Antrim Football Thread

[bannside]

Not a bad Sigerson record I`d say, couldnt have been a whole lot better. Can see mc Gorts hand all over the appointment, so there must be some mutual admiration. Cant think St Galls would be the easiest job, nothing less than the AI club will satisfy the natives.

[Maximus Marillius]

Not a bad Sigerson record I`d say, couldnt have been a whole lot better. Can see mc Gorts hand all over the appointment, so there must be some mutual admiration. Cant think St Galls would be the easiest job, nothing less than the AI club will satisfy the natives.

If thats true bannside ....wave goodbye to any chance any tem in antrim had prior to the appointment. Especially yours...the Ports are up next...aren't they?

[Trouble Ahead]

I hear that Mc Cartan is allegedly getting £200 per week plus expenses for the galls, and to top that Jody is allegedly lifting £1200 per month just from antrim, never mind Bredagh and his one off,s plus the teaching salary. I think its time i went into coaching it pays more!!!! Amateur sport my ass!!! No wonder no-one wants to play for him.

[imtommygunn]

McCartan did a great job with Queens. The  team they had when he was there had nowhere near the "star quality" of the poly teams and even the likes of Sligo RTC at the time. He seemed to have them playing a very effective system, playing together as a team and had individuals, who were perhaps limited, playing well above themselves. He also could spot talent and had Justin Crozier and Paul McCominskey in as freshers. I'm not sure any fresher has played on a Queens team since McAnallen though maybe I'm wrong.

The test is not if they can hammer Portglenone - it's in Ulster. St Galls are way too good for Portglenone and only Cargin have the personnel to even threaten to challenge them. I'm not convinced Cargin have a man at the helm who can push them on to challenge St Galls though.

[bannside]

Speaking of men at the helm in Cargin, has to be said JC got his Cargin team playing great, fast and disciplined football. His reward was to get shafted!

The main thing with St Galls and Cargin is they have large panels, with plenty of competition for places. Thats what makes all the difference. Leaves the manager calling the shots, instead of a team that rolls up on match day and practically picks itself.

When the tail wags the dog its time to go.

[bannside]

Trouble, probably best not going into the ins and outs of the whole payment thing, its a real can of worms.

What is your thinking on Antrims position when they next go to appoint managers. Should the board appoint an Antrim man who is honest and passionate and would do it for the love of his county, or should they go for an outsider with a proven track record and impressive CV. Problem is, the latter types will cost, because they ave a high stock level and they will have a "going rate" which usually involves a backroom team of trainers etc, and will be in big demand with ambitious club set ups!

As far as I know S/W have never asked for payment, but were astonished at the figures Jody was "allegedly" getting!

In retrospect Jody got himself a good deal, considering he has managed to take Antrim football backwards, but in reality his appointment smacked of amateurism, and what evidence is there of a genuine effort to get a manager with a proven track record.

In comparison, look at the appointment of Malachy O Rourke in Fermanagh. He wouldnt be a cheap option, but the difference was he had a PROVEN record, with THREE county titles in three different Ulster counties. He had a reputation as master tactition, man manager, and cute hoor. Jody took a schoolboys team.

I can think of ten good men who would take Antrim to a much higher level, and only one of them is a genuine Antrim man, still putting together a healthy CV.

Get the right management team in and I think the players would respond and results will follow. But there needs to be a genuine determined effort to get the right personnel in place, or else it will be more of the same old shite, and to be honest I`m getting tired of it!

[Our Nail Loney]

McCartan did a great job with Queens. The  team they had when he was there had nowhere near the "star quality" of the poly teams and even the likes of Sligo RTC at the time. He seemed to have them playing a very effective system, playing together as a team and had individuals, who were perhaps limited, playing well above themselves. He also could spot talent and had Justin Crozier and Paul McCominskey in as freshers. I'm not sure any fresher has played on a Queens team since McAnallen though maybe I'm wrong.

The test is not if they can hammer Portglenone - it's in Ulster. St Galls are way too good for Portglenone and only Cargin have the personnel to even threaten to challenge them. I'm not convinced Cargin have a man at the helm who can push them on to challenge St Galls though.

In my fresher year, aidan carr and gerard o kane started the final and gavin donaghy came on, trying to think if eoim mccartan was on as well but he may have been injured. Micheal o rourke played the next year also I think.

[Our Nail Loney]

Has Mc Cartan a track record of employing negative tactics, SS?

Have you ever seen a match involving one of his Queen's Sigerson sides? 12 men behind the ball, but having said that I feel his Sigerson teams over-achieved. Either three or four consecutive finals, with one win.

You can hardly say they over achieve getting to four finals in a row there must be a bit of class, players like marty mcgrath, niall bogue, ciaran o reilly, aidan carr, gerard o kane, billie joe padden all county regulars and thats to name a few

[bannside]

How did Mc Cartan do in Burren, and just as a matter of interest, I wonder how he would stack up in the eyes of the Burren players versus current manager Damien Barton. One for the Down thread I suppose.

Max is 100% when he said that a good appointment for St Galls would not be a plus for the county preparations. I`ve long been of the opinion that when it comes to St Galls and Cargin, the real pride and passion would usually be club first.

Having said that, if Mc Cartan can match the aspirations of his "employers", and take them to an all -Ireland club title, that wouldnt necessarily be a bad thing for Antrim football. St Galls threw it away under Rafferty, a few players vastly underperformed on the big day when it was theirs for the taking, but the preparations were colossal and meticulous, and I believe Rafferty to be one of the best in the business.

His teams display against Nemo was the most discilplined an intense and awesome Ive ever seen from ANY group of Antrim players, keeping them scoreless from open play until the 43rd minute, in Portlaoise.

Jury out on Mc Cartan, only time will tell.

[imtommygunn]

I would concur that he over achieved. In the sigerson queens won under him they had a lot less talent, individually, than the poly. However collectively he had tactics and attitude spot on. I think compared to what they were up against I would say players like BJP, Dick Clerkin were reasonably average but good ball winners.

Like bannside said though -it would be interesting to see what Burren people think of him.

Any which way I would say St Galls will win the county title but it's further afield they will be looking.

On the county front - when's the Tommy Murphy? Anyone know the squad for it - anyone know who replaced the four who left? (assuming it was just four but I think there'll likely have been more)

[ONeill]

20. MICHEAL Ó RIABHAIGH MICHAEL REA BRACKAVILLE

eh? Controversial. A Tyrone man, playing in Tyrone for the Hill, but lining out for Antrim as a Brackaville man....

[imtommygunn]

All things considered that's not that bad a team...

I wonder if the two McCanns haven't been training as they obviously should start.

Who are we playing again anyway? Carlow is it?

[Glensman]

Half forward Hardstation?! Have you seen me shoot?
I'll take it as a opportunity to wear the saffron should not be passed up.
I'll lie in front of the full back line - well I'll do whatever Jody(Brolly) tells me to do...sir.
No St Galls men on there (as far as I know) so who'll be captain.

It is Carlow.
Think the same about the McCanns, imtommygunn. Michael McCann a show in.
Good to see big McCarry back. If others had half the commitment of that man we would be going places, he'd walk through a brick wall for you, never mind walk off the panel.

What does the fact its a decent team say about Antrim footballers? At least there is some heart in there?

On another note, would Wee James not have been a big mate of Shaws Road? Could we see a dramatic return to the St Galls fold for the prodigal son?

[imtommygunn]

McCarry and Convery are two boys who have shown admirable commitment over the years and to be honest haven't been treated with great respect considering so it's good to see them both getting  a game.

Having seen us play Carlow in the league we should, should, beat them however we did have Cuningham and McGourty that day. I think we should win by a few - but being Antrim there are no guarantees!

I'd have thought returning for St Galls wouldn't be too dramatic, a return for Antrim however...

[Larry Duff]

What does the fact its a decent team say about Antrim footballers?

For many of the panel it says that they may as well play in this pointless competition and get their grant money.  They only need to train when it suits them as long as they turn up on matchday.