Antrim Football Thread

[EOC1923]

Got to agree here. Criticising all EMcG's faults and refusing to give credit for any achievements (which are put down to luck), complete bitterness that I think all can see.
That is a big list there CK, bound to be a winner in there. Tally would be my choice, maybe could even lure Matt Fitzpatrick out as they won a Sigerson together.

[country bumpkin]

Bs I'll be honest here- I generally enjoy your posts but don't like your posts on McGinley at all. Why? You blatantly didn't like him as Antrim manager which is fine however you now seem to have resorted to any good things he did were lucky? This IMO is poor form. Yes it turned to shite in the end but there were good things in 5here and you seem incapable of admitting that.

I hope I am wrong but we need to be careful what we wish for. In the last number of years we have talked big ambition with managers but never walked the walk when it comes to getting them. Let's see what we get.

Agree with that ITG....does seem a personal issue and it has continue full speed ahead for several..
EMG took us from the basement and having consulted the 'Oracle' such negativity and the perceived lack of commitment from more than a few led to his leaving..

Can see the well considered 'wish lists'  as posted but who but cannot foresee a long list of applicants...
Some need  reality check as to the emerging talent in our county....have a good look within and without obvious bias within just where are those players equipped to take us on an upward march....and consider the best player in our county is well into his 30s...

Will the new man at the helm.2023 be leading us onwards and upwards or can we contemplate a trip back to the basement.?

We have a long cherished history of blindly manager bashing instead of focusing on raising the profile within our own club.

How many have emerging talent within our own clubs future county seniors........?

[bannside]

ITG, I think if you look back at any of my posts during Endas tenure I gave plenty of credit where it was due and acknowledged the occasions when performances were good.

But I flagged up well over a year ago that our defence was a shambles. People came to a lazy conclusion that was because ND wasn't featuring - which is simply wrong. I saw good natural half forwards trying to perform primary roles in defence - which they weren't used to or had ever played before ( Dermot and Jordy for example) and Eoghan who played mostly HF all his life bring converted to CB which is a highly specialist position. I saw Ricky getting no protection whatsoever (think Sam Mulroy) and when Decky Lynch was left one in one with Niall Murphy against Sligo. Crazy stuff.

Then I look at CM on the bench, RM our biggest scoring threat, being utilised as a workhorse around the middle, and a reliance on OE to be our main ball winner and threat - match after match - while all could see this wasn't working.

Defensively a shambles. Forward play a shambles. I'm sorry, I just couldn't see much to like, and I wondered what the hell were SON and SK doing. Tbh they don't come out of this well either.

I saw this coming a long way back and got a bit of a roasting for having the audacity to call it out a year ago. But the chickens came home to roost, and I don't think anyone here with any understanding of football can even think about questioning that.

[imtommygunn]

BS there is nothing wrong with criticising people and tbh you go to games and are as well placed as most HOWEVER when you start to say we were lucky in division 4 and give zero credit to him for getting us out of division 4 it kind of starts to feel your criticism strays into axe to grind territory - that is my point. We won three games in division three and drew one too. Yes there were a good few things that weren't great too and you have framed that but you do yourself no favours when you start to stray into territory of just having a go at the guy. (We won three games and drew one in division 3 this year too).

I'm sorry but there is just stuff in your posts which strike me as "playing the man". You have many valid points I agree but you seem to have strayed a bit as well.

[Rodger Mona]

My own club have asked members for nominations for Antrim football manager. A few thoughts for starters.

Steven Poacher - Coached Carlow and Rosscommon. Currently on the club scene in Down.
Paddy Tally - Currently in Kerry, previously with Down with James McCartan and previously with Tyrone.
Anthony McGrath - Coached Donegal winning Ulster Cship and managed QUB. Currently managing an Antrim club.
Damien McErlain - Former Derry Manager and QUB, brought Derry minors to All-Ireland final. Currently acting as an adviser for a county team.
Kevin Madden - Former Creggan Manager and Tyrone coach under Mickey Harte. Has health matters to deal with but would add to a backroom team.
Adrian Cush - Derry c'ship winner with Magherafelt and Maghery before that. Currently a free agent.
Peter Canavan - Tyrone Manager in waiting? Former Fermanagh. Said not to be interested in Tyrone job as long as his sons are there.
Niall Jackman - UUJ coach and Antrim U20 Manager and did a good job.
Matt McGleenan - Former club manager in Monaghan and Cavan Manager. Currently managing a Tyrone club.
John McKeever - Successful schools manager and currently managing an Antrim Club.
Mark Doran - Coached Down under Paddy Tally. Currently managing in Monaghan.
Benny Coulter - Managing a Down club - Gaining a reputation as a top coach.
Peter Donnelly - Tyrone and Ulster Rugby coach and currently managing a Dublin club.
Hugh McGettigan - Former Antrim coach and U20 Manager. Currently managing an Antrim club.
Greg Blayney - Down legend and former Down senior coach. Currently coaches at underage.

Antrim needs to think outside the box on this one. Any others?

Whoever decides to throw their name in the hat, unless they have a structured plan, where they are going to oversee the development of underage (probably starting with minors) then forget about it. We will be pissing into the wind again. Plus the fact our underage development squads are atrocious so there is no conveyor belt going to add to the senior set up for the next couple of years, so be best to build the foundation before anything else

BS has an axe to grind for whatever reason. EMG done more than most recent managers with a very limited panel come the finish up and still is lambasted.

[bannside]

Points duly noted ITG, and I genuinely mean it gives me zero pleasure in having to point out the facts to some people who either don't get it or just plainly don't want to see it.

Yes we won some good games during Endas time, and those were acknowledged, but some of those wins were easily reversed in year two by teams we had previously accounted for when management fell short of installing even the most basic principles of coaching or management. That's my opinion - feel free to debate, that's what this "discussion forum" is about.

I believe there is a core of 25 players who are good enough to keep us competitive in div 3. No doubt about that. The fact that (as you rightly highlight) we won 3 and drew one game in Div 3 actually confirms my confidence in that regard. We just need the man who can pull things together, keep players intact, and get the basics right.

And that dosent paper over the need for major surgery beneath the surface at underage. But it doesn't need to be one or the other - the two projects need to stand on their own merit.

[imtommygunn]

I am not sold that you should ever have expected the same from a manager who is really cutting his cloth with a manager who has three all irelands (in a county who had none before him), multiple underage all irelands and club honours at ulster level. I wasn't sure that was totally a fair comparison but that's my opinion.

I honestly think the Cavan game killed us and while the Leitrim game was hugely disappointing for me I honestly think the wheels had come off at tht stage and comparing that with the year before I am not sure is like for like.

FWIW I agree with a lot of what you say. I just think two things - calling wins we had as lucky takes away any credit at all when some is merited (despite the wheels firmly falling off yes) and I also am not sure about the expectations you set. I get you seem glass half full which is admirable but we need some degree of realism too and with the manager list we have listed here I think we need more realism...

[Dunsilly King]

One of the things that are truly bizarre in life are people who talk like they can see the future and predict things, but at the same hvae this wonderful ability to see whats on the end of their nose, but funnily enough don't take their own club team. I have always wonder that, one of the great unanswered questions of the GAA. Such great knowledgeable people you would think would be in demand or have won notable championships. Now thats another bizarre thig as well, however this part is not confined to Gaa as I hear that in the pub every weekend when the lads were trying to tell me that Arsense Wenger hadn't a clue. 

[Wolfetones]

ITG, I think if you look back at any of my posts during Endas tenure I gave plenty of credit where it was due and acknowledged the occasions when performances were good.

But I flagged up well over a year ago that our defence was a shambles. People came to a lazy conclusion that was because ND wasn't featuring - which is simply wrong. I saw good natural half forwards trying to perform primary roles in defence - which they weren't used to or had ever played before ( Dermot and Jordy for example) and Eoghan who played mostly HF all his life bring converted to CB which is a highly specialist position. I saw Ricky getting no protection whatsoever (think Sam Mulroy) and when Decky Lynch was left one in one with Niall Murphy against Sligo. Crazy stuff.

Then I look at CM on the bench, RM our biggest scoring threat, being utilised as a workhorse around the middle, and a reliance on OE to be our main ball winner and threat - match after match - while all could see this wasn't working.

Defensively a shambles. Forward play a shambles. I'm sorry, I just couldn't see much to like, and I wondered what the hell were SON and SK doing. Tbh they don't come out of this well either.

I saw this coming a long way back and got a bit of a roasting for having the audacity to call it out a year ago. But the chickens came home to roost, and I don't think anyone here with any understanding of football can even think about questioning that.

All of the above is fair enough comment but you called the mans integrity into question which shows that it's personal with you and not based on the above.

[Milltown Row2]

One of the things that are truly bizarre in life are people who talk like they can see the future and predict things, but at the same hvae this wonderful ability to see whats on the end of their nose, but funnily enough don't take their own club team. I have always wonder that, one of the great unanswered questions of the GAA. Such great knowledgeable people you would think would be in demand or have won notable championships. Now thats another bizarre thig as well, however this part is not confined to Gaa as I hear that in the pub every weekend when the lads were trying to tell me that Arsense Wenger hadn't a clue. 

How many on here have taken their senior teams? I'd say very little, how many have taken any senior team? Again very little I'd assume, with that we have no problems telling people how it should be done, funny that or bizarre 

[EOC1923]

ITG, I think if you look back at any of my posts during Endas tenure I gave plenty of credit where it was due and acknowledged the occasions when performances were good.

But I flagged up well over a year ago that our defence was a shambles. People came to a lazy conclusion that was because ND wasn't featuring - which is simply wrong. I saw good natural half forwards trying to perform primary roles in defence - which they weren't used to or had ever played before ( Dermot and Jordy for example) and Eoghan who played mostly HF all his life bring converted to CB which is a highly specialist position. I saw Ricky getting no protection whatsoever (think Sam Mulroy) and when Decky Lynch was left one in one with Niall Murphy against Sligo. Crazy stuff.

Then I look at CM on the bench, RM our biggest scoring threat, being utilised as a workhorse around the middle, and a reliance on OE to be our main ball winner and threat - match after match - while all could see this wasn't working.

Defensively a shambles. Forward play a shambles. I'm sorry, I just couldn't see much to like, and I wondered what the hell were SON and SK doing. Tbh they don't come out of this well either.

I saw this coming a long way back and got a bit of a roasting for having the audacity to call it out a year ago. But the chickens came home to roost, and I don't think anyone here with any understanding of football can even think about questioning that.

When you are explaining you are losing, case closed on this one.

[bannside]

Was that aimed I'm my direction by any chance DK. In which case I must really be in your head at this stage. Relax, there's people you can talk to about these kind of things.

You really haven't been the same since you called PG1 out as chokers. And you know what happened then!

Look, why don't you throw us out your own managing highlights and let us see whether you're a man for the next Antrim job or best suited to listening to your pub mates at the weekend.

Go ahead first and I'll follow. No I didn't think so.....lol.

[bannside]

Oh right. EOC says the case is closed. Must mean you agree with the content, or you would be debating it. On those grounds I'm happy to park it up at this stage.

[country bumpkin]

One of the things that are truly bizarre in life are people who talk like they can see the future and predict things, but at the same hvae this wonderful ability to see whats on the end of their nose, but funnily enough don't take their own club team. I have always wonder that, one of the great unanswered questions of the GAA. Such great knowledgeable people you would think would be in demand or have won notable championships. Now thats another bizarre thig as well, however this part is not confined to Gaa as I hear that in the pub every weekend when the lads were trying to tell me that Arsense Wenger hadn't a clue. 

How many on here have taken their senior teams? I'd say very little, how many have taken any senior team? Again very little I'd assume, with that we have no problems telling people how it should be done, funny that or bizarre

Now here is a surprise.....I agree with MR2......

[Hoof Hearted]

One of the things that are truly bizarre in life are people who talk like they can see the future and predict things, but at the same hvae this wonderful ability to see whats on the end of their nose, but funnily enough don't take their own club team. I have always wonder that, one of the great unanswered questions of the GAA. Such great knowledgeable people you would think would be in demand or have won notable championships. Now thats another bizarre thig as well, however this part is not confined to Gaa as I hear that in the pub every weekend when the lads were trying to tell me that Arsense Wenger hadn't a clue. 

How many on here have taken their senior teams? I'd say very little, how many have taken any senior team? Again very little I'd assume, with that we have no problems telling people how it should be done, funny that or bizarre

Now here is a surprise.....I agree with MR2......

Jesus  wheres the nearest defib !