Armagh vs Laois

[T Fearon]

You cannot serve two masters.One of the two teams has to take priority

[brokencrossbar1]

You cannot serve two masters.One of the two teams has to take priority

there's no county team without the club so the club takes priority.

[macdanger2]

Knockitdown, In the modern era I think county players should prioritise the county team.Thats what happens in every other county.With Crossmaglen it appears to be the other way round (except of course when a Crossmaglen man is manager of the County team).

Let's face it,the preference should be to win the Sam Maguire medal instead of the club title,for any player.

Dublin, Mayo and kerry have all had clubs at the business end of the club championship and still managed decent results at county level.

The domination of the club scene in Armagh by one club is probably the real problem. Very few successful counties are dominated to such an extent. Improving the standards of the other clubs should be the priority

[T Fearon]

If we go back to the 70s Lurgan Clan Na Gael had a fantastic club side,reaching the AI Final,but the County side was arguably the worst in Iteland and struggled to field 15 players in a league game in Leitrim.

However when the County side picked up in 1975/76 Smyth,Mc Kinstry,Mc Kerr etc switched their priorities to the County to the detriment of their club.

[Farrandeelin]

Well, hopefully the Crossmaglen boys will have no excuse to return to Armagh after Saturday.

[TF15]

An all Ireland senior club medal is the best thing you can win as a GAA player. County is great but I don't think many players would rather win Sam before an AI Senior Club title. So this county who or take priority talk is utter 5hite talk.

Hope cross can go the whole way again.

[T Fearon]

Are you for real? Winning Sam is the ultimate dream of any GAA player.Who really remembers club champions?

Explain to me why Crossmaglen never reached a club final from 2000 to 2007,when the focus was on the County team,managed by a Crossmaglen native?

[illdecide]

If we go back to the 70s Lurgan Clan Na Gael had a fantastic club side,reaching the AI Final,but the County side was arguably the worst in Iteland and struggled to field 15 players in a league game in Leitrim.

However when the County side picked up in 1975/76 Smyth,Mc Kinstry,Mc Kerr etc switched their priorities to the County to the detriment of their club.

You don't know anything about those 3 men and what priorities they gave to whom, you are just putting 2 + 2 together and getting 5. As usual you're on here talking the biggest load of shite and you're doing it that long you actually believe it too. Clan na Gael won the championship in 76, 80 & 81 not bad for 3 County men giving their priorities elsewhere

[PAULD123]

This club v county thing is a very interesting debate but actually a bit of a bluff in the exact case of Armagh. There are not many Cross players that are actually chosen to take the field for Armagh anyway. So if Cross abdicated now how many of their players would be put in the starting Armagh team? Probably James Morgan is the only guaranteed starter. Then Tony Kernan, Kyle Carragher, and David McKenna might (but only might) get a chance.

There is not half an Armagh side waiting to come back. I think Cross are great ambassadors for Armagh and I wish Down had a club side that could deliver us All-Ireland titles in a fallow period of county football

[armaghniac]

Explain to me why Crossmaglen never reached a club final from 2000 to 2007,when the focus was on the County team,managed by a Crossmaglen native?

Reaching a AI club final is not the usual thing, plenty of strong clubs never manage it.  Cross hardly need to justify not winning every year!

At present, Jamie Clarkes absence from Armagh is nothing to do with Cross, Morgan and TK will play, but two players should not make such a difference when the pick of the other 97% of Armagh was available all along.

[ziggysego]

In 2003, Tyrone won the All-Ireland - It was fantastic.
In 2005, Tyrone won the All-Ireland - A fantastic day.

In 2006, Greencastle won the All-Ireland Junior Club - Beyond my wildest dream.
In 2011, Sperrin Og won the All-Ireland Ladies Junior Club - One of my greatest days.

Trust me Tony, CLUB comes first.

[Applesisapples]

It's up to the county to broker an agreement with Cross players. In my opinion there should be at least 5 Cross players starting for Armagh but its commitment County managers want to call the shots. If I was a Cross player my club would trump the county any time.

[general_lee]

Well said ziggy. No better feeling than winning a championship with your club.

Although Tony is on the wind up, he represents a section of Armagh fans who follow the county team but have next to nothing to do with their clubs. This is probably because armagh club football isn't the most enticing and with the success of late 90s-late 00s there has been an emergence of Armagh fan who don't follow the club scene at all (not that you can blame them). Go to any club championship match in armagh you will see feck all compared to other counties but when the county side are playing you'll always get a fair sized crowd home or away. A lot of those people take for granted the importance of the club

[brokencrossbar1]

Well said ziggy. No better feeling than winning a championship with your club.

Although Tony is on the wind up, he represents a section of Armagh fans who follow the county team but have next to nothing to do with their clubs. This is probably because armagh club football isn't the most enticing and with the success of late 90s-late 00s there has been an emergence of Armagh fan who don't follow the club scene at all (not that you can blame them). Go to any club championship match in armagh you will see feck all compared to other counties but when the county side are playing you'll always get a fair sized crowd home or away. A lot of those people take for granted the importance of the club

I don't believe I am doing this but Tony is different from a lot of the New Age Armagh fans in that he has a history of supporting the county and his club in Tir na nOg.  The one thing I would say though is he is opinions are reflective of many of the New Age fans as well.  The thing is that we are streets ahead of the rest of the clubs in what we are doing and the players, no doubt, see that at first hand.  It is very difficult for some of them to commit when they don't see the level of preparation, coaching etc that they expect.  The one thing I would say though is that history has shown that Cross players have been the bedrock of most of the successful Armagh teams throughout history and to doubt our clubs commitment to the Armagh cause is false and insulting.  Every team that has won a national title for Armagh has had a minimum 2 Cross men.  We have provided more county All Stars than any other cub.  We have provided our facilities for the use of the county on many occasions and when they had no ground we were the club that were able to keep that side of the thing running.  We are no different in many ways than any other club who would do that if they were able to but to suggest that we don't support the county is wrong. 

[general_lee]

Just to clarify not questioning Tony's credentials but his attitude on here certainly represents those fans who take nothing to do with their clubs.

As for cross they are an institution of the gaa, I pray every year someone in armagh beats them, cos god knows over the years there have been and still are teams that could and should! But they are the standard bearers not just in Armagh and Ulster but in Ireland. Why would you want to leave that to go and play crab football with Armagh?