Louth Club Football and Hurling

[pedro]

Right, I know there are not too many Louth men on this site but sure I'll start a thread anyway seeing as we're in the height of the club championship season.

First of all, I've been meaning to get this off my chest  for the last few years. Why do the county board insist on playin club championship matches so late on Saturday and Sunday evenings? I mean having the first game of the double header at 6.30pm and the second 7.45pm is an absolute disgrace. When we have the whole day to play why don't we have one match at, say 5pm and the second at 6.30?? For instance, Friday night, because of the rain it was getting dark at half eight, now tell me how a game starting at 7.45 is going to get finished on a pitch with no floodlights. We're lucky enough that it hasn't happened but what happens if someone gets a bad injury in the first match? Does the second game go ahead?

Anyhow, the referee made the right decision to call off the Pats/Glyde match last night, the pitch was like a swimming pool, how the Cooley/O'mahoneys game went ahead was beyond me, the pitch was way too dangerous for football.

Any other results on Champo games over the weekend?

[pedro]

well sorry 5ive times for putting a club thread into the Local Gaa Discussion forum, how silly of me...

[Lone Shark]

What's the structure of this one - I see it's two groups of six, but how many from each group get into the knockouts?

[Uladh]

As far as i know LS its top in each group goes to the semis, 2nd & 3rd go to the two quarter finals.

[Lone Shark]

Cheers Uladh.

Will probably price this one up after this weekend - obviously that kind of thing is crucial.

[pedro]

Lone Shark, it is indeed the top in each group goes directly to semi-final and 2nd and 3rd goes into the quarters. You can put your money on the Pats (many peoples favourites) coming out top in the easiest Group B (depending on them beating Glyde tomorrow nite of course) and Cooley to come in 2nd with Kilkerley or Malachi's coming in 3rd.

In the other group it is near impossivle to call but should be clearer after this weekends games. At a hunch I would have Brides, Blues and anyone from Martins, Mattock, mary's to qualify - in other words, impossible to call!

My own bet - Pats to go the whole way, 6 men on county panel and possibly another 2 more next year, great defence and best player in the county in Paddy Keenan, Cooley won't be far away also. Really looking forward to the knockout stages this year, promises to be some great matches

[pedro]

yeah i think it has been tough on the county players, they have had a long year and then last years run with the Tommy Murphy Cup made it a long year also. But then again, if we were knocked out early in the year we'd all be giving out! makes you wonder how the likes of the Armagh/Cross boys do it

Goss s moving pretty well at the minute but you always get the feeling that he's only one game away from injuring himself again. Paddy K hasn't trained the last two weeks (apart from playing against the Glyde), suffering from some sort of groin strain which is a big worry for us as he keeps drivin the team on and he's our captain. I think its somethin to do with lack of rest mixed with the type of hard-running game he plays.

Speaking of Louth players, would there be any club players good enough to make the panel next year. Based on games you have seen of course??

Although i haven't seen him I hear Derek Maguire (Y. Irelands) is a good prospect, maybe trainin at a higher level could really bring him on. Conor Sheridan (Glyde) looked good against us but he kind of struggled on the seniors before.

I personally think that the Louth senior team is missing a few mean, hard b@st@rds

[pedro]

ah another poster!

I dont think anyone can take anythin away from the Joes last year and all from the Pats wouldnt begrudge them the victory but the defeat in the final last year still hurts everyone at the club and it is still felt that it is 'the one that got away'. But there's no doubt that the Joes were more up for it on the day and more tactically sound coupled with the fact that only Keenan and Eamonn Carroll played for the Pats.

there are a few from my own club that I would like seen given a chance to prove themselves. Niall Sharkey being one, considering the way he left the squad in 2005 and looked like finally making a break through. And then cast away once injured.

In fairness I dont think Sharkey would be near fit enough to get anywhere near the Louth panel. While I admire how good he WAS and the display of point-kickin he put on in the 2003 drawn final was amazing, I think his chance at the top level is gone. It's a pity because you always felt that he had a lot more to offer than was shown.

I have to say well done to our lads on the win over Kilkerley. They came in for an awful lot of abuse after the Glyde match but then again Kilkerley were poor so its hard to know where we really stand.

Louth Exile, seeing as you attend a lot of games (club) is there anyone out there good enough to break into the Louth panel for 2008??

Also LE and MidL, what is your general opinion of Eamon Mac?? Personally i think he's a fantastic manager and speaking to our Louth men they seem to be very happy witht the whole backroom team and set up. If I thought we would go back to where we were under Val Andrews (a first-class cowboy from all reports BTW) i dunno what I would do!!

[Louth Exile]

Pedro - re new additions to the panel, although i attend a good few games I would have to admit I am not greatest judge of new talent that can make it at county level. So many good club footballers just wont make it at county level. I know he is in the melting pot already, but I was very impressed with Adrian Reid on Sunday night.

Re: Eamonn Mac and his team: I was hugely impressed last year and this year in the league, right up until the Galway game. My feeling is that the wheels came off the wagon at the end of the league and it took a while to steady the ship which lead to our rather erratic championship. Limerick was a watershed, we went down there after the depletion to the panel and ground out a good victory which was very important and for a change we were coming out the right end of a tight finish. The thing that impresses me most about the management is that they very clearly pick on form and not reputation, also, they are not afraid to make switches and tend not to leave too late.

Although, Andrews did indeed bring us to the same stage in the championship this was more by accident that design! The best example I have (and this 100% true as one of the panel travelled home with us after the game) is the Monaghan game in Cavan. The panel assembled in Smamore that afternoon to travel to Brefni, naturally enough they expected light food to be organised, no the management hadn't thought of this!! They ended up having to ring a pub close to the grounds to lay on soup and sandwiches an hour before throw in!! Picture it, a pub full of Louth and Monaghan supporters and there is the Louth panel trekking through the pub to eat up the back! If you remember Monaghan were rampant in the first half and we clawed it back in the second half (in no small part due to Clarkes kicking). Was this partly down to how close to throw in the lads ate?
It was this lack of attention to detail that made Andrews a joke. Look at how many players returned to the panel last year who didn't play under Andrews and made vital contributions to the team.

I've started now..... Do you remember the qualifier game in Drogheda (I think it was Antrim) where Nicky Mc D was playing a great game, Andrews took him off and most of us in the crowd jeered this decision. Andrews looked around as if to saw "What did I do", complete rabbit in the headlights look on him. What happened later on.. He brings Nicky back in. The man was a joke.

Eamonn Mac is not the messiah that we might have thought he was after last year, but they are doing a good job and after my confidence in the management team being dented somewhat this year I am still fully behind them.

Anyway, to bring the thread back to club matters, I see the Glyde v O'Mahonys game is on this Thursday in Knockbridge, the only game I'll make to in Louth this week. I think the Glyde will probably just make it through. There is always the danger that a Joes v Glyde relegation play off could get very nasty!! No love lost there.

Looking through the other fixtures I wouldn't mind going to the O'Connells v Gaels match. There is a fair number of Gaels supporters who have ideas above there station as to how good their team is, this should be a good clash and I'd tentatively go for O'Connells.

Pedro... answer me this. What was the story with Sean Connor at full forward?? Radio said he had a mighty game. Could this be his breakthrough into the Louth first team as a forward??

[pedro]

Also it would be worth noting, I was disappointed in the way Trevor O'Brien was treated this year. We could have done with his talent, but if he isn't even coming on as a sub whats the point.

While i think Trevor is an excellent football and has made valuable contributions to the team in the past (e.g. Cavan and Antrim in league 2006),  I recall seeing a picture of him in the local paper playing soccer and with the headlin "O'Brien takes xxx apart" or something to that effect. Even to myself it looked bad and maybe he didn't give the commitment that the rest of the team were offering.

Do you remember the qualifier game in Drogheda (I think it was Antrim) where Nicky Mc D was playing a great game, Andrews took him off and most of us in the crowd jeered this decision. Andrews looked around as if to saw "What did I do", complete rabbit in the headlights look on him. What happened later on.. He brings Nicky back in. The man was a joke.

Ha, I remember that! I actually thought it was Roscommon but that was an absolute joke.. Some of the stories  used to hear from our county men were just unbelievable, I mean our club had a better set up at the time!

LE, your right about A Reid. I was very disappointed that he was not used in qualifiers even tho he was a late comer to the squad. He is a very talented footballer and has loads of drive and ambition.

of all the players on the club scene he probably really is the only one who would stand out which maybe is a worry. I feel its always good to have a few club players disgruntled at not making the panel which makes them go out and prove a point to the management and gives them a real hunger.

Pedro... answer me this. What was the story with Sean Connor at full forward?? Radio said he had a mighty game. Could this be his breakthrough into the Louth first team as a forward??

Well LE, it was obvious that we had major problems in the forward in the last few games (especially against the Glyde) and we needed to freshen things up. Sean just happened to be partaking in some of the wee games at trainin and was showing up well so they just decided to take the gamble on it as we had nothin to lose. He had a hell of a game, scoring 1-2, got fouled for a penalty, a few frees and set up one or two more from play. However, it is hard to judge him solely on that game as Kilkerley were very poor but i'd imagine he'd be there for the next day. Couldn't see him out the field for Louth though!

How are all the Joes' lads injuries?? There was some bad one wasn't there especially to Smyth and Yore, if I'm right??

Predictions for the weekend
Blues vs Cooley - I'd slightly favour Cooley (begrudgingly of course), I think they will be very cynical to young Judge who is playing some stuff and that will limit the Blues scoring ability.
Mattock vs Malachi's - Its hard to look past Collon but Malachi's could cause problems, what they lack in ability, they make up for with sheer hard work.
Glyde vs O'mahoneys - I would think Glyde should come through this relatively handy with a belief that they are better than they have shown all year.

Oh, and any word if Mark Brennan and David Reid will be back in time for the semi-finals should Collon make it? We would than be playin them and it would be a boost if they were still in the states!!

[Louth Exile]

Do you remember the qualifier game in Drogheda (I think it was Antrim) where Nicky Mc D was playing a great game, Andrews took him off and most of us in the crowd jeered this decision. Andrews looked around as if to saw "What did I do", complete rabbit in the headlights look on him. What happened later on.. He brings Nicky back in. The man was a joke.

Ha, I remember that! I actually thought it was Roscommon but that was an absolute joke.. Some of the stories  used to hear from our county men were just unbelievable, I mean our club had a better set up at the time!

How are all the Joes' lads injuries?? There was some bad one wasn't there especially to Smyth and Yore, if I'm right??

Predictions for the weekend
Blues vs Cooley - I'd slightly favour Cooley (begrudgingly of course), I think they will be very cynical to young Judge who is playing some stuff and that will limit the Blues scoring ability.
Mattock vs Malachi's - Its hard to look past Collon but Malachi's could cause problems, what they lack in ability, they make up for with sheer hard work.
Glyde vs O'mahoneys - I would think Glyde should come through this relatively handy with a belief that they are better than they have shown all year.
[/quote]

You could well be right about it being the Roscommon game, wasn't sure which one it was. My enduring memory from the Roscommon game was that free at the end!!! What a laugh

Re: the injuries - Mossy Smyth is still hobbling around and I haven't been talkin to Tommy Yore in about a month but I know he is not back training yet. Brendan O'Donoghue returned from injury against Mattock and played the full game but still doesn't look fully right

Predictions:
Blues v Cooley - I'd have to go with the Blues, Judge was devasting against the Joes, if he gets some decent protection from the Ref they will go well.
Mattock v Mals - pretty much agree with your sentiments
Glyde v O'Mahonys - don't think there will be that much in it, but yes Glyde (hopefully)

[pedro]

Dammit! All of us over at the club tonight were hoping they's still be in the states should they win! Would definitely make our passage a lot easier!!

Lads, any thoughts on the standard of refereein in the county this year?? From a Pats point of view I thought the standard in our last two games was absolutely dreadful. Obviously I'll have a biased view but all of us felt that the referees were clearly against us in the two games (Glyde and Kilkerley). Now, I'm not saying for one minute that it affected the way we have played or the results (our brutal performance against the Glyde was completely down to ourselves) but are we getting penalised beacuse we're a bigger club or because we're favourites for many games?? I dunno, but just a thought

[Armagh Exile]

Could anyone give me directions to Rassan GFC pitch?
I will be coming from Armagh and have been told that I should go via Crossmaglen but could someone give me directions from Crossmaglen to Rassan.

[Armagh Exile]

Not sure Mid, but Donaghmoyne (Monaghan) are playing at Rassan this weekend.  Would it be Roche Emmetts pitch?

[Louth Exile]

Was at the Glyde / O'Mahonys game on Thursday night. The first half was very poor with Glyde only playing for the last five minutes of the half, they probably should have went in more than five points down given how poorly they played. Both teams had goal chances missed, Glyde blasting over the bar with an open goal and O'Mahony's hitting the cross bar. The turning point was early in the second half, off the ball incident and the Glyde centre half floored one of the O'Mahony's mid fielders, this got Glyde going (as you would expect with their type!!) They scored 1-3 without reply and when three points up were looking good until similar to Sunday O'Mahonys got a penalty on the edge of the square. Same as Sunday chucka dispatched well to the bottom corner. And when O'Brien pointed a free from over 50 yards out the momentum swung back in their favour. It was the second Glyde goal that won it for them.

Joes won't be too dissapointed, Glyde have a habit of dragging teams into their cynical way of playing football and with respect to the Sean's would rather face the town team.

Trevor O'Brien scored a great goal early in the 2nd half, from a very simple move straight down the midle that should have been defended better and when Glyde moved Gerard Sheerin from the forty to corner forward at half time he woke up and had a great game.