Derry Club Football & Hurling original

[Atticus_Finch]

Not sure we have ever got "good" support  ... even during the relatively good / better times ??

When was our last "good" year ?   Would some say 2014 when we got to the final of national league, beating the Dubs at home and Kerry away along the way ? Aware it was a bad Championship year.

I was a season ticket holder that year and while the attendance at Celtic Park was better than it has been in recent years, the attendance at away games was awful and I don't think the season ticket holders for that year could have been much more than the 39 that South Derry man has said exist this year.

We beat Kerry away in Killarney and there couldn't have been more than 20 Derry fans there.  The Derry team stayed on the pitch afterwards to thank the fans that made the trip.  Chrissy McKaigue made a point in his interview with the paper to thank the fans for making the trip.  You would have thought the fans were doing the team a favour the way he spoke, but it was a pleasure to be there that weekend the team were top notch that day.  The support clearly matters to the team. Should it have to wait for times when we are doing better for the support to pick up ?  Hopefully not but probably.

I was in the O'Neills store in Andytown, Belfast last weekend.  It wasn't easy to find the Derry section, it was absolutely tiny.  There were two small rows of shirts, it seemed to be dwarfed by every other Ulster county.  Antrim (as you would expect) and the Tyrone durt bags had very large merchandise sections.  To put it in context, there were more Copper Face Jacks O'Neills novelty jerseys than there were Derry jerseys.  I saw two grown men actually look at these Copper Face Jacks jerseys as if they were seriously contemplating buying them .....   

In addition to our obvious poor attendance figures. I would say that Derry fan rating would also reflect badly using the "hats, flags & headbands" stats using O'Neills sales figures as a barometer.  There seems to be feck all demand for Derry merchandise and therefore there is little in the way of supply going on what was in offer in that O'Neills store.

How do we increase support ?  I spoke to Arlene Foster on the matter and she said under no circumstances should the South Derry "crocodiles" be fed.  First give them league games in South Derry and before you know it there will be no games at all in Celtic Park   

Really don't think staging division 4 games in South Derry next year would make a significant difference to attendance but is it worth trying now, we've hit rock bottom and might as well try and put the debate to bed through trying it.  Does anyone think it would lead to an uptake in season ticket numbers.

I was at an NFL talk show in the Waterfront on Monday night.  One of the NFL players present, Alex Collins of the Baltimore Ravens does Irish Dancing in his spare time for conditioning.  So they asked for volunteers form the audience to go up and have an "irish dance off" with him.  Who stepped up ?  Emmett McGuckin.  The big magherafelt man knew his twos & threes. Wouldn't have minded seeing him dance amongst the Sligo defenders last weekend tbh, think he could have made a difference.  He was the main scorer during that 2014 game against Kerry I described above.   But it is what it is and he and many other lads I would like to see wearing a Derry shirt are currently not doing so for one reason or another.  As that Cahair O'Kane article that's been referred to a bit on here, one of the things we are crying out for is stability. How can a team grow and improve if it is constantly chopping and changing.  yeah, the league campaign has been a disaster from the point of view of being sent down to division 4 but also i'm not sure if it has been good from the point of (what should be one of the objectives of any league campaign) - having a more or less "stable" / tried & tested starting team come championship. 

Still think the management team should be afforded time.

Hopefully we will see a half decent support in Cavan or Donegal come championship ....

[lenny]

Not sure we have ever got "good" support  ... even during the relatively good / better times ??

When was our last "good" year ?   Would some say 2014 when we got to the final of national league, beating the Dubs at home and Kerry away along the way ? Aware it was a bad Championship year.

I was a season ticket holder that year and while the attendance at Celtic Park was better than it has been in recent years, the attendance at away games was awful and I don't think the season ticket holders for that year could have been much more than the 39 that South Derry man has said exist this year.

We beat Kerry away in Killarney and there couldn't have been more than 20 Derry fans there.  The Derry team stayed on the pitch afterwards to thank the fans that made the trip.  Chrissy McKaigue made a point in his interview with the paper to thank the fans for making the trip.  You would have thought the fans were doing the team a favour the way he spoke, but it was a pleasure to be there that weekend the team were top notch that day.  The support clearly matters to the team. Should it have to wait for times when we are doing better for the support to pick up ?  Hopefully not but probably.

I was in the O'Neills store in Andytown, Belfast last weekend.  It wasn't easy to find the Derry section, it was absolutely tiny.  There were two small rows of shirts, it seemed to be dwarfed by every other Ulster county.  Antrim (as you would expect) and the Tyrone durt bags had very large merchandise sections.  To put it in context, there were more Copper Face Jacks O'Neills novelty jerseys than there were Derry jerseys.  I saw two grown men actually look at these Copper Face Jacks jerseys as if they were seriously contemplating buying them .....   

In addition to our obvious poor attendance figures. I would say that Derry fan rating would also reflect badly using the "hats, flags & headbands" stats using O'Neills sales figures as a barometer.  There seems to be feck all demand for Derry merchandise and therefore there is little in the way of supply going on what was in offer in that O'Neills store.

How do we increase support ?  I spoke to Arlene Foster on the matter and she said under no circumstances should the South Derry "crocodiles" be fed.  First give them league games in South Derry and before you know it there will be no games at all in Celtic Park   

Really don't think staging division 4 games in South Derry next year would make a significant difference to attendance but is it worth trying now, we've hit rock bottom and might as well try and put the debate to bed through trying it.  Does anyone think it would lead to an uptake in season ticket numbers.

I was at an NFL talk show in the Waterfront on Monday night.  One of the NFL players present, Alex Collins of the Baltimore Ravens does Irish Dancing in his spare time for conditioning.  So they asked for volunteers form the audience to go up and have an "irish dance off" with him.  Who stepped up ?  Emmett McGuckin.  The big magherafelt man knew his twos & threes. Wouldn't have minded seeing him dance amongst the Sligo defenders last weekend tbh, think he could have made a difference.  He was the main scorer during that 2014 game against Kerry I described above.   But it is what it is and he and many other lads I would like to see wearing a Derry shirt are currently not doing so for one reason or another.  As that Cahair O'Kane article that's been referred to a bit on here, one of the things we are crying out for is stability. How can a team grow and improve if it is constantly chopping and changing.  yeah, the league campaign has been a disaster from the point of view of being sent down to division 4 but also i'm not sure if it has been good from the point of (what should be one of the objectives of any league campaign) - having a more or less "stable" / tried & tested starting team come championship. 

Still think the management team should be afforded time.

Hopefully we will see a half decent support in Cavan or Donegal come championship ....

Maybe I'm wrong but I always remember decent crowds when the league games were in Glen, Screen or Bellaghy. Without wanting to be divisive the football heartland of Derry is in the south of the county. We need to take the games back there and get people behind the county team again. The more people start going the more the feeling of support and goodwill behind the county team grows. That in turn will lead to less negativity and less players opting out. Championship games can still go to Celtic park or backdoor games to owenbeg. Also for development squads some of the sessions should be taken in south derry and rotated around the clubs to ensure that all clubs and players buy in.

[screenexile]

well ive heard three men were interveiwed

liam donnelly

baker

and paudie tads oul boy

I heard Terence McWilliams' name as well and sure the word was Audi Kelly left Moy to take over Slaughtneil a few weeks ago and that was bollocks.

Slaughtneil run a tight ship I doubt anybody will know until the decision has been made... A tough job to go into when the minimum expectation is an All Ireland club!!

[oakleafgael]

well ive heard three men were interveiwed

liam donnelly

baker

and paudie tads oul boy

I heard Terence McWilliams' name as well and sure the word was Audi Kelly left Moy to take over Slaughtneil a few weeks ago and that was bollocks.

Slaughtneil run a tight ship I doubt anybody will know until the decision has been made... A tough job to go into when the minimum expectation is an All Ireland club!!

The three men named above are the only candidates who have been directly spoken to. That doesnt necessarily mean one of them will get it though!

[restorepride]

Bright evenings, spring in the air, under 16 team at pitch looking forward to a match, the other club couldn't fulfill the fixture.  Why?  Because they had to go to Mass! All is not as healthy in club football as some in Derry would have you believe.

[BackInTheGame]

Bright evenings, spring in the air, under 16 team at pitch looking forward to a match, the other club couldn't fulfill the fixture.  Why?  Because they had to go to Mass! All is not as healthy in club football as some in Derry would have you believe.

Good grief.

[call it as i see it]

Bright evenings, spring in the air, under 16 team at pitch looking forward to a match, the other club couldn't fulfill the fixture.  Why?  Because they had to go to Mass! All is not as healthy in club football as some in Derry would have you believe.

Good grief.

VALID enough rerason in my opinion maybe they should have given better notice but people are entitled to follow their beliefs 

[Waataboutyee]

i suppose your going to claim he doesnt get paid ?

that's right

[restorepride]

Bright evenings, spring in the air, under 16 team at pitch looking forward to a match, the other club couldn't fulfill the fixture.  Why?  Because they had to go to Mass! All is not as healthy in club football as some in Derry would have you believe.

Good grief.

VALID enough rerason in my opinion maybe they should have given better notice but people are entitled to follow their beliefs

Do you think they were at Mass?!  Still believe in fairies?  5 different clubs, at the start of the club season conceded matches in the last 10 days.  Not rearranged, conceded. When clubs are honest, especially with themselves, then the inflated county expectations will be more realistic.

[call it as i see it]

Bright evenings, spring in the air, under 16 team at pitch looking forward to a match, the other club couldn't fulfill the fixture.  Why?  Because they had to go to Mass! All is not as healthy in club football as some in Derry would have you believe.

Good grief.

VALID enough rerason in my opinion maybe they should have given better notice but people are entitled to follow their beliefs

Do you think they were at Mass?!  Still believe in fairies?  5 different clubs, at the start of the club season conceded matches in the last 10 days.  Not rearranged, conceded. When clubs are honest, especially with themselves, then the inflated county expectations will be more realistic.

didnt say the players what if the managers were at mass end of the day it was an u16 freindly

[restorepride]

Bright evenings, spring in the air, under 16 team at pitch looking forward to a match, the other club couldn't fulfill the fixture.  Why?  Because they had to go to Mass! All is not as healthy in club football as some in Derry would have you believe.

Good grief.

VALID enough rerason in my opinion maybe they should have given better notice but people are entitled to follow their beliefs

Do you think they were at Mass?!  Still believe in fairies?  5 different clubs, at the start of the club season conceded matches in the last 10 days.  Not rearranged, conceded. When clubs are honest, especially with themselves, then the inflated county expectations will be more realistic.

didnt say the players what if the managers were at mass end of the day it was an u16 freindly

Since when did the county board start organising friendly matches? 

[braveheart]

The 1st league game of the season yesterday and I see lavey beat Dungiven. Lavey,under John Brennan and Seamus Downey could be a team to watch this year. Dungiven,on the other hand struggled last year and may also struggle this year. With 4 going down teams need points in these early fixtures

[Newbridge Exile]

IF (repeat IF )what Joe brolly says is true, it's very very strange that the Derry head of coaching is out in Australia with 2 Derry minors for AFL trials ?

[Rawhide]

IF (repeat IF )what Joe brolly says is true, it's very very strange that the Derry head of coaching is out in Australia with 2 Derry minors for AFL trials ?

I had heard that also, in fact I was told that he invited the players to this before xmas. It is not trials, it is dressed up as exhibition games.

[Keyser soze]

Saw a pic of him on fb/twitter in Aus with Conor Glass.