Derry Club Football & Hurling original

[lenny]

We were the top scorers in our division. We also conceded the most. Not hard to see where the problems are. The worries regarding our system of play following the All Ireland Minor Final last year were justified.

We also had the best by far score difference of any team relegated. This means that we lost a good few tight games. That comes down pure and simple to the lack of experience in the panel. Far too many players were discarded and players who were just too young were brought in to replace them. There needed to be more of a balance. Too many players just out of minors and with not enough senior experience even at club level. Bad decisions from the management which I'm sure they now regret.

[Real Talk]

We were the top scorers in our division. We also conceded the most. Not hard to see where the problems are. The worries regarding our system of play following the All Ireland Minor Final last year were justified.

We also had the best by far score difference of any team relegated. This means that we lost a good few tight games. That comes down pure and simple to the lack of experience in the panel. Far too many players were discarded and players who were just too young were brought in to replace them. There needed to be more of a balance. Too many players just out of minors and with not enough senior experience even at club level. Bad decisions from the management which I'm sure they now regret.

It was criminal leaving N Keenan. D Heavron and C McFaul out .... am I right in saying Niall and Ciaran were not leaving the country until June

[Wildweasel74]

Anybody the decency to resign yet??

[Wildweasel74]

I think mcfaul was sitting not too far from us at the wexford game

[shawshank]

Can you imagine the amount of bitching that will be drooling out of the good Gaa folk of Derry following yesterdays result. A county that is a cesspit of begrudgery will go into over drive. The amount of experts who will offer an opinion to whats wrong, yet we have had approx. 500 at home matches and much less at away games. So whats the problem we all got what we wanted, created a culture of 'feck the county team' or 'your wasting your time up there' etc etc There will only be a few genuine geals in Derry gutted today following yesterdays result.

[skeog]

What does the director of football do thought that was a soccer term.Usually the holder is really the boss.

[BackInTheGame]

I'm just hoping that McErlain has learnt from his mistakes. He was always going to make some, the acid test will be whether he has accepted his mistakes and learned from them before the championship and, probably more realistic, in time for the Division 4 promotion push next year.

I know he has tried to bring youth through and get rid of those who he considers not good enough and unlikely to improve, but calling up lads who haven't played senior football for their clubs (and trying to call up a 17 year old who was deemed, by McErlain himself, not good enough to start for Derry Minors only 4 months previously) has cost us hugely.

Anyone else remember when McCloy, McCusker and McGuckin was our full back line... Compare that to now and all becomes clear.

[Real Talk]

I'm just hoping that McErlain has learnt from his mistakes. He was always going to make some, the acid test will be whether he has accepted his mistakes and learned from them before the championship and, probably more realistic, in time for the Division 4 promotion push next year.

I know he has tried to bring youth through and get rid of those who he considers not good enough and unlikely to improve, but calling up lads who haven't played senior football for their clubs (and trying to call up a 17 year old who was deemed, by McErlain himself, not good enough to start for Derry Minors only 4 months previously) has cost us hugely.

Anyone else remember when McCloy, McCusker and McGuckin was our full back line... Compare that to now and all becomes clear.

Don't recall those 3 starting in the full back line together

[greenlight]

Anybody the decency to resign yet??

Report from the Irish News on 30th January:
"It [promotion] was very hard from the start. This was one of the big fixtures, Westmeath are a good side and they'll be up around the top for sure.

"We have to look after ourselves. The fixtures will come at us and we're going to these away grounds and they'll be very tough matches.

"We're light in terms of the men we have but if you talk about what we have today, it's frustrating because we didn't win the match with the squad we have.

"It doesn't matter who's missing. It doesn't matter that we lost Benny and Terence from the team we named on Thursday night – that's this time of year, it's hard to get 25 men from Thursday to Sunday."

The lightness of his squad has led to heightened questioning of the decision not to pick Danny Heavron and Emmett McGuckin as part of his panel. Asked why they had been left out, McErlain replied: "I picked a panel and those two lads weren't on it."

Weren't deemed worthy enough of a place in a team getting relegated to Div 4. Guys originally not picked should go nowhere near the squad if approached now.

[BackInTheGame]

I'm just hoping that McErlain has learnt from his mistakes. He was always going to make some, the acid test will be whether he has accepted his mistakes and learned from them before the championship and, probably more realistic, in time for the Division 4 promotion push next year.

I know he has tried to bring youth through and get rid of those who he considers not good enough and unlikely to improve, but calling up lads who haven't played senior football for their clubs (and trying to call up a 17 year old who was deemed, by McErlain himself, not good enough to start for Derry Minors only 4 months previously) has cost us hugely.

Anyone else remember when McCloy, McCusker and McGuckin was our full back line... Compare that to now and all becomes clear.

Don't recall those 3 starting in the full back line together

I have the memory of a goldfish so I'll concede that I'm probably wrong on that.

But all 3 definitely played in defence together, so my point is still relevant.

[Wildweasel74]

It normally mcguckin either mccloy/ mccusker and lockhart@  but that actually playing hardened experienced men! All i look at is we had a forward line of the 2 bradleys; lynch and muldoon; a midfield of  conway; bradley,doherty; diver;  and o kane in half backs and with all those good players we still won very little!

[South Derry fan]

Now that I have had time to settle down and let 24hrs pass can someone answer a few Questions for me. As one of only 39 Derry season ticket holders yes we have 39, THRITY NINE my God.  (our Neighbours have 1500 season ticket holders by the way) also we seem to have lost 11 since the famous Clones 50 turned up in 2007 against Armagh.
Anyway Q1. why did the county Board allow a panel of only 29 to be picked knowing at least 13 (uni and Slaughtneil players)weren't available until at least Feb. what happened to the days of picking a McKenna cup panel then adding uni players and cutting accordingly for the start of the league and then when slaughtneil players became available doing the same, you are strengthening your panel as you progress and cutting the players you don't deem up to it after having worked with them, this closed shop mentality is completely wrong.
Q2. What has happened to the days of if your playing well for your club the door is never closed.
Q3.Did we only carry 29 players this year because we needed the room on the bus for what must be the biggest back room teams in Ireland I have never seen as many men with earpieces in my life I thought Donald Trump was about to appear in Sligo yesterday. It is complete overkill if all these people are talking to the manager at the one time and all giving their expert advice it has to be complete confusion.
Q4 Brian McIvor had a 5 year plan and brought through youth. Damien Barton had 2 years of bringing through youth and now Damien comes in and starts again with youth surely the youth of 6 years ago should be serious inter county players by now
Q5. Why are we persisting with Celtic park when the people living in the city beside the ground don't even know the team are playing their or care.
To finish the rant the sign of a good management team is how they react when things go wrong.
Get a championship panel together put some kind of basic game plan into action and give the summer a rattle. Unfortunately at the minute there might only be 38 season tickets bought for next year??

[markl121]

I'm one of the 39 too South Derry fan. We are a dismal bunch. Part of me thinks the whole team should be torn apart and solely picked on who has a good club season. We can't do any worse. I also agree that games should go to bellaghy or glen. The team needs to have some success in championship or else even less players will commit and the season ticket numbers will probably drop to 10.

[JoG2]

Guys originally not picked should go nowhere near the squad if approached now.

And what exactly would that achieve at this stage of the season you clampit?

Now that I have had time to settle down and let 24hrs pass can someone answer a few Questions for me. As one of only 39 Derry season ticket holders yes we have 39, THRITY NINE my God.  (our Neighbours have 1500 season ticket holders by the way) also we seem to have lost 11 since the famous Clones 50 turned up in 2007 against Armagh.
Anyway Q1. why did the county Board allow a panel of only 29 to be picked knowing at least 13 (uni and Slaughtneil players)weren't available until at least Feb. what happened to the days of picking a McKenna cup panel then adding uni players and cutting accordingly for the start of the league and then when slaughtneil players became available doing the same, you are strengthening your panel as you progress and cutting the players you don't deem up to it after having worked with them, this closed shop mentality is completely wrong.
Q2. What has happened to the days of if your playing well for your club the door is never closed.
Q3.Did we only carry 29 players this year because we needed the room on the bus for what must be the biggest back room teams in Ireland I have never seen as many men with earpieces in my life I thought Donald Trump was about to appear in Sligo yesterday. It is complete overkill if all these people are talking to the manager at the one time and all giving their expert advice it has to be complete confusion.
Q4 Brian McIvor had a 5 year plan and brought through youth. Damien Barton had 2 years of bringing through youth and now Damien comes in and starts again with youth surely the youth of 6 years ago should be serious inter county players by now
Q5. Why are we persisting with Celtic park when the people living in the city beside the ground don't even know the team are playing their or care.
To finish the rant the sign of a good management team is how they react when things go wrong.
Get a championship panel together put some kind of basic game plan into action and give the summer a rattle. Unfortunately at the minute there might only be 38 season tickets bought for next year??

All very pertinent questions SDF. I live on the edge of the city but would prefer all non championship games to be played in Owenbeg (2 out of the 3 home games had been scheduled for Owenbeg) or Glen. Utterly depressing stuff yesterday again.  Naivety from both management and players (and I'm not blaming the players as many are just out of minors or being played out of position) throughout the campaign. All it would have taken yesterday for example was 1 defender to take one for the team and not allow Sligo to waltz through for their 2 quick goals. But that'll come with experience at this level. It must be said that some of the forward play was excellent and the Sligo ones around us signalled big McAtamney for fair praise.
There's fine young talent who needed to be integrated around an experienced core. I'll keep my counsel for now on other issues, feeling's are still raw.

The bit in bold, mistakes have been made, that's for sure, but pride needs swallowed, phone calls need to be made and doors knocked. Would be something to add some men who should be there back into the squad increasing it's size and benefiting the younger men, your county needs you!  It's still March, the shutters are down but don't need to be locked for the year.

[Wildweasel74]

South Derry fan , thats probably the best most sensible post on here in a long time! All these questions need answering though will an answer be forthcoming from the management and county board??