All Ireland Gaelic Football Final 2014 Kerry v Donegal

[rodney trotter]

Donegal should be well prepared again

Arrangements have been made to stay for five nights at the exclusive Lough Erne Golf Resort in neighbouring Fermanagh, just two weeks after a similar camp in Johnstown House, Enfield, Co Meath prior to the All-Ireland semi-final win over Dublin where, it's understood, they got through much of their tactical planning.
With a party of over 40 players and backroom staff, the costs could be in the region of €20,000 but Donegal are known to have significant backers, at home and overseas, who have helped them cover the costs of similar ventures.

Only last week three of their Dublin-based players travelled to training in Ballybofey by helicopter.It is a measure of the professional nature of their preparations that Donegal have been able to embark on such a camp once again.Earlier this year, the squad and management took in a week of warm-weather training in Portugal prior to the Division 2 league final.

The Lough Erne venue has no football fields available to Donegal, but they could host their training sessions in local club facilities.Located a few miles outside Enniskillen towards the Donegal border, the resort is a high-end venue that hosted the G8 summit last summer.

This latest trip of Donegal will come as a surprise, given the length of time Donegal have spent 'in camp' this season. Kerry were also in Portugal, visiting the Amendoeira Golf Resort at the same time and have held four warm-weather training camps there since 2010.
They regularly travel to the Fota Island resort outside Cork on the weekend before a major game.

At their weekend pre-All-Ireland final press event, full-back Neil McGee was promoting the benefits of going into camp prior to big games. "You are more or less living with the team, getting proper recovery and eating the right foods. You nail it perfectly," said the defender.Asked about the benefit of the five intensive days of preparation for the Dublin match in Johnstown House, McGee answered: "There's been a lot made about the five days, but we could prepare like that for every game, the Dubs are no exception. Five days was maybe a day or two extra, but we seen it as a massive task, it was a task we knew we could do, but we had to have the right work done.""We can only prepare how we can prepare. We can't factor in what they are going to do. We can just prepare our own team, whatever happens during the game we have to adapt and be ready for every scenario."We will get away now this week and boys will get assigned to who they will keep tabs on and whatnot. It gives us a while to prepare for it and a while to study for it."The Gweedore clubman admits he thrives in that environment, having been part of the International Rules travelling squad. "It is enjoyable," he said and he added: "If you have to find any quality at all, you will find it in those few days. When you have a bit of extra work to do, that's when you can do it, or if you need a wee break, it's ideal." Irish Independent -

See more at: http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/donegal-to-splash-out-on-luxury-lough-erne-final-camp-30571696.html#sthash.CUaTa69U.dpuf

[armaghniac]

Collective training? Long an issue in the GAA
https://www.crokepark.ie/gaa-museum/gaa-archive/gaa-museum-irish-times-articles/amateurism-v-professionalism---the-1954-debate

[BluestackBoy]

I see in today's paper that Donegal are off to the Lough Erne resort, where the G8 summit was held, for 5 days to prepare for the final.

Apparently Neil Gallagher wasn't happy with the red wine in Johnstown House wheras Neil McGee thought the biscuits that went with the coffee were a bit on the small side.

This sort of attention to detail is what I confidently expect will carry us over the line on the 21st

Those boys must have very considerate employers. This is where they will win the All Ireland though, it all boils down to the level of preparation and attention to detail that most other counties can't match. If McGuinness wins an AI title and quits Donegal then god help the fellow that has to take up the job after him as it will be an impossible job to follow.

I've seen this idea that McGuinness is going to quit after the final doing the rounds now for quite a while.

Now, while it is entirely possible that he might, I haven't heard anything from any sources in Donegal to say that this is indeed the case.

It would be very unusual for a manager to quit having just won an All Ireland, assuming they do actually win it, especially in way that they have gone about it.

People mention his job in Glasgow with Celtic & the increased demands there, but McGuinness is a GAA man & a Donegal man through & through. He always said that he was going to Celtic as much to learn as anything else, his young family are based in Glenties & let's face facts, he will never be short of a living. If he decided to set himself up as a sports consultant in the morning he would be swamped with people looking for him.

[Rossfan]

Could he become Football's Cody going on for 15 years? 

[yellowcard]

I see in today's paper that Donegal are off to the Lough Erne resort, where the G8 summit was held, for 5 days to prepare for the final.

Apparently Neil Gallagher wasn't happy with the red wine in Johnstown House wheras Neil McGee thought the biscuits that went with the coffee were a bit on the small side.

This sort of attention to detail is what I confidently expect will carry us over the line on the 21st

Those boys must have very considerate employers. This is where they will win the All Ireland though, it all boils down to the level of preparation and attention to detail that most other counties can't match. If McGuinness wins an AI title and quits Donegal then god help the fellow that has to take up the job after him as it will be an impossible job to follow.

I've seen this idea that McGuinness is going to quit after the final doing the rounds now for quite a while.

Now, while it is entirely possible that he might, I haven't heard anything from any sources in Donegal to say that this is indeed the case.

It would be very unusual for a manager to quit having just won an All Ireland, assuming they do actually win it, especially in way that they have gone about it.

People mention his job in Glasgow with Celtic & the increased demands there, but McGuinness is a GAA man & a Donegal man through & through. He always said that he was going to Celtic as much to learn as anything else, his young family are based in Glenties & let's face facts, he will never be short of a living. If he decided to set himself up as a sports consultant in the morning he would be swamped with people looking for him.

I've heard nothing about him quitting myself, its just pure speculation, but every manager will have a certain lifespan and very few only the very successful will be able to choose their own departure date. McGuinness has earned that right for himself and he could well stay on but I wouldn't be in the least bit surprised if he didn't. Very successful managers like Pete McGrath and now Mickey Harte have stayed past their sell by date in the past and have failed to update their methods as the game has evolved. McGuinness could do well to avoid the same mistake and embark on a different challenge to test himself elsewhere or in a different field.   

[yellowcard]

Could he become Football's Cody going on for 15 years? 

No chance. Hurling's AI title is the preserve of about 5 or 6 counties per year at a push. Kilkenny have no football to compete with so its not even comparable. Prior to McGuinness taking over Donegal they were ranked about 20th I think but have now won 3 Ulster titles in 4 years and are on the verge of their 2nd AI title in the same period. They have over achieved massively in doing this but could just as easily slip down to the lower reaches of the top 20. The depth of competition in football is much greater than hurling.

[Syferus]

McGuinness is burning both ends of the candle right now. He won't last much longer before he simply needs a break. Every damned manager is a 'GAA man'.

[rodney trotter]

I don't think they have overachieved massively tbh, they had a bad year before he took over shipping a heavy defeat to Armagh in the Qualifiers. But they were only a kick of a ball from winning the U21 final against Dublin that year, Murphys penalty coming back off the cross bar.

Karl Lacey had 2 All Stars before McGuinness took over, Gallagher was always a top midfielder a few others weren't consisent like McFadden and Kavanagh.
They had won the Division 1 League title in 2007 so it wasn't like it was all new to them challenging the top teams.

[Rossfan]

Could he become Football's Cody going on for 15 years? 

No chance. Hurling's AI title is the preserve of about 5 or 6 counties per year at a push.

Football is fairly limited these days too. Only difference is that a team from way down the rankings can join the top table e.g Donegal.
But in the last 10/12 years we had only 2 genuine contenders from 03 to 09. In the "oneies" we've had Cork,Dublin, Donegal winning AIs with Mwr and Kerry losing Finals.
I'd expect McG would have the cop on to know when to jump ship.

[J70]

Could he become Football's Cody going on for 15 years? 

No chance. Hurling's AI title is the preserve of about 5 or 6 counties per year at a push. Kilkenny have no football to compete with so its not even comparable. Prior to McGuinness taking over Donegal they were ranked about 20th I think but have now won 3 Ulster titles in 4 years and are on the verge of their 2nd AI title in the same period. They have over achieved massively in doing this but could just as easily slip down to the lower reaches of the top 20. The depth of competition in football is much greater than hurling.

An over achieving team will win one title, not be one of the leading teams over a span of four years.

[yellowcard]

I don't think they have overachieved massively tbh, they had a bad year before he took over shipping a heavy defeat to Armagh in the Qualifiers. But they were only a kick of a ball from winning the U21 final against Dublin that year, Murphys penalty coming back off the cross bar.

Karl Lacey had 2 All Stars before McGuinness took over, Gallagher was always a top midfielder a few others weren't consisent like McFadden and Kavanagh.
They had won the Division 1 League title in 2007 so it wasn't like it was all new to them challenging the top teams.

They had some good players alright but I don't think anyone could have thought they would achieve what they have done. He managed to change a whole culture and mindset of a county within the space of 12 months. U-21 success is no guarantee of senior success but it was McGuinness who managed that side as well, which was an early indication what he was capable of. 

[BluestackBoy]

McGuinness is burning both ends of the candle right now. He won't last much longer before he simply needs a break. Every damned manager is a 'GAA man'.

McGuinness is no more burning both ends of the candle than any other football manager. Don't forget the Celtic job is part time, albeit very well paid part time, so his work is no more pressurised than any other manager.

As for every "damned" manager being a GAA man, I never said otherwise. The point I was making is that if he takes the Celtic job full time that would involve cutting himself off from GAA entirely, something I think he would be slow to do.
Apart from that a full time job at Celtic would involve moving his family to Scotland. Why would he do this? At the rate Celtic are going they could have a change of manager next week & the new man could decide to bring in a whole new group of people leaving Jim high & dry.

Now, I'm not saying it won't happen. But one thing I do know, the only person who has any idea what McGuinness will do after September is the man himself & whatever he does will have been well thought through.

[yellowcard]

Could he become Football's Cody going on for 15 years? 

No chance. Hurling's AI title is the preserve of about 5 or 6 counties per year at a push. Kilkenny have no football to compete with so its not even comparable. Prior to McGuinness taking over Donegal they were ranked about 20th I think but have now won 3 Ulster titles in 4 years and are on the verge of their 2nd AI title in the same period. They have over achieved massively in doing this but could just as easily slip down to the lower reaches of the top 20. The depth of competition in football is much greater than hurling.

An over achieving team will win one title, not be one of the leading teams over a span of four years.

If they are not an over achieving side then are you of the opinion that they have only achieved what their ability suggested that they should have done? I would disagree strongly with that, the Donegal collective is much greater than the sum of the individual talent. The single biggest factor is the manager. Without him it is debatable if they would have won an Ulster title, now they are on the verge of their second AI title.

[INDIANA]

It's becoming clear that Donegal are being bankrolled by a few Abramovich like characters in the background. Another 5 day camp


Do the donegal players work for a living or are they subsidised by these wealthy backers ?

[BluestackBoy]

It's becoming clear that Donegal are being bankrolled by a few Abramovich like characters in the background. Another 5 day camp


Do the donegal players work for a living or are they subsidised by these wealthy backers ?

There is a group of business people who are picking up the tab for things like the trips to Lough Erne & Johnstown House not to mention the helicopter trips to training.

Employers are also cutting players a lot of slack but that is the effect McGuinness is having here. Business people see someone who produces results & is professional in his approach & they are buying into the glamour of it all big time..

All I can say is, we'd better win the bloody thing now