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On the way to ruislip. Will try to provide updates. Might need a programme to work out who some heads belong to!

Effectively what happens now in Fermanagh is:
The Co Board and Management begin their whispering campaign and media spin  to discredit all the men who stood for the standards expected for county footballers and will be insinuating that those who withdrew are some kind of traitor who did not wish to play for their county. The players who stood for their beliefs are the heroes of Fermanagh . They are the real players who care about the future. Their clubs should now stand behind them . Most of the players remaining in the panel  are not County standard-- a la Limerick Hurlers, Cork Hurlers. O Neill already issued an ultimatum to these lambs  in the dressing rooms in Carrick to either put up or  shut up. O Neill has a power base in two clubs  which will ensure that he will be able  to field a reseve team.The one major point that the County Board are forgetting is the finance for  all future county teams will now be in jeopardy.   The reality is Fermanagh has  a 4th division county board, none of whom achieved anything of note in their lives.This situation reflects what the rest of Ulster normally think of Fermanagh footballers--toothless, gutless  are words often used. but these cannot be applied to the  heroes who stood for their rights.
Stand by our men!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I wouldn't agree with everything you said there.  I don't think this should be about making heroes or villans of the players as there is merit in both stances e.g. standing by your county through thick and thin versus demanding the best for your county.

The Irish News today is vilifying the players that have left and I don't think that is right either. Brendan Crossan effectively states that because Niall Bogue and Peter Sherry didn't play every game their exit can't be put down to the management - even though these players have allegedly put their signatures on a letter to the County Board indicating that this is (at least in part) the reason for their departure.

Many players made a decision not to play for Fermanagh this year the week before O'Neill was announced as manager (as by that stage it was known by everyone in Fermanagh that O'Neill would be appointed and that the interview process with other applicants was just a formality/sham).  Moreover, it was known that there were players that O'Neill did not see eye to eye with.  There is no reason Daryl Keenan couldn't have played in the League or Ryan McCluskey in the Championship (fair enough those players training all year should get priority - but I don't think the players would have objected to these quality players being involved). 

The lack of a physio at training, the poor tactical decisions, the lack of communication between management and players and the selection of players that had been drinking the night before a game were straws that broke the camels back.  The real issue was that the manager was appointed in a phony process by a phony county board.  Some players and supporters to some extent bit their lips over the past few months and said "let's give him a chance".  Recent events suggest that certain players said "enough is enough".  But they did give them a chance.  And the players in question announced a desire to leave before the Leitrim game - at a time when Fermanagh still had a middling chance of promotion - indicating that this was not some sort of "glory" decision. It could be argued that O'Neill hasn't lost the dressing room and he hasn't lost the supporters but rather he never had them in the first instance and has done little to win them over.

Many old-timers will say "in my day we did what the manager told us and that was that".  They forget that in their day they didn't have the same travelling/training/nutrition requirements which basically meant they were putting GAA above all else in their life.  How can Brenan Crossan say "fair play to Fergal Murphy for taking £50 a week for soccer" and in the same article implicitly criticise McElroy, Sherry etc for not wanting to commute for miles for training anymore, or put their work second for yet another year (and therefore potentially cost themselves lost earnings/promotions etc)?

Viliffying either the manager or the players is not really the issue here.  O'Neill was given the job and is presumably putting in some effort to try to make it a success.  The bigger things to address are:

1. Appointment of County Boards (which are effectively old boys clubs - clubs need to take a bigger role)
2. Appointment of Manager (needs to be a more transparent process)
3. Finances (interim accounts? greater clarity about fundraising from Club Eirne, sponsorship amounts etc)
4. Manager development programme (county board should 'groom' former players for management roles)
5. Player-Manager-County Board communication (sounds like there needs to be a more formal structure so that situation doesn't arise where Peter Carty doesn't take players calls and then claims in the press no players called him!)

Always go for the cause, never the symptom.

In any event a lot of young players will now get intercounty experience (albeit just against Kilkenny, London and Clare in the immediate future).  Hopefully this will be good for Fermanagh football in the long term. 

*pauses for breath*

[Rank Score Teams Venue Season]

Lucky its only India in the next game.

When I saw we had a run chase of over 320, I thought "Ah well".  Me of little faith.

Was that the highest run chase we have successfully achieved?

Largest successful run chases

Rank Score                Teams                         Venue Season
1 438-9 (49.5 overs)  South Africa v  Australia Johannesburg 2006
2 350–9 (49.3 overs)  New Zealand v  Australia Hamilton 2006–07
3 340–5 (48.4 overs)  New Zealand v  Australia Auckland 2006–07
4 334–8 (49.2 overs)  Australia v  England Sydney 2010–11
5 332–8 (49 overs)   New Zealand v  Australia Christchurch 2005–06

maybe now the manager has a dual role he can put a motion to the new cabinet for a all ireland title for the wee county

Gerry Adams is the new Louth Manager? When did this happen?

FYI - I have been advised that this is the best website for following the cricket online

http://live2.cricbuzz.com/live/scorecard/2181/England-vs-Ireland-15th-Match,-Group-B

Went into six pubs here in Central London and couldnt get the Cricket on.  Including Waxy O'Connors and O'Neills - don't these fellas know that Cricket is Ireland's national sport now?!

Anyway - i'm away to offer my sympathies to my English colleagues

UNBELIEVABLE

i hear ryan jones got 6/7.

from wicklow hoganstand:

wicklow 4 ponts in first half all Furlong frees
Glynn scored a penalty
Little came on wth 7 mns left
ref was terrble
ferm had man sent off wicklow had 2 sent off
ferm should have won (consensus from ferm and wicklow hoganstand)
ferm fans were laughing at overweght wcklow men (seamus quigley anyone?!)

wicklow are no mugs but sounds like Fermanagh threw it away

England v Inda looked lke some game. Only caught the end of it. Hopefully England will be all spent now for Ireland on Tuesday!

Congrats to Skea

2. Eek no a bribe = Robbie Keane?

Ok, there are 10 football questions about the Premiership that the answers can't be Googled. List them:

1. In the 1990's who was the Premiership's best Chess player?
2.
3.
4. When Arsenal knocked Utd out of the Cup, was it a left boot or right boot that Ferguson fired at Beckham?
5.
6. What size of Pizza did the Gunners sling at Ferguson?
7.
8.
9. Defoe, Sheringham, Bent or O'Hara. Whom does former Miss GB, Danielle Lloyd, consider to be the most prolific in the box?
10.

Cavan missed out on promotion from Allianz NFL Division Three despite beating derby rivals Fermanagh at Breffni Park on Sunday.

It was tight first half with Cavan's Michael Brennan wasting an excellent chance for a goal.

The hosts led 0-6 to 0-5 at the break and Cian Mackey almost netted for Cavan in the second half when his shot hit the crossbar.

Cavan pulled clear late on with Ciaran Galligan's point sealing the victory.

Cavan: F Reilly, E McPhillips, T Corr, M Hannon, D O'Dowd, E McGuigan, M Johnston, N Walsh, L Mulvey, M Cahill, G Smith, M McKeever, C Mackey, M Brennan, R Cullivan.

Fermanagh: C Breen, S Goan, N McGovern, J Woods, D Ward, R McCluskey, T McElroy, J Sherry, K Cosgrove, P Gormley, R Carson, D Keenan, P Ward, N Cunningham, J Connolly.

Sligo beat Fermanagh

Division 4. Jeez

3-10
1-10

2 hops and 12 steps by Harrison

Ah jaysus