Down Club Hurling & Football

[redzone]

Brothers. Typo brick. Who is ure preferred candidate

[Brick Tamlin]

Stephen Poacher. (With Mick O'Dwyer carrying the water and Joe Kernan doing stats.)
Sure he bleeds Down football and knows the club scene inside out and he would have fellas chompin at the bit and Benny on the edge of the square and is one of the best up and coming young coaches in Ulster and has won an All-Ireland Colleges and basically created the Burren team of today and is pretty much revamping the townland of Ballyholland as we speak.






If only his face fit.

[redzone]

Pretty much sums up down football supporters there.daydreaming about big names. Wake up u brickie and smell the coffee.

[super reds 99]

Was he the manger who won all irelands at secondary school level won a title when he was at the kingdom coached burren when they reached a county final and made steady progress with Ballyholland over the last couple of years and could win silverware this year yet  !

He wasn't with Burren when they reached the final.
Ballyholland are having a decent season this year but won't win silverware and were nearly relegated last year.
Not sure on his schools record but sure Cathal Murray has won 2 all Ireland's, does they make him a candidate.
He got kingdom promotion but did they not get relegated the following year or was that under wee Pere?

[SamFever]

 These past dozen or so posts are deserving of a Rant but I'll maybe leave that for work time tomorrow!

[east down gael]

This thread has got considerably worse than the hogan stand.ive nothing against poacher who by all accounts seems to be a potentially good young manager.possibly lets his emotions get the better of himself,but who doesn't?
   However,to suggest him as the next county manager is ridiculous.his credentials stacked next to mccrorys are not in nearly the same league,and we sacked that man!if taking ballyholland to a semi final in a lopsided draw,or keeping a decent team in an expanded division one are the criteria for our senior manager then we are not in a good place.let poacher get a few more years experience and then see if he's fit for it.
   As for who will become the next manager,personally it has to go outside the county for me.banty,if he could put a good back room team in place could do a good job.

[thewobbler]

I'd like to think that before the county board top table turned against McCorry they had some idea of a succession plan. It's roughly the same men who whittled together a shortlist in 2013, so surely they if anyone have an idea of options and interest levels. Maybe I'm being too hopeful?

There genuinely wouldn't appear to be many options out there - with Dawson's recent form stacking up again him, certainly nobody within the county who has any history of landing silverware - and I reckon Deegan could end up with a clear run at it.

He has a higher profile, but Poacher is in the same category as the CPN and Glenn managers - he's proven he can take a team forward, and seems to get a tune out of players... but is it enough to convince a selection panel, let alone our spectators? I doubt it.

The Banty suggestion above sort of sums up the scenario. He seems like a very likeable sod, but his record at inter county management is someone who falls short. He's not even a nearly man - there hasn't been a close run thing to cry about - he always falls shorter than that. When added with his lack of Down connections, the fact that anyone would suggest him as the best candidate shows the depth of the problem we are facing.

[SamFever]

While the focus is quite rightly on the Down championships, the fact remains we are managerless. It's probably easier to give a view on who shouldn't be considered imo;
Frank Dawson, Paddy O'Rourke, Paddy Crozier, Conor Deegan (Unless he's in with a good young coach), Pete McGrath (same but has committed to Fermanagh), Banty McEaneany, Sean Ward, Aidan O'Rourke.

I presume that bridges are burnt with McCorry and there's no way back?

Possibilities; McEntee/O'Neill, wee James ( unlikely ).

Not a lot of possibilities then, particularly as McEntee was considered last year and nothing happened.
Any other suggestions ?

Agree-none of the above and not Poacher for a few years to see if he's as good as he thinks he is.
thewobbler analysis of the 2013 selection committee is valid as to the candidates then but it was actually 2014.
BrickTamlin should really be brought into the selection committee purely on his wit and observations alone.

[PAULD123]

I do not see us being successful in the next couple of years. I'd love to think we could but I don't see it.

So given that I don't expect to win Ulster or Sam, what I would like is to see entertaining football. I would not want another manager that sets up a purely defensive frightened team that is terrible to watch and produces little success or excitement. Better we have a manager that wants attacking football and ok, there is a risk of losing to sweeper systems. But if we are not scoring them we are going to lose anyway so why not go down attacking.

Our best players are forwards. Donegal started with their best players being defenders and gradually developed an attacking aspect to their system. Why not try out an attacking game and develop a defensive aspect to it. Once our attackers are confident and regularly scoring then we have more chance of an enthusiastic team fighting to also stop the opposition scoring. It could also puts the opposition defenses on the back foot, instead of us sitting back and inviting them on. For the last 2 years we have been toothless in attack.

I understadn and don't even object to "win at all costs" but as i just do not see us winning, I just want to be entertined

[RadioGAAGAA]

Expending all energies on a new manager is re-arranging the deck-chairs on the titanic anyway.

We're going the way of Antrim. Not much quality and no depth across the county club scene.

The approach of development squad clearly hasn't worked, a re-think is needed.

Possibly something along the lines of using that budget to coach the coaches. i.e. "expert coaches" coaching club coaches and teachers - so the standards improve in every club and school across the county - not just a select few who may or may not improve with age.

Or providing frequent under-age 7s tournaments both in the school and club which naturally focuses on skill over strength. [So the 6' 14 year old isn't a dominant presence 'cos of his size.]

Or something else.

[Mourne Rover]

The county board's sub-committee has looked at former Down managers who do not want the job, outside figures we probably cannot afford, experienced club coaches who lack any recent achievements and younger candidates who have enthusiasm but no relevant track record. It is a process which may take some time.

We at least have a place in division one next year, but the provisional fixture list shows that we only have three home games and they are against the last three All Ireland champions. Our four away matches are against Cork and Mayo, who are ranked way ahead of us, Monaghan, who are Ulster champions and Roscommon, who comfortably beat us twice last season.

This is why following Down is seldom dull.

[Brick Tamlin]

The county board's sub-committee has looked at former Down managers who do not want the job, outside figures we probably cannot afford, experienced club coaches who lack any recent achievements and younger candidates who have enthusiasm but no relevant track record. It is a process which may take some time.

We at least have a place in division one next year, but the provisional fixture list shows that we only have three home games and they are against the last three All Ireland champions. Our four away matches are against Cork and Mayo, who are ranked way ahead of us, Monaghan, who are Ulster champions and Roscommon, who comfortably beat us twice last season.

This is why following Down is seldom dull.

The bit in bold. Do you actually know they have looked at all those people or are you assuming they have?

[SamFever]

 Pity there is no one in place with all the Championship semis coming up this weekend and next.

[redandblackareback]

It should not matter whether the club championships are over or not, the person appointed should have a sound knowledge of our club leagues otherwise they aren't the right man. I have been told by a very strong reliable source close to the CB that Deegan, Mickey Walsh, Dawson, Poacher, Cathal Murray and Shorty Trainor are the only parties who have expressed a direct interest to the county board about the job. The minor job has also produced some serious interest, with Gerard Colgan, Liam Hardy, Paddy Hardy, John Kennedy, Sean O Hare and ex players Daniel Mc Cartan and Beny Coulter all interested in taking up the mantle of minor boss. Interesting few weeks ahead.

[snoopdog]

On a plus note if the provisional fixtures mentioned earlier are real. Really looking forward to Dublin and Kerry coming to Newry. Although I though the promoted teams were given 4 home games . The sooner u play kerry the better if past few years league has anything to go by. Some incentive for any new manager bringing the big boys to Newry.