Down Club Hurling & Football

[Down4sam2020]

Kilcoo would be better entering the Ulster championship , top solid defence, good forwards and passionate.

[SHEEDY]

Fair enough good point
Yes I would also have those 3 on the panel.
Any reason why they were excluded from the match Day squad?
Maybe they are injured or just back onto the squad???

any reason they are not in squad?? Not selected by the management. Deemed to be not needed. Polie has been training with down since xmas but hasnt made a squad yet, madine despite being impressive in the sigerson hasnt been asked back into the squad.

[Verticalball]

As things stand folks there is a serious issue regarding selection and inability to keep players onboard. Think back to last summer when Alan Davidson had to practically beg for a Down call up through the media or go to Antrim. Add to that the manner in which the Marty Clarke situation has been handled and what appears to be a new revelation in these recent articles that Laverty would have been open to returning had he been asked. Other players such as Damien Turley and Danny Savage must be completely disillusioned and will weaken the panel further by their absence. Player unavailability has to be considered of course but a manager / management should recognise that their job is to get everyone onboard and champing at the bit to pull on the jersey.

A good manager knows that he needs his best players available and should be doing his utmost to pull together the best panel possible. Now I am not a man with much managerial experience however some of the best managers I played under were successful because of their ability to man-manage. I would have run through walls for some because they focussed on each and every player. Result was that every member of the panel knew that the team would be picked on merit, we had the best players available and we were a united as a team. Now if I am Marty Clarke and willing to make myself available where possible, while recognising that I have an illness which will limit my ability to be the player I was in the past, a good man-manager would have me involved in some capacity. Even if it is as a twenty minute cameo or a role model for younger players, players who would have watched the 2010 final as young lads. Likewise if I am Conor Laverty or Dan Gordon and struggling to commit to training 5 days a week (especially in Newry but thats another matter) surely there has to be some accommodation? Therein lies the problem folks - no point talking about leaving such players behind while a 32 year old Aidan Carr, as committed a county player as you could find, is suddenly being asked to be the lynchpin of the side from midfield when he has never played there at county level.  I for one would be thanking Eamonn Burns for his efforts and asking either wee James or Paddy O'Rourke to take over for the remainder of the season.

[Hoes before bros]

First of all can everyone please stop talking about Niall madine. He is overweight and simply not good enough to play county football. A good performance or two for a university team isn't something to get carried away with.

Our county team are in a bad way at the minute and we all know Eamon Burns is not the right man for the job but to get rid of him at this stage of the season would just be a pointless exercise. What would it achieve? Yes it looks like we will get relegated to division 3 but what quality manager would want to take the down senior job at this stage of the season? A fresh start is what is needed and maybe starting in division 3 is as good as anywhere to start

Management is not even our biggest problem. Our big problem is a lot of the best footballers in the county will not commit themselves to the cause. If Jim McCorry had of got the commitment of players we wouldn't be in the mess we are at the minute. And that issue has only got worse since then. We could all list players who are good enough to wear the down jersey but for one reason or another do not make themselves available. We will only get ourselves our of this mess with the best 30+ footballers in the county

[Verticalball]

Niall Madine is and has shown himself to be capable of playing county football. Speak to anyone outside of Down, especially those who have watched him at Jordanstown and they are amazed that he is not involved. He would certainly strengthen the team. In terms of management being the least of our problems, I understand that view but it an obvious area to start. Would take a bold decision now  to have a change in management, someone come in who can restore a bit of pride and set up for next year but I would rather see that than Burns and co being humiliated for the duration of the season.

[Hoes before bros]

When has he shown himself to be capable of playing county football? Sigerson is certainly not the same as county. And i know things are bad but I'd like to think we'd be looking for players that are a bit more than "capable"

I did not say management was the least of our problems, I said we need a change but not now. Who is this someone that could or would come in at this stage to restore a bit of pride?

[Verticalball]

I take it that you have seen Madine play county football before? If you had you would know that he is certainly one of a few who would as I say strengthen the team. A few good oerformances for Jordanstown are enough for me yes, how many Down forwards would  make the Jordanstown team?
If you read my earlier post you'll see that I suggested wee James or Paddy O'Rourke as people who could come in. Now I'll not hold my breath on that but both would be an improvement.

[gaaman2016]

Is M Clarke available? I watched him against my own club Loughinisland last season and he absolutely destroyed us on his own and he looked as good as he was in 2010.

When speaking before the Fermanagh on Setanta he mentioned his illness but also mentioned the change in managers, if his illness was the sole reason for not playing why he did he mention the change in mangers?

Is it a matter of, if you don't do 5 sessions a week we don't want you?

[Smurfy123]

Lads I would forget about marty Clarke and Niall Madine as they are clearly not in this current managements plans so we should concentrate on the lads who are now part of the panel.
I would be more concerned about why R Johnstone,McKernan,Poland,Devlin,O Hanlon and Turley not start against Clare on Sunday after a poor performance from a lot of players the previous week?
That is the most worrying thing about this management that they could not see that the above players would strengthen the team.
O Hanlon and Mckernan in defence.Turley midfield.Poland Johnstone Devlin in the forward line
I would love to know why they did not start especially after the manager coming out after the Fermanagh game and stating that starting 6 new Boys was a mistake.Then adds Donnelly and Mooney to the team which is hardly going to change things

[Pocs pints and the gaa]

Would kilcoo beat the current down team?

[Smurfy123]

Yes
Burren would beat them too

[passedit]

I see we've moved on a few stages in the GAA  Kübler-Ross model.

• Change the management. 
• Pine for Unavailable players.
• Invest previously undiscovered ability in same.
• Proclaim specific club team could do better.

Etna smoulders on.

[OgraAnDun]

I see we've moved on a few stages in the GAA  Kübler-Ross model.

• Change the management. 
• Pine for Unavailable players.
• Invest previously undiscovered ability in same.
• Proclaim specific club team could do better.

Etna smoulders on.

I think you might be waiting a while for the final stage.

[Mourne Red]

Irish News reporting Burns had a row with a County Board official?? We really are becoming the joke of Gaelic Football

[Smurfy123]

Old news mourne red where have you been?
A full scale argument on the side of the pitch at half time with a county board official and management
I take it the county board official was telling him to get Maginn Mckernan O Hanlon Johnstone etc on