Derry Club Football & Hurling original

[restorepride]

The truth is we were awful all of the league and some of McErlain's decision making showed his lack of experience as a senior manager.  He can be shattered all he wants but some of this disaster is self-inflicted.  His lack of any real tactics or team structure was brutal.  For the third year in a row we have peaked in the McKenna Cup. 

[robbiegael]

McErlain did a superb job with our minors over a three year period.

There is no doubt about his passion and commitment to Derry football. Yes, the responsibility rests with him but the finger cannot be pointed at him alone -- the players and the county board and the clubs and the individual club players and the supporters - the whole of the Derry GAA community needs to have a long hard look at why Derry county football has hit an all time low.

[tbrick18]

Embarrassing to say the least. Heard mcerlains interview, where he tried to pass the buck to previous years defensive frailties. I think he has to take a lot of the flak himself here with his decisions on panel and complete lack of defensive game plan. There's a big difference between minor and senior.

I actually think we could be in div for for quite a while to come. Immature management, a team too dependant on youth, poor decisions made around excluding players from the panel....where does it end? It's going to be even more difficult to get players to commit to county now.

I can see us take 2 tankings come championship.

All time low with no obvious signs that things will improve.

Scundered.

[restorepride]

McErlain did a superb job with our minors over a three year period.

There is no doubt about his passion and commitment to Derry football. Yes, the responsibility rests with him but the finger cannot be pointed at him alone -- the players and the county board and the clubs and the individual club players and the supporters - the whole of the Derry GAA community needs to have a long hard look at why Derry county football has hit an all time low.

You forgot to blame Scór as well, they have been no use in the league at all. 

[robbiegael]

McErlain did a superb job with our minors over a three year period.

There is no doubt about his passion and commitment to Derry football. Yes, the responsibility rests with him but the finger cannot be pointed at him alone -- the players and the county board and the clubs and the individual club players and the supporters - the whole of the Derry GAA community needs to have a long hard look at why Derry county football has hit an all time low.

You forgot to blame Scór as well, they have been no use in the league at all.

I am sure you would agree that it is a collective failure?

[Derry Optimist]

We can justifiably refer to defensive frailties,team tactics and managerial shortcomings as the cause of Derry's relegation to Division Four of the League.However there are 14 more basic and fundamental reasons for our current league standing ie the absence,for a variety of reasons, of 14 of the top twenty players in the county.
For most if not all of the games the following players were not available.(I suggest no county in Ireland could sustain such a huge haemorrhaging of their leading players).Which county could remain competitive and do without the following players?
Niall Keenan
Ciaran McFaul
Chrissy McKaigue
Brendan Rogers
Karl McKaigue
Padraig Cassidy
Shane McGuigan
Christopher Bradley
Sean Leo McGoldrick
Niall Holly
Garth McKinless
Niall Loughlin
Ryan Bell
Danny Heavron.
Slaughtneil's success,some went travelling,some were not prepared to commit ,others were not asked were the main reasons for the unavailability of the above.

How does any county management or County  board change that scenario? I know  the All Ireland club championship being held in the one calendar year would solve the dilemma that the Slaughtneil players had this year.I just do not know what, if anything can be done about the other three issues.It is going to be pretty difficult to get some players to commit if Derry are in Division  Four when they found it difficult to do so in either Division Three or indeed Division Two.

[restorepride]

We can justifiably refer to defensive frailties,team tactics and managerial shortcomings as the cause of Derry's relegation to Division Four of the League.However there are 14 more basic and fundamental reasons for our current league standing ie the absence,for a variety of reasons, of 14 of the top twenty players in the county.
For most if not all of the games the following players were not available.(I suggest no county in Ireland could sustain such a huge haemorrhaging of their leading players).Which county could remain competitive and do without the following players?
Niall Keenan
Ciaran McFaul
Chrissy McKaigue
Brendan Rogers
Karl McKaigue
Padraig Cassidy
Shane McGuigan
Christopher Bradley
Sean Leo McGoldrick
Niall Holly
Garth McKinless
Niall Loughlin
Ryan Bell
Danny Heavron.
Slaughtneil's success,some went travelling,some were not prepared to commit ,others were not asked were the main reasons for the unavailability of the above.

How does any county management or County  board change that scenario? I know  the All Ireland club championship being held in the one calendar year would solve the dilemma that the Slaughtneil players had this year.I just do not know what, if anything can be done about the other three issues.It is going to be pretty difficult to get some players to commit if Derry are in Division  Four when they found it difficult to do so in either Division Three or indeed Division Two.

And yet again Emmett McGuckin has not been selected, he would have filled your 'ghost' team sheet!

[greenlight]

2015 Division 1 Final
2016 Relegated from division 1
2017 Relegated from division 2
2018 Relegated from division 3


One sad, sad day.   I guess the only way from here is up ...

Your dates are wrong. It was the 2014 League final. They were relegated from Div 1 in 2015. Almost relegated from Div 2 in 2016 after a defeat by Armagh on the last day.

Still, we need to have a serious discussion about the county structures in Derry.

[greenlight]

Are we really to believe that two goalkeepers who have played more senior games for Derry than their clubs are the best in Derry?

McErlaine is out of his depth.

[North Man]

There needs a serious clear out in Owenbeg, this place is full of wee hilters all getting paid and from what i see, doing very little.
I have not seen such positions advertised in the local press and derrygaa.ie etc, maybe i missed them!!!!
Then there is the question of accountability !!!
Where we are now is a tremendous opportunity to get back to basics.

[DERRYSFINEST]

There needs a serious clear out in Owenbeg, this place is full of wee hilters all getting paid and from what i see, doing very little.
I have not seen such positions advertised in the local press and derrygaa.ie etc, maybe i missed them!!!!
Then there is the question of accountability !!!
Where we are now is a tremendous opportunity to get back to basics.

Can you name the paid employees in Owenbeg and their job titles please? Salary?

[restorepride]

There needs a serious clear out in Owenbeg, this place is full of wee hilters all getting paid and from what i see, doing very little.
I have not seen such positions advertised in the local press and derrygaa.ie etc, maybe i missed them!!!!
Then there is the question of accountability !!!
Where we are now is a tremendous opportunity to get back to basics.

Do you think they should all be working voluntarily?

[Real Talk]

There needs a serious clear out in Owenbeg, this place is full of wee hilters all getting paid and from what i see, doing very little.
I have not seen such positions advertised in the local press and derrygaa.ie etc, maybe i missed them!!!!
Then there is the question of accountability !!!
Where we are now is a tremendous opportunity to get back to basics.

North Man has 'hit the nail' on the head but that is only part of the problem and yes some of them have to be paid.  Its their attitude to volunteers and them not being accountable to anyone that is most disturbing.  I think the County Chairman needs more help to oversee the management of what is quite a large Complex (ie Owenbeg) with an awful lot going on in terms of projects/people on a daily basis.   So now could be a good time for a review of the whole process .... including the not unexpected demise of the Senior County Football team

[36-03-09]

You can add Emmett McGuckin on to the list of absentees - also not called up

So far Lynch, Kielt, Heavron, McGuckin.

Wonder what goalkeepers are on panel, was Postie asked back?

Don't know how a starting player can go from main player to not needed within 2/3 months. I know all managers will have difference in opinion on certain players but to not make a 30-40 man panel is some drop.

The only way that lad should be let through the gates of Owenbeg again is if he's rebuilding them. That's if his ego can fit through them.

What's wrong with giving the Slaughtneil keeper a shot?

Are we really to believe that two goalkeepers who have played more senior games for Derry than their clubs are the best in Derry?

McErlaine is out of his depth.

Hell slap it up you.

[Wildweasel74]

manager should have resigned today, was down at the game and am so mad!  Division 4, how we go so low in 4 years, I remember Mcivor 5yrs plan to take Derry back to the summit, well we had 3 years of himself, and looking back he was a fair plus to the current situation even though i wasn't happy with his defensive stuff in the last year, and we ended back in Div 2. Barton had us for 2 and even though we were good for Mayo i thought he was out of his depth over the two year and took us to div 3. This year we should have added good players to the existing panel who played Mayo last year like Johnson, McGoldrick, O`brien, but some of the Derry team from that day were not even asked.  How can 2 half`s of management team from Magherafelt and Ballinderry not pick the best 2 players from either club for the county team is baffling. Why Coleraine players ,Holly, C Mullan, Sean Leo and Colm McGodrick wouldn't play/not asked, there half a team not even in the mix. So 6 years after the 5 year plan we now relgated to Division 4, some going.