The Armagh Harps Thread

[Rufus T Firefly]

jaysus lads, that was totally unexpected today. where dd it all go wrong?

Bit of a disaster all round today Uladh - I'll get a report up later, but the better team won, end off! I think the final score was 3-13 to 1-04 - I'll tot up my notes later.

Talking to the neighbours (Ogs) who were at the other semi. I think it was in Ballymacnab - apparently Dromintee won handy enough after being two down at half time.

[say nothin]

Cross were too strong all over the park. Dont think Dromintee will count, to be honest that Cross team would beat most senior Division 1 teams in Armagh.

How do they keep producing such quality players??

[bennydorano]

Very dissappointing performance yesterday, Cross were superior in nearly every position and had a far greater cohesion and committment.  Charlie Vernon seemed to be the only player capable of taking the game by the scruff of the neck but he had little support although I thought Joe Quigley and Deckie Coulter tried very hard.

[Rufus T Firefly]

Cross were too strong all over the park. Dont think Dromintee will count, to be honest that Cross team would beat most senior Division 1 teams in Armagh.

How do they keep producing such quality players??

Funny - I had this conversation with a fellow Harps man recently. Cross produce quality players alright, but if you look at their underage success, we are on at least a par with them, if not better, as are the Ogs. What Cross manage to do is keep all their good players on board. As an example, that Harps team playing yesterday should have been the team that won an Ulster Minor Club Championship, three years tomorrow. Yet in that short timespan, look how many - for one reason or another - did not feature yesterday? Harps, as an example, are not bringing through fully their underage talent, and as a consequence, any hope of the Seniors making the breakthrough will become an absolute pipe dream.

There is also an element of 'success breeding success', and there appears to be a culture in Cross of looking up to their local heroes and trying to emulate them. Think about that culture and what it means, and compare that to our own Club as we enter 2007!

Enough said!   

[Rufus T Firefly]

Harps v Crossmaglen Rangers

Harps' hopes of achieving back to back Under 21 Titles came badly unstuck at Mullabrack yesterday, when they were well beaten by a much more determined and street wise Crossmaglen Rangers team. This was a game that the Harps will want to forget in a hurry as they were beaten all over the park and as a consequence suffered a very heavy defeat.

The match was played on a heavy pitch in very cold but clear conditions. Harps started the game playing into a strong wind, and were soon in trouble with Cross dominating around the middle and putting in good ball to their dangerous attackers. They managed the opening point and repeated the dose from the kick out. A long ball in caused confusion in the Harps defence and led to a one on one situation with the keeper that resulted in a well taken goal. The Harps were reeling and struggling to make any impact at all. Kevin Kelly's free faded left and Joe Quigley had a wide before Cross extended their lead with a point from a free. Two further points were added, one a fifty yard free. Rangers for the first time in the match were guilty of some bad shooting, but Harps could not capitalise and were guilty of dropping shots short into the keeper's hands. Another long range point followed for Rangers, but Harps could only muster two wides from Kevin Kelly frees, as they struggled to kick into the breeze. Harps' attempts at damage limitation suffered a blow when Cross got in for their second goal just before half time. A ball in midfield should have been cut out – instead possession was turned over and a brilliant pass over the top of the defence left a second one on one and as before, an expert finish was applied.

Half time, Harps 0-00, Crossmaglen Rangers 2-06.

Any hopes that Harps had of recovering the situation were not helped by the conditions, as the wind that they had struggled to play into had died down significantly by the start of the second half. These hopes were then totally extinguished when Rangers took the game by the scruff of the neck and knocked over three quick points on the restart. Harps managed to get on the scoreboard with a point from a Joe Quigley free kick and Declan Coulter added a point from play. Rangers responded with two points of their own before Joe Quigley pointed another free and Declan Coulter managed a goal after his shot was deflected to the net. Rangers appeared to sense the need to step up a gear and had a point and a goal, the latter as a result of a flowing move through the Harps's defence that left the spare man at the back post with an easy fisted finish. Kevin Kelly pointed a Harps' free but Rangers were able to respond in kind, finishing the match as convincing winners.

Final score, Harps 1-04, Crossmaglen Rangers 3-13.

Harps had few players who will look back on this match with any sort of satisfaction, although the efforts of Joe Quigley, Ciaran Clifford and Declan Coulter are worthy of mention whilst Charlie Vernon was, by the proverbial street, our best player on the pitch. The Harps lined out as follows. Johnny Daly, Karl Grimes, Ciaran Clifford, Fergus McAleavey, Mark McConville, Charlie Vernon, Smackers McAnaney (Cormac Toner), Gareth Swift, Simon Lennon, Martin McCoy, Declan Coulter 1-1, Joe Quigley 0-2 (0-2 frees), Darren Ward, Kevin Kelly 0-1 (0-1 free) and Liam Devlin.       

[maddog]

There is also an element of 'success breeding success', and there appears to be a culture in Cross of looking up to their local heroes and trying to emulate them. Think about that culture and what it means, and compare that to our own Club as we enter 2007

Nail on head Rufus. Was very disappointed in the performance. Cross a country mile ahead in terms of skill, commitment, fitness, and probably a lack of beer over xmas. I think i saw a glimpse of club footballs future in armagh and its not good. That said im just an outsider looking in but concerned about what i saw.

[Uladh]

What should be most alarming for gaels in the county is that if Cross win on saturday, they will have captured the minor, u21 and senior titles for 2006. And at a virtual canter for each team at that!

[Rufus T Firefly]

There is also an element of 'success breeding success', and there appears to be a culture in Cross of looking up to their local heroes and trying to emulate them. Think about that culture and what it means, and compare that to our own Club as we enter 2007

Nail on head Rufus. Was very disappointed in the performance. Cross a country mile ahead in terms of skill, commitment, fitness, and probably a lack of beer over xmas. I think i saw a glimpse of club footballs future in armagh and its not good. That said im just an outsider looking in but concerned about what i saw.

First of all Maddog, sorry I didn't get to meet up over Christmas - Happy New Year to you and the Good Lady.

As for last Saturday, I could genuinely write pages about the difference between Cross and ourselves. We gave Cross a good run for their money in a County Semi-final at the tail end of 2003, with a young team, half made up of minors and under 21s. The future looked great! As of the start of this year, it is likely that less than half of that team will be playing Senior football. In contrast, Cross have successfully moved on, changing their team (for positive reasons) and coming back totally reinvented. The Harps on the other hand have kept losing many of the underage prospects that we had.

I don't normally talk out of shop about what goes on in Committee meetings. However our inability to keep on board much of our underage talent is a real cause for concern in meetings, and recently a photo of our successful minor team of 2004 was produced which showed that over half of the thirty in the picture no longer play football with the Harps. Meanwhile in Cross there is yet more success which gives more and more underage players the incentive to get to the Senior team - what better than healthy competition to keep bringing out the best in your resources?!

I can see the Harps' problems mirrored throughout the County. What is required in our Club is a sea change in the culture of our young players. Given that, and what I saw in Mullabrack last Saturday, I could see Cross doing twenty in a row at Senior level - and I'm not exaggerating!    

[corn02]

Cross are a special club, and if they complete the treble would be a remarkable achievement and at a canter as stated already. But it will be an interesting final on Saturday, unlike our Seniors mosts of these boys have beaten Cross in a county final in the under 21s three years ago. Will any of the harps boys take a run up?

[Rufus T Firefly]

Cross are a special club, and if they complete the treble would be a remarkable achievement and at a canter as stated already. But it will be an interesting final on Saturday, unlike our Seniors mosts of these boys have beaten Cross in a county final in the under 21s three years ago. Will any of the harps boys take a run up?

Cross are out on their own alright but a few facts are pertinent here! Cross have won the last eleven Senior Titles in a row - starting in 1996. Prior to that, their previous County Title was when they beat the Ogs in Keady in 1986.    Cross failed to even get to a County Final in the following nine years, despite having a pile of top names in that period.

Cross will do a remarkable treble alright if they knock over the Under 21 title this week-end. But they do not dominate under age any more than the Harps or the Ogs do. Off the top of my head, Harps have most titles at Minor, the Ogs at Juvenile and Cross at Under 21.

What Cross have developed is a system whereby their great success is generating yet more and more success, and there does not need to be underage domination to continue their domination at Senior. The opposite is happening at other Clubs. Rangers dominance is a massive tribute to that Club - particularly given their success beyond the County. However I feel that the rest of the Clubs in Armagh have not made their task of knocking over County titles as difficult as it should be.   

[Rufus T Firefly]

Just a reminder people that membership for 2007 is now due. As normal, it can be paid behind the bar or to any member of the Committee. Early payment would be appreciated!   

[holylandsniper]

Out of interest Rufus how much is it?

[Rufus T Firefly]

Out of interest Rufus how much is it?

Football/full Membership is £20 (£25 if paid after 1st March)
10 year football/full membership is £160 (and entitles the holder to free entry to all Harps home games).
Social Membership is £10 (£15 if paid after 1st March)
Youth Membership is £10
Honorary/OAP is free.

[upforthematch]

Social Membership, what is that, so say 2nd March i join up its £35?

[holylandsniper]

thanks
the poor students