Antrim Football Thread

Started by theskull1, November 09, 2006, 11:48:40 PM

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bannside

Please MR don't interpret what I said as better support equates to success. God I wish it was that simple!

My main point was simply where has our support gone to...it's never been as bad. Second point....people are much more interested in their clubs atm,  Third point, our own ex players have deserted the cause completely, (why) and fourthly, we have massive work to do. Nowhere have I remotely insinuated that extra support would guarantee anything!

Regarding such fickle support we are pathetic. Everyone waiting for a magical run before they go to the closet to find their old colours. Either you get behind your county team or you don't. Sometimes it seems we have more experts on here than people who bother their backsides driving a mile or two to support their county.

Sometimes I think we simply don't deserve success....because compared to other counties we haven't got enough people who REALLY care.




bannside

Cheers PJ. A few months ago I decided to take a break from here. I'd changes going on at work (new business venture) and that was a big priority, and I was getting a bit tired of the same old rhetoric here. 

As it turned out not much has changed. Season one for Lenny and his support team on and behind the scenes was far from what was envisaged, and another year of same won't do. Players like Lennys set up, its definitely more professional than before....but Lennys remit is to deliver results too, so hopefully year two will see a clearer progress curve in relation to his impressive 5 year plan.

I wasn't avoiding here because of a fracas between ourselves and St John's. Our club committee has discussed discipline on the field at length, and we are being pro active about that as clubs should be. We will take our medicine whatever it Is, and when the matter has reached its conclusion I will offer my own appraisal of the situation. (The matter is still ongoing).

bannside

Fair comment HS. I totally get the product isn't good enough, but even when we fluctuated between divisions 3 and 4 for years, there was always a decent crowd at our home games....maybe 800 to 1200 home supporters.....a guess I admit. The product wasn't much better then. People you saw at matches all the time have literally just stopped going. We hadn't 200 at Pairc Esler and even less in Tullamore for the qualifier against Offaly.

So why such an obvious drop off in support inside a couple of years? Has the product got THAT much worse?

themac_23

Quote from: bannside on July 28, 2018, 12:51:20 PM
Fair comment HS. I totally get the product isn't good enough, but even when we fluctuated between divisions 3 and 4 for years, there was always a decent crowd at our home games....maybe 800 to 1200 home supporters.....a guess I admit. The product wasn't much better then. People you saw at matches all the time have literally just stopped going. We hadn't 200 at Pairc Esler and even less in Tullamore for the qualifier against Offaly.

So why such an obvious drop off in support inside a couple of years? Has the product got THAT much worse?

Personally, im just sick of the county game in general, even on TV i find watching county football difficult and thats the top teams, this has filtered down to me going to Antrim games, i used to go to every championship game, most league games and the odd mckenna cup game. Its been at least a few years since i went to a county game, just got out of the habit and i have zero interest in going back just apathy i suppose. Flip side of that, ive driven to Toome, Portglenone, ahoghill and other places to watch club games as a neutral just as i find them more enjoyable. dunno what we can do about the county, suppose my point is i dont think the rapid decline in numbers is exclusive to Antrim, i think all bar maybe 5-6 counties are experiencing it.

bannside

#14989
Gold, you mention an outside manager being a priority. But the big question is how could that be funded. You mentioned Aidan O Rourke again as if he might provide the answer. Well he hasn't done it anywhere yet, at club county or university level, so what's your motive for thinking he would be the solution. And wasn't he given an opportunity to interview the last time round? At least the other two candidates Lenny and JMK had taken club teams to win All Ireland titles. Plus they both made excellent presentations. Of the three, AOR looked the least attractive and the costliest.

There's no easy answer to finding the manager that will please everyone.  15 (or more) South Antrim managers in my lifetime supporting Antrim have had a go...to little success ( bar big Whitey in 2000 but again this fizzled out soon after) obviously no one in the South West ticks the boxes because in 100 years we haven't had one, and if we go for the big name (say a Malachy O Rourke for example) the question is who is going to fund that?

It won't come out of county coffers that's for sure. Two thirds of the senior county expenditure in the last 5 years had been blown on the hurling side of things!


bannside

TheMac you're right in that there's no doubt the modern game is hard to watch. It dosent hold a candle to full on 15 a side as we knew it. Who in God's earth would want to be a corner forward in today's game. And yes it's true crowd numbers are well down in other counties too...especially in Derry who have had some fall from grace by their own lofty standards.







whatwillbwillb

Over the past few years we have had good minor teams that have more than held their own at Ulster and have been extremely competitive, we have nothing to loose in Div. 4 and the present county panel bar 2 or 3 good young lads just physically can't do it. These kids worked well and atm are lost in the system of age groups but playing club football . AV should in conjunction with sensible people on the executive (not easy) just accept Div. 4 for the next few years and focus on these kids to pull through what would be a strong and unified group of lads.. If not they'll be lost heading away to Uni, states and further a field . Forget about everything except building for the next 3-5 years with these kids that have proved they can compete and get on no club rivalry.. We had a least 11 lads from Antrim on a Mc Crory & Hogan Cup winning panel/ team ffs or have the powers at be forgot this!!!!!!!!!

galwayman

Quote from: themac_23 on July 28, 2018, 12:57:42 PM
Quote from: bannside on July 28, 2018, 12:51:20 PM
Fair comment HS. I totally get the product isn't good enough, but even when we fluctuated between divisions 3 and 4 for years, there was always a decent crowd at our home games....maybe 800 to 1200 home supporters.....a guess I admit. The product wasn't much better then. People you saw at matches all the time have literally just stopped going. We hadn't 200 at Pairc Esler and even less in Tullamore for the qualifier against Offaly.

So why such an obvious drop off in support inside a couple of years? Has the product got THAT much worse?

Personally, im just sick of the county game in general, even on TV i find watching county football difficult and thats the top teams, this has filtered down to me going to Antrim games, i used to go to every championship game, most league games and the odd mckenna cup game. Its been at least a few years since i went to a county game, just got out of the habit and i have zero interest in going back just apathy i suppose. Flip side of that, ive driven to Toome, Portglenone, ahoghill and other places to watch club games as a neutral just as i find them more enjoyable. dunno what we can do about the county, suppose my point is i dont think the rapid decline in numbers is exclusive to Antrim, i think all bar maybe 5-6 counties are experiencing it.
I obviously can't talk about Antrim football specifically but I think you've hit the nail on the head in a general sense there.
I know a lot of people (Galway & Mayo mainly) who would have been big into going to every game who now would go only occasionally as they find county football a hard watch.
It can still produce fantastic games from time to time but a lot of it is drab enough.
I go to all the Galway football games league & chanpionship but would also watch a fair amount of club football in both Galway and Mayo - one thing I find in these counties anyway still is that the very defensive football you see at county level hasn't overly filtered down to the club scene.
Not in Galway and Mayo anyway from what I've seen.
There are exceptions of course - but few enough teams go that way from what I've seen.
Bad club games are more about just old fashioned bad football rather than defensive football borefests.
Was up in Casement for the Galway Antrim game in 2012.Awful day for Galway football but an enjoyable day out

bannside

Lenny will have learned a lot in year one and will have a better understanding of the type of player he needs for next year and subsequent years. I spoke to him recently at a match between Portglenone and Cargin and he is very proactive about scouting for the type of player he wants, and has designated men watching lots of games all summer. He can't be faulted for giving the job his full commitment and hopefully he will pick up  dozen exciting new panellists for next year. He deserves all the support we can offer if we are going to have a proper crack at getting back out of division four in 2019.

belfastsaff

#14994
i hear it was rough between Ld and Kickams yesterday with a man having to be air lifted to hospital ? hope he makes a full recovery, was at st johns and cargin a draw probably a fair result but cargin have a bit more in the tank have to be favourites for the championship.

themac_23

Quote from: galwayman on July 29, 2018, 08:55:03 AM
Quote from: themac_23 on July 28, 2018, 12:57:42 PM
Quote from: bannside on July 28, 2018, 12:51:20 PM
Fair comment HS. I totally get the product isn't good enough, but even when we fluctuated between divisions 3 and 4 for years, there was always a decent crowd at our home games....maybe 800 to 1200 home supporters.....a guess I admit. The product wasn't much better then. People you saw at matches all the time have literally just stopped going. We hadn't 200 at Pairc Esler and even less in Tullamore for the qualifier against Offaly.

So why such an obvious drop off in support inside a couple of years? Has the product got THAT much worse?

Personally, im just sick of the county game in general, even on TV i find watching county football difficult and thats the top teams, this has filtered down to me going to Antrim games, i used to go to every championship game, most league games and the odd mckenna cup game. Its been at least a few years since i went to a county game, just got out of the habit and i have zero interest in going back just apathy i suppose. Flip side of that, ive driven to Toome, Portglenone, ahoghill and other places to watch club games as a neutral just as i find them more enjoyable. dunno what we can do about the county, suppose my point is i dont think the rapid decline in numbers is exclusive to Antrim, i think all bar maybe 5-6 counties are experiencing it.
I obviously can't talk about Antrim football specifically but I think you've hit the nail on the head in a general sense there.
I know a lot of people (Galway & Mayo mainly) who would have been big into going to every game who now would go only occasionally as they find county football a hard watch.
It can still produce fantastic games from time to time but a lot of it is drab enough.
I go to all the Galway football games league & chanpionship but would also watch a fair amount of club football in both Galway and Mayo - one thing I find in these counties anyway still is that the very defensive football you see at county level hasn't overly filtered down to the club scene.
Not in Galway and Mayo anyway from what I've seen.
There are exceptions of course - but few enough teams go that way from what I've seen.
Bad club games are more about just old fashioned bad football rather than defensive football borefests.
Was up in Casement for the Galway Antrim game in 2012.Awful day for Galway football but an enjoyable day out

Always good to get an outside view and see that we aren't unique in Antrim. Unfortunately i think now, a lot of clubs are introducing a defensive style, was chatting to a div 1 player few weeks ago who was said he really wasn't enjoying his football anymore because of 'the system' this is a team full of quality players with lots of flair but who are being held on a leash by a system, let the players go and express themselves i dare say it would surprise managers what can happen.

On that game at casement, i remember it well, we had a good side at that time. I remember Galway were on a slow decline at the time and remember being quietly confident we could get a win. Would that have been seen as a catalyst for change in Galway? i seem to remember a lot of the older guard playing that day, was that the game that finally finished a lot of them off? When i look at Galway now i wonder was that day we beat them the rock bottom and they've built from it? Which then begs the question, we are at rock bottom now, how do we get that bounce to start going again

whatwillbwillb

Quote from: belfastsaff on July 30, 2018, 10:45:13 AM
i hear it was rough between Ld and Kickams yesterday with a man having to be air lifted to hospital ? hope he makes a full recovery, was at st johns and cargin a draw probably a fair result but cargin have a bit more in the tank have to be favourites for the championship.

Cowardly act if the allegations are true, enough people there to view it and lets hope Sam makes a full recovery and the county deal with it accordingly, and of course lets hope MR seen it too.....

imtommygunn

Quote from: themac_23 on July 30, 2018, 05:22:36 PM
Quote from: galwayman on July 29, 2018, 08:55:03 AM
Quote from: themac_23 on July 28, 2018, 12:57:42 PM
Quote from: bannside on July 28, 2018, 12:51:20 PM
Fair comment HS. I totally get the product isn't good enough, but even when we fluctuated between divisions 3 and 4 for years, there was always a decent crowd at our home games....maybe 800 to 1200 home supporters.....a guess I admit. The product wasn't much better then. People you saw at matches all the time have literally just stopped going. We hadn't 200 at Pairc Esler and even less in Tullamore for the qualifier against Offaly.

So why such an obvious drop off in support inside a couple of years? Has the product got THAT much worse?

Personally, im just sick of the county game in general, even on TV i find watching county football difficult and thats the top teams, this has filtered down to me going to Antrim games, i used to go to every championship game, most league games and the odd mckenna cup game. Its been at least a few years since i went to a county game, just got out of the habit and i have zero interest in going back just apathy i suppose. Flip side of that, ive driven to Toome, Portglenone, ahoghill and other places to watch club games as a neutral just as i find them more enjoyable. dunno what we can do about the county, suppose my point is i dont think the rapid decline in numbers is exclusive to Antrim, i think all bar maybe 5-6 counties are experiencing it.
I obviously can't talk about Antrim football specifically but I think you've hit the nail on the head in a general sense there.
I know a lot of people (Galway & Mayo mainly) who would have been big into going to every game who now would go only occasionally as they find county football a hard watch.
It can still produce fantastic games from time to time but a lot of it is drab enough.
I go to all the Galway football games league & chanpionship but would also watch a fair amount of club football in both Galway and Mayo - one thing I find in these counties anyway still is that the very defensive football you see at county level hasn't overly filtered down to the club scene.
Not in Galway and Mayo anyway from what I've seen.
There are exceptions of course - but few enough teams go that way from what I've seen.
Bad club games are more about just old fashioned bad football rather than defensive football borefests.
Was up in Casement for the Galway Antrim game in 2012.Awful day for Galway football but an enjoyable day out

Always good to get an outside view and see that we aren't unique in Antrim. Unfortunately i think now, a lot of clubs are introducing a defensive style, was chatting to a div 1 player few weeks ago who was said he really wasn't enjoying his football anymore because of 'the system' this is a team full of quality players with lots of flair but who are being held on a leash by a system, let the players go and express themselves i dare say it would surprise managers what can happen.

On that game at casement, i remember it well, we had a good side at that time. I remember Galway were on a slow decline at the time and remember being quietly confident we could get a win. Would that have been seen as a catalyst for change in Galway? i seem to remember a lot of the older guard playing that day, was that the game that finally finished a lot of them off? When i look at Galway now i wonder was that day we beat them the rock bottom and they've built from it? Which then begs the question, we are at rock bottom now, how do we get that bounce to start going again

Truthfully i think mchugh is right that ulster football has a lot to answer for. Even our lower divisions are loaded with "sweepers".

Caesar

Anyone know what happened during the Lamh Dhearg vs Creggan game?

tiempo

Any idea when the club football Championships start, are there dates?