2021 Leinster Senior Football Championship

[Chrimtain]

Surely now, its time for a complete overhaul of the GAA setup in Laois. It's time for new people at the top. Clearly, they don't give a toss that we are spiralling downwards at all levels in both games. Yet, we the same tired weary faces at the top year after year.

[Joeythelips]

Time for a re-build for sure, in fairness to the older players they have given great service to the county and its not their fault there is not the talent coming through to replace them. Laois actually played very well in the first half but it was all one way traffic in the second half. Like many on here I was half expecting a bad beating after I watched Westmeath play Cork in the league and was very impressed with them there.

It really is back to the drawing board for Laois and given the amount of players on the wrong side of 30, it seems likely we have not hit rock bottom just yet.

[Chrimtain]

It's not just time for a rebuild of a team, it's time for an overhaul of all  of the structures in the county from underage to adult level. Quirke may not be good, but he's not the problem. The problem is the county board. Just look at the effect Duignan is having in Offaly.

[High Fielder]

Forget it. Nothing changing here only the Coach. And if he or she turns out to be any good, the Heads will find a way to unsettle them.

[Junior Ex Laoistalk]

This year we had what most people would agree are the best players available in Laois on the panel yet in all my time watching Laois football things have never been so bad.
What exactly is the problem, it has to lie in management or the simple fact that our lads just don't have what it takes to compete anymore.
I think it starts at Co.Board level and attitudes like those shown by the Co. Board officials filter down the line through management and eventually to the players. Letting Sugrue go was the type of thing I'm talking about, that man had the players respect and admiration and could have brought them to the next level if he was given the backing of the Co Board. The same thing happened in hurling with their manager when he was getting places, it's as though our officials don't want any sort of success. That's where the reveloution has to start, at Co Board level and the sooner the better..

[Andy06]

Forget it. Nothing changing here only the Coach. And if he or she turns out to be any good, the Heads will find a way to unsettle them.

Unfortunately thats the most likely scenario.
Whenever we get lucky and get a coach that shows any level of initiative or forward planning (see John Sugrue when he presented his topics for the improvement of the county at the end of his second reign) they are just basically given the cold shoulder by the county board. Clearly this level of free spirited thinking is frowned upon by the higher ups who just want a yes man that will be happy to just make do with what he is given for the guaranteed 2 year spell before we move onto the next one.

[town1980]

The chairman of the football board has to go he is the one who employed this management team bringing on Ross at 38 is one step to far he is a brilliant servant and I'm his biggest fan but to think he can win u a game at that age is ludicrous... when o loughlin was taken off he had words with quirke I act blame quirke because his legs are gone for inter county and probably should have even been started ,, it was easy to predict the what  Laois teams year was gonna pan out both Eddie and John massive losses,, get a manager who believes in youth stick with him for 2-3 year ,,who would want it..?

[Joeythelips]

I know we were down a man for a good bit of the second half, but if losing a half of championship football by 2 points to 3-10 (not to a Kerry or a Dublin either) does not get the county board to make some serious sweeping changes then nothing will.

[High Fielder]

The change will be made Joey. Quirke will go. Nothing else to see here

[caprea]

Did Quirke's record ever warrant this job?

[Chrimtain]

Did Quirke’s record ever warrant this job?

This is not about Quirke or his record prior to taking the Laois job. This is about or own failure. Quirke put his finger on the problem in his post match interview. He asked the question, how many of our schools are playing at A level in the schools championship? He says that these schools should be producing players that feed into our development, minor, under 20s and senior panels. The problem is down to poor coaching at under age level. Until that is resolved we will continue to sink.

We have failed to win a match this year. However, I was pleased with the anger and passion that Quirke showed in his post match interview. I beleive Quirke was involved in the development set up in Kerry. Someone like him should be employed by the County Board to set oversee an overhaul of the coaching set up in the county.

[town1980]

I disagree his job is to unearth new and Devop a proper system of play and not make an excuse about our A levels schools sure he took the job knowing what we have or was it the expenses lure,, the team looked unfit has all league he persisted with the older crew and unearthed not one new member to this squad ,,again I agree with the comment what warranted his claims to get the job above mal mcnulty mick Dempsey etc the answer is the chairman of the football board he decided that's the best route to go so it's his head should be on the chopping block ,, there is enough Laois men with Laois passion out there to do it and if going by this years results could do the same job and save €€€€€€€€€s doing it

[Andy06]

Did Quirke's record ever warrant this job?

This is not about Quirke or his record prior to taking the Laois job. This is about or own failure. Quirke put his finger on the problem in his post match interview. He asked the question, how many of our schools are playing at A level in the schools championship? He says that these schools should be producing players that feed into our development, minor, under 20s and senior panels. The problem is down to poor coaching at under age level. Until that is resolved we will continue to sink.

We have failed to win a match this year. However, I was pleased with the anger and passion that Quirke showed in his post match interview. I beleive Quirke was involved in the development set up in Kerry. Someone like him should be employed by the County Board to set oversee an overhaul of the coaching set up in the county.

I totally agree that the root of the problem is the county board, they should be pushing to have the underage development set up for schools around the county. Which is something they are clearly not doing at all at the moment. This is on top of neglecting the issues with the dead rubber of the county championships.
But there is no way that for me that Quirke comes out of this without blame. For two years we have been in a league with more or less teams at our level, but we have been woefully underprepared in all of them. The team always seems utterly gassed by half time, as soon as points go on the board for the other team the heads tend to drop. These are easily things a competent coach could address, but in 2 years Quirke has not.
If anything we were massively lucky in the championship last year due to it being just a knockout. We lost to Dublin as everyone else does and that was us then. If there was a qualifier I could easily see us getting beaten by a div3 or div4 team.
If he did complain about the schools not playing at a high enough level then it just really to me seems like he's spoofing. Its a valid concern of course, but he wouldnt see any benefit to this now in his term. He has to come in and manage with what he is got, which as town says im sure he was aware of when he signed up.

[High Fielder]

I won't be blaming Quirke for too much. It always stung me that he drove to Laois while Sugrue went in the opposite direction. Was nobody thinking of the environment? 😀
Seriously, we got a name after the Sugrue debacle. That was meant to appease us all. Just like Cheddar and the hurlers. The CB thinking of their own arses all the time.

[clonadmad]

It's brilliant to see so many lads on here tonight willing to go in and give the county board a shake.

It's badly needed lads and I wish every one of ye all the best in getting elected to the top table at convention this winter