Messages

After an encouraging first 35 minutes we put is as spineless and clueless a performance (both on an off the field) that I have ever witnessed. Embarrassing wouldn't even come close, what then hell have they been doing since the end of the National League to even put some kind of plan in place to win a game as there was little evidence of any system in place today. Give me strength.

We are where we are and we have been saying for years now about the lack of investment both in facilities and in structures which are now coming back to bite us now.  We have had no U21 players on the senior panel for 2 years now so that does not bode well for the future, our hopeful minors were also clueless for much of their game last week.  Now we are telling 12 year old lads that they are county material and filling their heads full of shit by making development squads which are run by a gather up of coaches, some of which do not even coach in their clubs.  We are in some f=-cking mess and while I admire POR and what he is trying to do I just don't get the way he is going about it.  Telling young lads that they are 'Rising Stars' is just filling their heads full of dung.

As for you Wobbler asking for leadership, perhaps you would have taken your own advice with the Down Minors on your way home on the bus from Derry last year.

It's not as if he doesn't know his starting team, does it not have to be in Croke Park on the Thursday morning?

Very poor stuff but hardly surprising.  The only bright spark was Tomas 'Dumper' Corrigan 

[Still think the minors can win]

Great reading the two ends of the hope spectrum here, abject dejection versus unbridled hope, I'm hoping for a narrow win maybe a point in it, but I have been round a few championship venues in my time and we are not in as good a shape as we have been in the past, but Monaghan aren't exactly top of the tree either, I only hope that Eamonn has a game plan to deal with McManus which doesn't involve us getting a black card or reduced to 14 men, Monaghan are obviously confident , hopefully over confident and then we might have a chance.
However one thing , listing players who are playing well with their club won't help because at this stage they won't be called in as they probably have been asked and answered no.
Still think the minors can win

Yes, no doubt. By the sound of it there has been alot of work put into it and it would be great to see something positive come out of this year. 

[Zzzzzzzzz!You'd be some craic on a night out]

It's wonderful to be optimistic about the Monaghan game but I just can't get it.  Many of us travel in hope more than anything else and will some here are confident that we will do well I just cannot comprehend that it is good enough to accept a decent performance as a successful outcome.  We are a proud county and many of us have been brought up basking in success with regular Ulster finals at minor, U.21 and senior with many great days in Clones. They seem like a distant memory now and all of a sudden we are told we should expect that playing well and maybe keeping the score down can be seen as a positive, I tell you what we have dropped a long we if that is the case.  We can blame the unavailability of players, the change of management, the county board, the underage structures, the list goes on.  We are simply not good enough at the minute, we do not have the players or an effective system of play which can win us a game in Ulster, I would love to be proved wrong though.  Someone told me the other day that we have not had any U.21 players on the senior panel never mind team for the last two years, that is a sad state of affairs and shows how far our structures are way behind other counties in Ulster.  I cannot remember us being as low but putting up a good show in Clones will not be seen as success in my book, I'm sorry if some of you don't agree.

Zzzzzzzzz!You'd be some craic on a night out.We all live in hope that Down will do well.

Relevance? There is a reply which would probably get me banned and involves any lady friends of yours but I wouldn't go there 

Yes, we all live and travel in hope but as I stated I just don't share the optimism of many on here. I am entitled to my opinion whether you agree with it or not. 

It's wonderful to be optimistic about the Monaghan game but I just can't get it.  Many of us travel in hope more than anything else and will some here are confident that we will do well I just cannot comprehend that it is good enough to accept a decent performance as a successful outcome.  We are a proud county and many of us have been brought up basking in success with regular Ulster finals at minor, U.21 and senior with many great days in Clones. They seem like a distant memory now and all of a sudden we are told we should expect that playing well and maybe keeping the score down can be seen as a positive, I tell you what we have dropped a long we if that is the case. We can blame the unavailability of players, the change of management, the county board, the underage structures, the list goes on.  We are simply not good enough at the minute, we do not have the players or an effective system of play which can win us a game in Ulster, I would love to be proved wrong though.  Someone told me the other day that we have not had any U21 players on the senior squad never mind team for the last two years, that is a sad state of affairs and shows how far our structures are way behind other counties in Ulster.  I cannot remember us being as low but putting up a good show in Clones will not be seen as success in my book, I'm sorry if some of you don't agree.

I too expect us to get close to Monaghan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . actually close to Clones before we realise that we are going to get a hiding.  We'll be lucky if it doesn't get into double figures.

[Minor 7s]

Minor 7s
Don't know about the rest of yous but for only 8 EastDown teams & 4 SouthDown teams showed up for their 7s tournaments which for me is really disappointing that clubs dont have 10 boys who would want to play for a chance of a 7s medal

Teams that showed up
East Down ( -Kilcoo / Castlewellan / Bryansford / Saul / Dundrum / Liatroim / Bright / Teconnaught
South Down (4) - Clonduff / Saval / AnRiocht / Longstone

I think clubs should be fined if they don't show up

Anyone else got opinions?

The Down Minors decided to have a training weekend down south this weekend, could they not have picked a better date when clubs did not need their players?

County Minor panellists are not permitted to play Adult Club while the County Minor team are still in the Championship.

Minor 7's, Hello!!!!!!!

So you are telling me that these Minor club players cannot represent their clubs because the county minors have picked the very same weekend to take them away.  Typical of the way we run things here 

[8 EastDown teams & 4 SouthDown teams showed up for their 7s tournaments]

Minor 7s
Don't know about the rest of yous but for only 8 EastDown teams & 4 SouthDown teams showed up for their 7s tournaments which for me is really disappointing that clubs dont have 10 boys who would want to play for a chance of a 7s medal

Teams that showed up
East Down ( -Kilcoo / Castlewellan / Bryansford / Saul / Dundrum / Liatroim / Bright / Teconnaught
South Down (4) - Clonduff / Saval / AnRiocht / Longstone

I think clubs should be fined if they don't show up

Anyone else got opinions?

The Down Minors decided to have a training weekend down south this weekend, could they not have picked a better date when clubs did not need their players?

[It is my understanding that Wards "package" would be no more than the likes of Dawson or McIlvor are getting. Besides why move the successful underage coaches away from there when they are being successful at what they are doing, rob Peter to pay Paul and all that.]

A couple of points;

- Balllyholland were leading 1-2 till 4 points when the sending off happened so yes they were well in control of the game at that point!!!

- Kevin McKernan, Dan McCartan, Conor Toner, Mark McKay, Shay McArdle all out last night with Jamie McGovern and Cathal Foy only fit for substitute appearances.  So if ya want to talk about injuries go for it....

- McKernan has ligament damage in his ankle I think so will be out for a while and would be doubtful for Down match I would imagine.  Interesting point by Toolongref all the same.

- It is my understanding that Wards "package" would be no more than the likes of Dawson or McIlvor are getting.  Besides why move the successful underage coaches away from there when they are being successful at what they are doing, rob Peter to pay Paul and all that.

- Murtagh still the class act on the pitch last night at 34.  Says it all about the current state of Down football.

- Going by last night Burren haven't learned much from last year, playing stupid football against defensive teams and leaving themselves open to counters time and time again. Poacher knows how to set up a team but is still an edjit, was going to jump over the wire at one stage last night from what I could see at the other end of the field.

Are you seriously telling us that a Burren clubman is being paid to manage Burren, never mind somewhere in the serious stakes league that the likes of Dawson has taken in many clubs previously? There are so many clubmen who want to give something back and the honour of taking them is enough reward but Ward taking a sizeable fee in expenses is very strange or selfish indeed or even worse for Burren for paying their own man so much.

I heard during the week that Poacher took some very serious abuse from a number of ex Burren players and people who should know better, they had placed themselves directly behind the Ballyholland dugout to wind him up so is it any wonder he wanted to jump the wire. Ward was also like a man possessed throughout the game I believe, like in all his games.

My wee girls name, sorry. I'd rather not give the name of her primary school.

Why not? If you're able to come on here making personal attacks on people why not identify yourself?

Why hide behind a pseudonym?

Unlike yourself obviously. 

Fermanagh 3-7 v Down 1-6  That superpower from the west too good today? No big pat on your own back from yourself today, unlike last week.

A. By name is not concealed, it's there to see.

B. I haven't made the personal attacks on others that you have.

C. I gave myself no pat on the back. I said the players produced a good result.

D. What was your contribution last week or today?

Your name is concealed, three letters mean nothing but your self praise of the U.17's with other related posts made me realise who you were.

I have not attacked anyone but just stated the obvious that your club man is as useless at his job as can be humanly possible and I would love to hear from anyone who would say otherwise.

Your pat on the back to yourself last week should be followed up with a kick on the arse this week.

My contribution, better than yours.

My wee girls name, sorry. I'd rather not give the name of her primary school.

Why not? If you're able to come on here making personal attacks on people why not identify yourself?

Why hide behind a pseudonym?

Unlike yourself obviously. 

Fermanagh 3-7 v Down 1-6  That superpower from the west too good today? No big pat on your own back from yourself today, unlike last week.

My wee girls name, sorry. I'd rather not give the name of her primary school.

[work]

The Red high has over 800 pupils and should be a McRory school. The county board is currently reviewing where coaches are placed. There will be more coaches in secondary schools in the near future if principals allow them. It's early days but the magpies are still the team to beat, Burren will be close to them  when they get all their players back.

If the CB could get one or two out of bed each day to a do full week's work it'd be a start

Sorry, are you serious?  A few years ago DD had a scheduled session from a county coach on a Monday morning but they had more no shows from him than actual coaching sessions.  The whole thing and quality of coaching is an absolute joke and all headed by a tube of a development officer.

Well done Down U17s. Good gutsy performance and a win over Armagh today.
Entertaining game with quite a few outstanding performances.
Have showed steady progress through the Ulster League.
Maybe there is a future for Down football after all.

Self praise and all that  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Your right Ross , doesn't matter where the manager comes from as long as the squad is a fair representation of the best talent in Down, that I doubt as  i know there are players who would make this squad from east down and have been overlooked, which doesn't make sense.
Secondly , as long as he is the best coach around, I'm told his coaching skills are not in question but his antics along the sideline are, I think if he is to be a future manager for Down his management team would need to contain a couple of seasoned football campaigners who could rein him in.

There is an East Down man with the U.17 squad