Antrim Football Thread

[Milltown Row2]

Big statement BS,out off curiosity,what has Ronan Rocks done in management to suggest he will take whitehill to div 1

I think the players would be the main reason to get out of div2!

You don't have to be a special manager to get promotion, if you've the right set of players with the right attitude you could do well

[Cranfield]

It is true that a few Randalstown players over the years deflected to Creggan. In the same way cargin profited except they got a good one in Magill.

I'm sure if you go through many clubs there have been deflections at some point. Quite a few from  Bellaghy to portglenone at a time.

Nothing to do with members saying enough is enough Bannside. We have made significant progress the last few years that we know we must build on now.  We have had 4 top 2 league finishes a first ever senior league title and our first championship final in 40 years. Think we have also won the last 3 or 4 O'Cathan cups.

Despite interest from other outsiders, Gerard was appointed because he was deemed the best candidate. If I'm not mistaken your club have been paying managers the last 4 or 5 years. Has that been a good investment for Casement's?

[bannside]

Cranfield, its well known Creggan have been paying top dollar for at least ten years. Mickey M, Paul Mc I, Kevin M.....lets just say Casements arnt throwing this kind of dollar around!!! And yes Gerard is a good man around a team. As I say youve enough quality to be around the top end of things...but youve been there for a while now and Creggans challenge is not only to maintain that - but to find the next level. No ones writing youse off lets put it that way!

Re Ronan Rocks...I have a strong feeling he will get a good response from Randalstown and produce them playing good confident football. You may not agree Peter John....but time will tell. Just my opinion! Wouldnt be the first time Im wrong but I would be surprised if theyre not a division one team this time next year.

[Na Glinntí Glasa]

randalstown have a good squad of players at their disposal. the two games we had with them in the league were very tight games each time. never much between them.

If they have that injection of young lads going into the panel for them it can only be a good thing.

[Rodger Mona]

Cranfield lets not bring Cargin into it, leave them for another day. I was just making  the point that, the victory Whitehill got at the weekend would of been a good bit sweeter given the players they have lost to you in the past and the rivalry youns have had over the years. At the end of the day Whitehill are Creggans real rivals. Historically and geographically,

Also bannside regarding paying management, take creggans appointments from Mickey Moran all them years ago to Madden more recently. Plus whatever Martin McElhennon got for coaching. For an investment made over a 12 year period id be expecting more of a return other than 2 leagues and 2 ocathan cups. Especially when antrim was a 2 or 3 horse race over the years. Theyve probably blew every other club in antrim  out of the water if we are talking about money spent on management. No other club in antrim comes near them. I dont think McNulty could do any worse than the other managers as Creggan have a very good crop of players. Though agree with Bannside, can he take them that step further....I dont think so

[Flanker]

Very Tight Division next year BS     Very competitive

Moneyglass

Ballymena

Aldergrove

Should all be at the business end as well with good  flow of young talent to push them on. (All either single code clubs or football dominant which makes a big difference)

Dunloy dependent on the balance with the hurling would be very strong contenders if they went for it...plenty of young talent there. Close to favourites if they went for it

Glenravel consolidated well last year  some excellent talent (forwards) coming through their as well although it might take another year or two

Glenavy, St P's, Davitts, St T's, Sarsfield's well capable of being in the mix if they can get some early momentum

Ardoyne will be happy to consolidate

Brave prediction as to who will come out of Div 2

[Cranfield]

RM - That's a bit like saying Moneyglass are Cargins real rivals. In terms of Senior football that rivalry has lay dormant for a long time.

But I take your point that the victory will have been sweet for them. They lost players to us which I thought at the time was wrong in the same way that their best player going to Cargin was wrong. Not acting judge but when a club nurture a player from youth you want to see him or her stay there regardless of differences of opinions or fallouts.

FFS Antrim has been a 2 horse race with Galls and Cargin winning 20 of the last 21 championships! But LD creggan johnnies and casements make up a top 6 in antrim as competitive as it's been in a long time which is a good thing.

Bannside - nice deflection on the top dollar remark. The last number of years Casements have been managed by two derry coaches well experienced in the club and county circuit. You may have come to the party later than us but you are well and truly there now

[Rodger Mona]

Well to be honest i would say St.Galls and Moneyglass are Cargins two rivals, though i take your point regarding whitehill. Last time i mind them playing Creggan at a senior level was in C'ship in toome when they came out victors that day. Couple years later i recall 3 or 4 of them Whitehill men were togging out for the Kickhams. But your right, up to each club to call whilst keeping their own players at the same time.

Bannside, tell us all, whens this Portglenone team going to come into fruition? Its been a brave while since that u21 c'ship/ Intermediate they won and these guys have had one decent year (this year), if you would call having 4 x drawn games in chsip a good year.

Comes back to the same issue that i think Creggan have had, why pump money into management teams who have no record of winning championships. Why not go for a man with a proven record with the players you have? You may as well be pissing against a wall. Thats why i think Cargins had success. Couldnt beat St.Galls, went and got brennan, then cassidy. I think you must have too much money to throw about or just have no faith in your own coaches

[Rodger Mona]

Aslo to steer of the topic, i heard Lenny had an in house game on Sunday past, where he had called a few South West players up to attend (outside of the panel) along with a few others. Any man any insight to how that went and if any of the players invited on Sunday even went or performed? Could name drop a few but would rather hear it from someone who has better inside knowledge

[Belfast GAA man]

I have to admit reading recent posts has punctured my positive view of SW clubs - while I know about the paid coaches I didn't realise there was a Merrygoround of players between the clubs and Bellaghy too - I thought SW had it over the city in terms of you play for local club for life  through bad times and good

[paddyjohn]

Surely BS will know, once lennys biggest critic, now lennys best friend, wonder why 🤦🏻‍♂️

BS has always talked sense, he calls it as he sees it. I think you're out of order there.

[Kickham csc]

I have to admit reading recent posts has punctured my positive view of SW clubs - while I know about the paid coaches I didn't realise there was a Merrygoround of players between the clubs and Bellaghy too - I thought SW had it over the city in terms of you play for local club for life  through bad times and good

Belfast GAA man, there isn't a merry-go-round as has been reported, and Creggan do not have a poaching culture, there isn't a recruiting drive in the pubs in Randalstown!!!

Tir nNog players transferred into Creggan for a number of reasons, including;fallout with Whitehill management, married into Creggan families and moved into the area, and the last one, players who are unhappy with their team's commitment will move to the senior team.

If we look at the final last year, only the goalkeeper was an outsider, who has moved in I believe. All the rest came up through the ranks and the Creggan coaching program.

During the past 10 -15 years, Creggan have lost players to Whitehill, and players to Cargin. The biggest one was Gerard O'Boyle to Cargin, and the driver for him going to Cargin was not poaching, but a fallout within the Creggan club.

Creggan is a split parish club. Out in the Creggan Townland, half of Creggan players would live in the Duneene parish and half in Randalsown. So you get the situation where Kevin O'Boyle grew up within two miles of Creggan pitch and is a Cargin man and the McAteers / Maguire's / McAuley's / Duffins / Mc Canns  live in Cargin's heartland, but are Creggan men.

So the insult about Creggan being a poaching club is BS.

From a rivalry POV, as a Creggan lad who grew up in Cranfield, Cargin is our No 1 rival, while the Creggan townies would view Tir Na Nog as their No 1 rival.

Years ago, the Cargin / Creggan rivalry was fierce, as you had brothers and cousins going up against each other. If you looked at the pictures in the Irish News regarding Millquarter PS, the school was split 50 -50. Caralane and Creggan Ps would vary, but neither would be 100% Creggan or Cargin, and this is where the major rivalry exists.

If you asked the Toome based Cargin lads, they would prob point to Moneyglass being the big rivalry

So long story short,
Creggan as a poaching club = BS
Creggan paying too much on coaches = probably
Creggan - Cargin rivalry = Fierce
Creggan - Whitehill rivalry = Fierce (but from my POV, not as great as Cargin)

[Milltown Row2]

I have to admit reading recent posts has punctured my positive view of SW clubs - while I know about the paid coaches I didn't realise there was a Merrygoround of players between the clubs and Bellaghy too - I thought SW had it over the city in terms of you play for local club for life  through bad times and good

Belfast GAA man, there isn't a merry-go-round as has been reported, and Creggan do not have a poaching culture, there isn't a recruiting drive in the pubs in Randalstown!!!

Tir nNog players transferred into Creggan for a number of reasons, including;fallout with Whitehill management, married into Creggan families and moved into the area, and the last one, players who are unhappy with their team's commitment will move to the senior team.

If we look at the final last year, only the goalkeeper was an outsider, who has moved in I believe. All the rest came up through the ranks and the Creggan poaching program.

During the past 10 -15 years, Creggan have lost players to Whitehill, and players to Cargin. The biggest one was Gerard O'Boyle to Cargin, and the driver for him going to Cargin was not poaching, but a fallout within the Creggan club.

Creggan is a split parish club. Out in the Creggan Townland, half of Creggan players would live in the Duneene parish and half in Randalsown. So you get the situation where Kevin O'Boyle grew up within two miles of Creggan pitch and is a Cargin man and the McAteers / Maguire's / McAuley's / Duffins / Mc Canns  live in Cargin's heartland, but are Creggan men.

So the insult about Creggan being a poaching club is BS.

From a rivalry POV, as a Creggan lad who grew up in Cranfield, Cargin is our No 1 rival, while the Creggan townies would view Tir Na Nog as their No 1 rival.

Years ago, the Cargin / Creggan rivalry was fierce, as you had brothers and cousins going up against each other. If you looked at the pictures in the Irish News regarding Millquarter PS, the school was split 50 -50. Caralane and Creggan Ps would vary, but neither would be 100% Creggan or Cargin, and this is where the major rivalry exists.

If you asked the Toome based Cargin lads, they would prob point to Moneyglass being the big rivalry

So long story short,
Creggan as a poaching club = BS
Creggan paying too much on coaches = probably
Creggan - Cargin rivalry = Fierce
Creggan - Whitehill rivalry = Fierce (but from my POV, not as great as Cargin)

Fixed that...

Sorry couldn't resist 

[bannside]

MR you're a bad man lol.

Peter John, you can go back over my posts for as far as you want and you won't find anywhere evidence that I'm a critic of Lenny. I was supportive of John Mc Keevers bid and made no secret of that. But Lenny was always a credible candidate...when you deliver an Andy Markham you earn that credibility.

Lenny knows this year is all about securing promotion. I think that will be achieved but a good start at home to Wexford on 26th January and away to Sligo the following week is crucial. A bit more positivity all round from genuine Antrim football supporters would be good. Theres been way too much negativity over the years!

[bannside]

You're 100% right Roger Mona, it's time Portglenone delivered too. Definitely a few very middling years finishing 7th 5th and 6th in the league and only one decent championship year in all that time. 2020 a particularly big year for us. But I think we are still on a nice progress curve, a fair bit more to come, and that should leave us "thereabouts" next year. We don't fear anyone now when we have a full team out and we honestly couldnt have said that a few years ago.

The way I see it there is half a dozen good teams that can all beat each other, and even those could lose on any given day to a team in the bottom half. But theres no great team around atm! The St Galls team of a decade ago would beat anything around at the minute out the gate! The same goes for Cargin too. The upside of that is all games are more meaningful, nothing can be taken for granted, and as clubs strive to be the best, hopefully the overall standard of football will keep improving.