get told you're disloyal or an idiot.  If you try to change things you are worn down by those who don't want change.  Sorry I'm not optimistic , but I don't see Laois Hurling or Football going anywhere.  If only a change of manager could sort it. 

Sometimes I feel so pissed off about it all but I genuinely think at this stage nobody really wants change.

[From the Terrace]

People want change, Not enough like minded people will give up their time to achieve it imo. As I've posted previously there needs to be 5-6 people go in & infiltrate the county board this has to include a couple of past players, people of stature in Laois gaa - a dempsey from Josephs, Niall Rigney for example.

[The Boy Wonder]

Michael Dempsey's view on the future of Laois Football

"I think there's a long way back but definitely, from my point of view, there is hope," insisted Dempsey, who managed Laois for two seasons (from 1996 to '98) and went on to enjoy unparalleled success during his 15 years alongside Brian Cody with the Kilkenny hurlers.
"Even if it means just getting 30 young players, combined with some of the other players who've been around.
"I mean, anything and everything is possible if the commitment [is there] and the environment is created for players and they have pride in wearing the jersey. We've seen it in so many other counties around the country," Dempsey expanded.
"We're not saying we're going to win an All-Ireland, but can Laois make progress? If everything is right and the players commit – and that's up to everybody to create that environment, where people are happy to be there and wear the Laois jersey. I definitely think Laois can make progress."

[High Fielder]

Yet wants no part of the set up. Odd that. Not that I hold it against him because I don't. But statements like that ring so hollow against the backdrop of what is unfolding in front of us. There are so many things that are possible, but how probable are they? I mean our best players are already walking away, and we have no manager.

If it is McNulty, good luck to him. I wasn't a fan first time round but the passage of time has since showed that he at least knew how football would be played at County level. I find intercounty football dead boring if I'm honest, and even worse when defensive systems are deployed by teams who do it badly. But look, good luck to whoever gets it at this stage. Even small steps won't be easy without some of your best players involved

[Tony]

I wasn't a fan first time round

People like you ran him out of the job, son. He was making serious progress. Was the football attractive? No, not particularily. Were we competitive? Yes. Teams like Laois have to make it ugly to be competitive. The likes of Sheehan going man on man tactics with Dublin earlier this year was madness.

I'm shocked that McNulty wants the job but fair play to him. Let's get back to being somewhat competitive and get out of Div 4. He's a likable manager, hopefully lads will be encouraged to join up with the panel.

[BallyroanAbu]

I'm sure he will find a love for Laois if the price is right Tony.

[Chrimtain]

Instead of wishing him luck with a difficult task, in typical Laois fashion, let's have a big argument over his appointment.

[County Man]

Great news for Laois football.

Justin McNulty is a massive appointment and I believe a 3 year term has been given.

With his leadership, we can get out of the doldrums. A return to division 2, a Tailteann cup title, a return to Sam Maguire football and a big scalp or two are achieveable goals during this 3 year term.

Watch this space. Best of luck to all involved.

Laois Abu.

[High Fielder]

Instead of wishing him luck with a difficult task, in typical Laois fashion, let's have a big argument over his appointment.

Good luck to him. It's fairly obvious that he has a tough time ahead, and we would all want him to succeed. It's a bizarre appointment in many ways. He is after all an elected representative in another jurisdiction. I can't imagine his constituents would be impressed with him spending so much time down here

[GAAFan2003]

As good an appointment as we could have hoped for really.

Be interesting to see who is on his coaching ticket?? And also what players are travelling abroad, retiring or not making themselves available for selection??

Strange appointment alright considering his job. If reports are to believed both jobs are 50/60 hours a week jobs.

[BallyroanAbu]

Hi I have no argument in Justin's appointment.  Except my long held belief we should be trying to promote Laois based managers.  But my question how exactly is Justin a massive appointment ?  His previous spell in Laois I'd argue was 7 out of 10, he was very professional and there was a good culture in the squad.  But even at time it was a style of football which at the top level was reaching its sell by date.  So to move to now, how is Justin a massive appointment ?  He to my knowledge hasn't been involved at top level GAA in quite sometime, Laois are going to lose quite a few this year.  The conveyor belt coming through is poor.  So to say a massive appointment  ? His a gamble,  As it seems for whatever reason the powers that be do not want to give it to Billy o Loughlin or Eddie Kinsella.  They may be proved right the only positive is that we now have severally lowered expectations to a point where getting out of Div 4 is seen as a breakthrough.