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Been a while since we flattered!

You boys had a good first year under Davy but have gone backways since. You have the players, particularly the forwards but just have not progressed this year at all. Beating Div.2 opposition is no barometer. You have to be beating some of the Top 8/10 and Rossies just can't seem to go there.

Awesome performance by Leitrim. Could have won it.

Jesus Joe talked some crap this week. Was making no sense. Unless it's boxing and GAA is it no good then?

The only thing an ego manic like Brolly cares about is that people like us care about what he has to say. If you can identify the half truths among the many blatant lies you're doing well.

A good first half but game petered out with late Antrim goal putting a bit of a gloss on 2nd half and ended pretty much as expected. Antrim brought great physicality to game which I think caught Armagh by surprise.
Congrats to everyone involved in the Corrigan or no-where stance. Sonner Casement is built the better.

Saw this on Hogan Stand.



Philly McMahon has confirmed that he was offered the Derry senior football manager's post last autumn.

Speaking on The GAA Social podcast, the Dublin All-Ireland SFC winning defender and BBC NI pundit explained how he was close to taking the job before it was eventually filled by Paddy Tally after a four-month search for Mickey Harte's successor.

"I met the guys behind-the-scenes from Derry, they came down to me and offered me the job, and I had to go through a couple of things. I had to get the right people with me, I had to speak to my wife, I have a three-year-old, so they were a priority first of all," he said.

"I spoke to a couple of bodies that I had interest in coming in, and I was basically a couple of days from giving the last decision, and the guys I was talking to said 'Paddy's interested in taking the job'. I just said to the guys, 'if there is someone who is 100% in, you are better off giving it to them'."

McMahon didn't rule out taking another inter-county job in the future, adding: "It was a very interesting opportunity, the support behind-the-scenes seemed really good and that's what enticed me. Maybe it's set me up for the next opportunity.

"I'd like to try [county management]. I'm really passionate about performance coaching and that's kind of management in itself. My career is in the fitness industry, managing people, trying to get the best out of people, and that's what I think as a coach and a manager you have to do."

Just shows how desperate Derry were when they approached a man who has never coached at county level before and ran after a big name instead of big credentials.

It's not working for Down evidently.

There's another train of thought coaching wise in rugby and indeed soccer which is filtering into hurling at the higher levels that you need lads who can handle chaos as not everything can be micro managed, lads, who in the uncontrolled aspects of the game thrive, make the right decisions and go with it.

Take Cork hurlers for example, they beat Limerick last year by doing what no one else expected, they pumped high ball down on one of the biggest half back lines ever to feature in a hurling team and made it a shít show which their more mobile and pacy players thrived on, A well drilled Limerick had no answers to it. Limerick will evolve in 2025, they'll not allow that to happen again.
Cork then came up against a Clare team who didn't sit deep, went man for man on them and backed themselves to outscore Cork, they were the ones dictating the chaos. Not every team has a Tony Kelly or Shane O'Donnell but their management backed them to go out and play their game as and when they saw fit.

I get hurling is different, but following the pack in terms of coaching only means you're constantly playing catch up, you need lads capable and willing to break the mould and get ahead of the game tactics wise.

Aping something Tyrone or Donegal did 10 years ago isn't going to win shít all now.

100% and that's why there's a few 'coaching gurus' giving out about new rules. Their tactics don't work as well even at club level now.

Name the 'coaching gurus' giving out about the new rules?

Div 2 looks to be unpredictable again. Some clubs have started strongly. Surprised St Endas not picked up any points yet.

Who is over St.Endas this year? They've had some fall. In space of 4 or 5 years they've gone from C-ship contenders to Div.2 also rans.

Interesting approach by RG. Why isn't he suing his ex wife?

Precisely!

Anyone know how tickets will be sold for Armagh game? Request through the clubs?

Portglenone by 7
St Pauls by 4
Ulster select by 16
St James by 2
Creggan by 15
Galls by 8
Cargin by 6

Ulster select 

Down also got very well beaten by Donegal in the u20. There are massive gaps starting to appear at those levels in Ulster football.

Gaps were always there, they are just more apparent now due to the new rules. Best players will usually win and where there's a gap they will win big. We'll see a lot more hammerings than we are used to.

We're all guilty of Antrim's current malaise.

Supporters, coaches, clubs - we have done nowhere near enough. Wrong culture, wrong coaching, wrong  structures.

Players as well shouldn't be absolved. Any player that gets to u20s level and hasn't worked on their physique  for  5 years, despite all the information out there, has questions to answer


Time for the county as a collective to accept our roles in this and change the foundations for the better 

Probably the truest post I've read on here. Bring your boots to the accountability fountain and fill them, because I agree there is plenty to go around for us all.

Totally agree. There's no hiding place, no excuse for this continual level of mediocrity. We are all culpable.

Also, nothing to be gained by taking pot shots at management or players.

Look in the mirror and see what you can do, influence or sponsor. And for the vast majority that will be around juvenile development in your own club.

Whilst I agree with you, I don't think anyone has had a pop at players on this forum. I was at the game and I think the set up did the players a massive disservice. Players were hung out to dry.
I just hope they can be better set up against a poor Fermanagh team for tomorrow so as to salvage something. Good luck to everyone tomorrow.

Don't know how you can say that. With a man sent off half way through the first half all tactical plans surely went out the window. Put to the sword by a top class Donegal team.

There was no tactical plan before the lad got sent off or after it. No plans around kickouts. No attacking structure and wide open in defence. It was a complete mess.
Even without any tactical nouce, surely you can put a team together who fight for one another? There wasn't an ounce of that either I'm afraid.

The only saving grace is that Fermanagh were annihilated tonight too so that gives some hope for Saturday.

Just in from Dunsilly. It was a horror show. 2 points in 65mins. No score in 2nd half after Donegal took off all their key men at half time.
I feel for the players as there clearly is some talent there and individually they are much better than what they showed tonight. There was no shape or structure to them but most disappointing there was no fight or spirit either on the pitch or on the line.

I don't want to be negative but tonight was abysmal.

Antrim u20's as big as 9/1 tonight with the bookmakers at home to a Donegal side who wouldn't even be fancied to win Ulster at this age group.

From what I've gathered this is a decent u20 side with some real talent and under great management of Colin Toal who I see as the future senior county manager.

I believe this is disrespectful from the bookies and a great chance for punters to clip them and rinse the crookmakers tonight.

Regards,
SS

Disrespectful from the bookies? Mother of God.
Tell me this.. what has Toal done for you make a claim that he is a great manager?