Armagh Club football & hurling

[pearseog]

Revised targets alrite. We've lost 9/10 starters from the County Final, unbelievable number to lose in such a short period of time. We've put out stronger B teams in recent years  than last night's team.

I've always felt over the last decade or so that we have been in the top four or five in the County, without ever really threatening to be number one. Consequently, we could go far with a good draw, or get kicked out in round one with a tough draw. Indeed there were two occasions (2003 and 2008) when we went under to Cross in semi-finals, with young teams, and it might have reasonably been expected that we could buld on those performances and go on and make the breakthrough in the coming years.

However last year was the first time I felt our position in the grand scheme of things slipping. At the end of last season, I would have had Rangers, Dromintee, Ogs, Granemore, Ballymacnab and St Pats ahead of us. You could argue one or two others.

Against that background, we have since lost a number of significant players - Collie Holmes, all round legend and gentleman, has called time - the leader of the team who is quite simply irreplaceable. Kevin Kelly and Martn McCoy are in England and there are others who have quit for their own reasons ( ). There is now a significant danger that the potential brought by a rich seam of underage talent is going to turn to dust at Senior level. For instance, I'd be curious to know how many of our Ulster Minor Club winning team will feature regularly this year
at Senior Level.

This was always going to be a testing year. That said, what happened on Thursday night shocked me, and would increase my concerns for the short to mid term period.

Knowing that, I will not be going to Harps matches this year expecting success. All I would ask is that those that do play give off their best, and do so with pride in the jersey. I know for a fact that the Senior Management will!     

I take it your referring to Sean Morrison there Rufus? Why did he leave?
How many were missing last night other than the 3 with the county? You're going to have to play most of the league without those 3 so the majority of that team will be what your working with in the league. I can see Lenny and Joe coming in there. Any others I'm missing?

[bennydorano]

Revised targets alrite. We've lost 9/10 starters from the County Final, unbelievable number to lose in such a short period of time. We've put out stronger B teams in recent years  than last night's team.

I've always felt over the last decade or so that we have been in the top four or five in the County, without ever really threatening to be number one. Consequently, we could go far with a good draw, or get kicked out in round one with a tough draw. Indeed there were two occasions (2003 and 2008) when we went under to Cross in semi-finals where we gave them a good run, with young teams, and it might have reasonably been expected that we could buld on those performances and go on and make the breakthrough in the coming years.

However last year was the first time I felt our position in the grand scheme of things slipping. At the end of last season, I would have had Rangers, Dromintee, Ogs, Granemore, Ballymacnab and St Pats ahead of us. You could argue one or two others.

Against that background, we have since lost a number of significant players - Collie Holmes, all round legend and gentleman, has called time - the leader of the team who is quite simply irreplaceable. Kevin Kelly and Martn McCoy are in England and there are others who have quit for their own reasons ( ). There is now a significant danger that the potential brought by a rich seam of underage talent is going to turn to dust at Senior level. For instance, I'd be curious to know how many of our Ulster Minor Club winning team will feature regularly this year
at Senior Level.

This was always going to be a testing year. That said, what happened on Thursday night shocked me, and would increase my concerns for the short to mid term period.

Knowing that, I will not be going to Harps matches this year expecting success. All I would ask is that those that do play give off their best, and do so with pride in the jersey. I know for a fact that the Senior Management will!   

Joe Brolly recently said Derry are a side in transition and have been for about 8 years!  That's how I feel about the Harps at the minute, looked to be on the brink of acheiving and then dealt a few body blows with retirements and losing players to work across the water.  We're right back slap in middle of another period of (enforced) transition, we've some great talent there who are wild young and will undoubtedly take a few years to mature. 

Also think the right manager is in place and has to be given a few years to bring us on (hopefully he'll be interested in doing so!).  It will be a testing year and hopefully Harps people realise this & judge the team, management and season accordingly.

[Scarface]

All is not yet lost though for the Harps. It is a matter of having a good structure in place, fellas who believe they can achieve something and will give it their all. I saw a year or two ago how Ballymacnab - with a young and quite physically small team were able to run away with division two. A good season in the division is very achievable even in a so called period of transition. In the same way as one swallow does not make a summer then one very bad result does not a season make!!

[ogshead]

"There also seems to be some justification to my opinion now."

Haha - well done you...you are a bright lad after all.

Thats some score alright...really bad - the Ogs are not that good so the Harps must have been really bad...did not make the match but got one or two texts about it....hardly believed the score I was hearing could be correct. It must have been a poor enough team fielded. Any reports on who was playing, who did the damage for the Ogs etc etc?

I am realistic enough to know that this is early in the season and I know when you have your county players back you will be capable enough of a big result in a championship match. It tongue in cheek remarks I had made a few weeks back for a wind up. The question is... will this be the team that has to get you through the league campaign?

[Ethan Tremblay]

Would it be weird to assume the harps have problems that stem deeper than the ogs result on thursday?  Iv heard quite a few senior players have left,

Jp Donnelly being the most famous example, would have been the lynchpin of the harps back line, and general old head leader the harps may now crave after Collie Holmes retired. 

All in all, i think the harps have bigger problems than getting a major beat down which counts for nothing.  Well, except pride 

<Edited Mod 3> - See post below.

[Scarface]

Ethan it sounds like you are trying to do a bit of stirring here....digging up some dirt so to speak. I dont have any for you.

You would like to think that there would be some boys to come into the setup and that the team that lost heavily the other night would not be the one that will play out the league campaign...all in all it was still a dismal result.

[regal]

Who are the 3 county players with the Harps - Vernon, Swift & ? Is Martin Grimley still manager?

[TacadoirArdMhacha]

Who are the 3 county players with the Harps - Vernon, Swift & ? Is Martin Grimley still manager?

Declan McKenna

[regal]

Of course. Sorry

[Ethan Tremblay]

Not stirring atal, heard from legit sources that if the minors didnt get a turnout at training a few weeks back they were going to pull the plug!  <Edited by Mod3> - That sort of unfounded gossip is not appropriate here. That's a serious enough comment to make against members on a committee, and one they could quite rightly cause trouble over. Plus, they don't necessarily have the ability to see or hear things on here, and so don't have an automatic right of reply. I'd suggest that sort of comment is better brought up internally in the club, so they have a chance to address.

[bennydorano]

Assuming you are a Harps 'supporter' take your 'concerns' to any Committee member. Posting rumours on an internet forum is not really the way to go is it?  Other than that, it can be safely assumed that your only reason for posting is to stir shite as has already been suggested.  Most clubs have had anonymous stalkers in some shape or other who love nothing better than posting mallicious nonsense, you're nothing new.

[winsamsoon]

Very concerning to see and hear of a lot of teams losing huge numbers of players. My own clubs lost 8 or 9 players a couple of years back but fair play to the younger lads that came in they managed to keep the team up in top tier league football.

I know the rumour mills are rife but what are the reasons for these players leaving their clubs. Obviously there are lads that have little choice and are moving away to find work in this tough economical climate. There are other lads that simply cannot give the committment for the modern game and therefore have other family committments that are far more important. But it seems to me that players have a far shorter career now than a decade ago. If you look at the majority of teams they will now be made up of mostly new blood and a crop of maybe 10 at most players between the ages of 25-30 . There aren't many players in the county playing top flight football over the age of 32. Even the average age of the B teams is way lower than a decade ago. I remember going to watch my dad playing b football and there were few young lads around the age of 20 on the team and that's not a million miles away.

[Ethan Tremblay]

No not a harps supporter, unfortunatly.  Just heard some 'rumors' regarding fallouts etc.  Just after a bit of clarification.  Where better to ask? Well aside the harps thread of course.

[illdecide]

Right who's gonna be first this year for the predictions for this weekends games...ME

Granemore v Maghery - Granemore by 3pts.
Pearse Og v Dromintee - Ogs by 4pts advantage to swing it for Ogs.
Cullaville v St.Patricks - Draw
Sarsfields v Crossmaglen - Crossmaglen by 6pts.
Carrickcruppin v Whitecross - I was going to tip Cruppin but i was told Cruppin have lost half of their team from last year??? if thats the case Whitecross by 2pts
Clan na Gael v Ballymacnab - Clans by 2pts

[naka]

Heard tonite that we may see Ronan Clarke in a few club games over the next month