Antrim Football Thread

[ONeill]

oneill, i think its time you removed your tongue from Sean McGourty's hole. Ok, you work with the scruffy tr**p-big deal. Connor McGourty for the Senior team? Get a f**king grip. He needs 2 more years before looking at it.

Good man Slim, some things never change. Luckily enough, I've been living in Antrim for almost a decade now and know that you represent the 1% that give the county a bad name. I think if you ask Sean McGourty he'll tell you he'd prefer to throttle me for some of the things I've posted on here, but he'll not get the chance as I don't work with him, which, as you say, is a big deal?

Finally, from what I've seen, young Conor is the most exciting forward in Antrim football right now, light years ahead of many of his older contemporaries in terms of class. Not many have scored 0-2 in an All-Ireland Club Final. Not many have landed the best point of the day against Nemo Rangers...and that's before the age of 18. He's young (18/19?), but he's good enough. I can't think of one Antrim county forward I'd have before him.

[theskull1]

Flipping back to hurling

What opinions do you (who are interested) have on the following questions

With Jingo not going quietly, this has obviously added to the pressure Sambo and Woody will be under to deliver the goods next year. What I would like to understand is

1. What are the goods which they need to deliver? What I mean is, has a definition of "SUCCESS" been defined for them or more importantly, has a definition of "SUCCESS" been defined for Antrim hurling and is there a possibility that the those two objectives if they exist (which I have to admit I don't believe they do) are opposed to each other, thereby making FAILURE inevitable at AT LEAST one level if not two?

2. Taking these questions forward, what are your expectations of the Div 1 club league next year? (even after this years disaster..which the County board are still making excuses for)

3. How many of you believe that the number of intercounty matches in the summer months and the subsequent lack of club matches is directly ruining the game for the local communities?

4. Have you any suggestions to improve the current situation with club matches(which has existed for 10 years or more)?

[milltown row]

1.   here are my views for what it's worth:

With the amount of posts on various sites (Hogan stand, Antrim site, and this one) and from club players the County will have to improve the leagues or it will be the only thing that the County board will be remembered for. I'm hoping against hope that they fix the leagues this year.

12 teams for division one, two way league if reserve games are to be played then all teams need to have two teams, Glenariff need to have two teams. These games have to be played on a Sunday. Games against local teams can both be played during the bright nights, not like we had this year when we were fixed to play Portaferry, Cushendall, and Ballygalget, mid week when there was no chance of two games being played. Hosting clubs should put on a spread for fans coming down and put on discount prices for players for a couple of pints (drivers can have coke....cola) this will hopefully bring back the craic the clubs had years ago. During the period that the north Antrim Feis is on the Belfast teams should run off a competition with senior hurling teams from Belfast, division one teams to not play their county players.

If we are leaving the reserve teams out this year then the reserve teams to be dropped down into division 2 with two leagues open draw at the start of the year and games to be played on a Friday night or Monday night. This should free up fringe players of the senior panel to be available for their senior teams on the Sunday (a senior team needs 5 to 6 subs to be competitive otherwise players think they are guaranteed a place on the team)

Championship should be a straight knockout. Reserve teams play the same team before the senior game. Means players wont play both.

We wrap up the county players in cotton wool before big games, if Sambo and Woody have a panel of players fighting for each position then there is no need to have this 7 or 10 day rule stopping games, absolute madness, the county players need competitive games before the intercounty games, if they get injured there should be players chomping at the bit to get on and impress. I could go on have to start work now...

[SlimShady]

Where did I say CJ wasn't a quality prospect? No doubt he is and given time will be a top class player. Throwing an 18 year old lad in at the deep end against fully grown men is a surefire way to get them wrecked. Sure, keep him and his likes on the U21's and let him play a full year with his own senior team before making the giant step from Inter County minor to Senior!!

[charlie stubbs]

players like donnie brennan of laois have done it before.clarke wasnt much older when he startted playing for armagh,and no offence but it would be alot harder to break into these teams than antrim from what i have saw of their most recent panel

[maxpower]

theskull1

my own thoughts on the matter is, as i suspect is your own.  that the success for antrim hurling and sucess of the antrim hurlers are two mutually exclusive objectives (esp under this management).  For Sambo and Woody to be successful they will seek to bring the level of preparation up that of many of the top southern teams.  I don't think they will quantify success in games won but in the competitiveness the antrim team bring in each game, training and preparation will go to a new level.

success for antrim hurling i believe to be something different, i remember a time going to club hurling matches every other sunday, the crowds were fantastic the atomsphere great and me as a person who played football first became more and more involved in hurling.  to my mind that is success and has been missing for a few years.  Success is a thriving club scene. 

can a club scene thrive with the sheer amount of time required for the county team to succeed.  hence i believe its one or the other or neither

as for what i suspect will happen next year, not entirely sure but i don't expect regular matches, possibly 3/4 matches in quick succession then nothing for months

[slow corner back]

What represents success for Woody and Sambo
Minimum, Win at least one of the regular 5 NHL matches and be competitive in the other 4 ie loose by 5/6 points at most. This would place Antrim in Div 2 for the 2008 season. Championship Win Ulster and in group stages win at least one game and be competitive in other two
Moderate, Win two national league games, we would still end up in Div 2 and win one championship game and loose second by 1 point/ dodgy ref, list any of our usual excuses
Real sucess Gain place in Div 1 for 2008, eight team league remember. Qualify for all ireland quarter final. I am not holding my breath.

Leagues
I have always favoured eight team leagues as we had a few years back played home and away. So what if Rossa and Ballycastle drop into Div 2 they are not that good at present, that would give us
Div 1 Loughgiel,C,Dall,Portaferry, Ballycran,Ballygalget,Glenarriffe,Dunloy, St Johns
Div 2 St Galls,Rossa, Ballycastle,Lamh dearg, Stpauls, Sarsfields, C,Dun,Tir Na Og
Div 3 Carey, Gorts,Glenarm,Armoy,Glenravel,McDs,Ahoghill,St Endas,
These would be competitive leagues with every1 fighting to get promoted or avoid relegation. We need something at stake in games. You could certainly attempt reserve leagues for Div 1 and 2 even if they were only played on a one way basis, I would expect a lot of midweek games and u cant play senior and reserve on a wednesday night, altough you could play reserve games midweek before county matches so maybe home and away?
Leagues to be played during April, May, June and July. August set aside for group championship as per this year which I thought was quite good.
And before any of u ask I just relegated my own club to div 3

Will any of this come to fruition, probably not as there are too many vested intrests, Ballycastle do not want to be in Div2 in their centenary year for one and Sambo and Woody will probably ban hurling for 4 months of the year. Heres hoping I am wrong about them.

[milltown row]

you have backed up my conspiracy theory, Ballycastle have been trying to win games to stay up as they know of the impending leagues changes.

thats a competitive league slow corner back but we can still have a ten team two way league that would be competitive. Ulster hurling league could be played in April and march then leagues start in may and championship august.

[Frank The Tank]

Re: Club Management Appointments

After the recent appointment of MM at Creggan, it seems that Antrim Club Football is an attractive proposition after all.
Has any one heard of any other possible appointments?? Are St.Galls staying internal?

Any truth to the rumour, Delargy is taking Portglenone? 39 steps; you are bound to know?

Are the newly promoted Gort na mona and moneyglass gona break the bank too?
Will Cargin keep JC for another year? Have a feeling this marriage could end up like Josies posterior i.e. Rather pear shaped!!

Replies.........

[theskull1]

You've actually checked out Josies ass??? 

[Frank The Tank]

Is that the best reply you can come up with skull?

very poor form........folklore has it when once Josie was asked in arby's carpark after a disco:

"What are ye Josie, a man or a woman"? Josie replied.......

"What the fxck does that look like ye wnker?"    as she produced a mamoth of an unshaven punani..........

Josie subject closed.

[SlimShady]

*shudders*

[theskull1]

Well I always heard the one about her propositioning a fella outside arbys one night

"Curt me or I give you a kickin'" she said
after short consideration he replies
"I'll take the kickin'" 

[slow corner back]

In reply to Milltown,
You may well be right about Ballycastle and the league changes I am from Armoy and would not be that up to speed with what they are up to. I just liked the eight team leagues because they were very competitive and when we were good enough for the second division we were involved in a lot of good competitive matches. Personal highlight beating Loughgiel in Loughgiel which has only happened once in my lifetime with Armoy and is unlikely to happen again for a very very long time

[theskull1]

How are things in Armoy in relation to hurling SCB? What are your numbers like at the  juveniles levels? Have you got interested coaches? We don't tend to hear too much about what's going on armoy yet we're only a few miles away