According to Galway Bay Fm this morning Kieran Fitz has retired from inter county football and Niall Coleman has left the panel citing work commitments as his reason for leaving. Now call me cynical but is it not a strange time of the year to decide to retire/leave the panel? Along with that in last weeks Connacht Tribune Kieran Fitz said he thought Joe Kernan should have gotten another year in charge. Sounds like Tomas wouldn't be his favourite person.
The aul lad will be in good form today so, not a fan of Kieran Fitz
Quote from: Duine Eile on February 14, 2011, 11:47:16 AM
According to Galway Bay Fm this morning Kieran Fitz has retired from inter county football and Niall Coleman has left the panel citing work commitments as his reason for leaving. Now call me cynical but is it not a strange time of the year to decide to retire/leave the panel? Along with that in last weeks Connacht Tribune Kieran Fitz said he thought Joe Kernan should have gotten another year in charge. Sounds like Tomas wouldn't be his favourite person.
Sounds like things are going well in the Galway camp.
QuoteGalway football has been plunged into uncertainty following the news that experienced pair Kieran Fitzgerald and Niall Coleman have withdrawn from Tomás O Flatharta's panel.
Coming a week after the county's first game of the Allianz National Football League, the withdrawals come as a major surprise and a significant blow to the county's hopes of making an impact in Division 1.
O Flatharta's first league game in charge ended in a five-point defeat to a Monaghan side who went into the campaign as relegation favourites, leaving Galway facing an uphill battle to maintain their top flight status.
Fitzgerald's retirement from inter-county football is all the more surprising given that the Corofin man was named as one of three joint captains by O Flatharta just last month.
He has been a fixture in the Galway defence for more than a decade, winning an All-Ireland medal and an All-Star award in 2001.
Appointed captain of the county in 2007, Fitzgerald also appeared at the launch of the 2011 Allianz NFL at Croke Park just two weeks ago.
Coleman, meanwhile, has worn the maroon jersey since 2004.
He cited work commitments as the reason behind his withdrawal from the panel.
Galway take on Down in Newry next weekend.
will Tomás O Flatharta' be next to go??
Ra Silke thinks the team is likely to see further withdrawals of senior players.
from rte website http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/championship/2011/0214/silker.html
The stories of disharmony in the Galway camp have been doing the rounds for a couple of weeks now. i haven't heard many specifics though, what exactly is the problem? They were awful in the second half against Monaghan, total lack of co-ordination and got cleaned all over the pitch.
Is it purely down to O'Flatharta, has he lost the dressingroom? Previous cases like this would suggest that, if he has, he's as well to walk away now.
Or is it that the more experienced Galway players can see that without Joyce and Meehan they are so far off the pace that even with them in the team they will not be able to compete at a national level later in the year? This has been the case for the last couple of years as well though, it is not a new problem.
What happened to the under 21's of 03 and 05 and the minors of 07? Most counties with that kind of success record would be expecting to be winning titles, but Galway are nowhere near that level now.
Edit: Listened to the Ray Silke interview there - basically the players are hating training under the new management, its too serious and they're not getting any enjoyment out of it. Lads travelling long distances would still play for Galway under different circumstances but don't particularly think its worthwhile as long as the current management team are in place.
Quote from: Cosmo Kramer on February 14, 2011, 07:33:02 PM
What happened to the under 21's of 03 and 05 and the minors of 07? Most counties with that kind of success record would be expecting to be winning titles, but Galway are nowhere near that level now.
To be fair Galway got loads of players out of those under 21 teams Bergin,Clancy,N. Joyce,Meehan & indeed fitzgerald himself... of course when it came to the senior set up poor management & not been able to find the right balance are the reason's why they didn't reach the same levels
Same thing has happened in Mayo with the under-aged talent & it remains to be seen can Horan get the best out of them?
QuoteEdit: Listened to the Ray Silke interview there - basically the players are hating training under the new management, its too serious and they're not getting any enjoyment out of it. Lads travelling long distances would still play for Galway under different circumstances but don't particularly think its worthwhile as long as the current management team are in place.
Too serious, how can it be that? Surely they can get enough enjoyment out of working hard and playing football during training without it having to be a laugh a minute?
O Flaharta wont get the best out of Galway.
Galway have a natural instinct for the game. They need a Galway-man in charge. Stop going for these outside defence orientated coaches.
Has to be some element of enjoyment Zulu- they dont get paid for it.
I agree but I can't understand how it can be too serious. You work hard on the pitch and have a bit of banter beforehand and after. I find it hard to understand how lads could find it so un-enjoyable after a few weeks that they are walking away.
The regime and approach can certainly take the enjoyment of being anywhere - sport, work or life
I agree with duffle king, I played under a lot of different trainers managers over the years. Most were sound and I enjoyed it but some were not too nice and I did not try as hard for them. Same with work, a nice boss can make a terrible job more bearable and likewise a bad boss can make a nice job seem like hell. When you are training as hard as a county player in bad weather and get nothing but abuse it must be easy to walk away.
Quote from: Cosmo Kramer on February 14, 2011, 07:33:02 PM
Edit: Listened to the Ray Silke interview there - basically the players are hating training under the new management, its too serious and they're not getting any enjoyment out of it. Lads travelling long distances would still play for Galway under different circumstances but don't particularly think its worthwhile as long as the current management team are in place.
They must really not like O'Flaharta or his methods then as he's only been there a wet week.
Don't tell me there's another strike on the way.
Quote from: DuffleKing on February 14, 2011, 08:53:23 PM
The regime and approach can certainly take the enjoyment of being anywhere - sport, work or life
Again, I would accept that but I don't think Tomás O Flatharta would be the kind of man who acts so badly that guy's are walking away after a few weeks. I read recently that Pat Gilroy doesn't allow anyone out on the pitch before training on their own, they all go out together for an allocated time before training starts. He has Dublin training in the morning and 'free spirited' players have to tow the line. It may not be as much fun as under other managers but it is working. I'd imagine Brian Coady doesn't have lads in stitches laughing every night either. A bit of banter and some fun drills are good but I don't accept that O Flatharta's methods are so bad/un-enjoyable, that players feel the need to walk away. Sounds like there is more to it than that.
Galway are the new Cavan.
Quote from: Zulu on February 14, 2011, 10:12:44 PM
Quote from: DuffleKing on February 14, 2011, 08:53:23 PM
The regime and approach can certainly take the enjoyment of being anywhere - sport, work or life
Again, I would accept that but I don't think Tomás O Flatharta would be the kind of man who acts so badly that guy's are walking away after a few weeks. I read recently that Pat Gilroy doesn't allow anyone out on the pitch before training on their own, they all go out together for an allocated time before training starts. He has Dublin training in the morning and 'free spirited' players have to tow the line. It may not be as much fun as under other managers but it is working. I'd imagine Brian Coady doesn't have lads in stitches laughing every night either. A bit of banter and some fun drills are good but I don't accept that O Flatharta's methods are so bad/un-enjoyable, that players feel the need to walk away. Sounds like there is more to it than that.
MAybe O Flatharta needs to clear out the panel and bring in the players he think buy into his style of management. no point in picking players and then say they didn't listen to him.
Now is his time t put his neck on the line with his selection.
This is why MAnagers are to large extent always responsibly for good or bad team . they choose who goes on the panel / field
i would not like to be explaning to P Joyce that what his approach has been wrong for the last 12 years
Quote from: Zulu on February 14, 2011, 08:09:42 PM
QuoteEdit: Listened to the Ray Silke interview there - basically the players are hating training under the new management, its too serious and they're not getting any enjoyment out of it. Lads travelling long distances would still play for Galway under different circumstances but don't particularly think its worthwhile as long as the current management team are in place.
Too serious, how can it be that? Surely they can get enough enjoyment out of working hard and playing football during training without it having to be a laugh a minute?
Thinking the same thing myself. I suppose they may even want all training to be done with the ball etc.
Too many fancy dans! :P
Quote from: INDIANA on February 14, 2011, 08:24:36 PM
O Flaharta wont get the best out of Galway.
Galway have a natural instinct for the game. They need a Galway-man in charge. Stop going for these outside defence orientated coaches.
Has to be some element of enjoyment Zulu- they dont get paid for it.
Galway have nearly always gone with Galway managers. The outside ones have arguably done better - all 2 of them before the current one. I d disagree about their natural instinct for the game. When they had quality players of course they had but that was a good few years ago. Maybe they believe that themselves and that could be part of the problem. Liam Sammon brought them back to the traditional game that he ll bring to the grave. He wont compromise on his vision of the game. There is no better old school coach but that did not work either, and didn't save his skin when results nosedived - regardless how pretty they looked.
Silke should know better than that drivel anyway. As if a guy like Flaherty who is only there a matter of months is responsible for the ten year decline. As a former captain and a coach of some experience maybe he should have put his hand up when the managers job was there. The reason they are struggling is simple. They dont have the players 98-01, nothing like them. They need too get to like tough training. Mostly without the ball.
Quote from: ross4life on February 14, 2011, 08:06:50 PM
Quote from: Cosmo Kramer on February 14, 2011, 07:33:02 PM
What happened to the under 21's of 03 and 05 and the minors of 07? Most counties with that kind of success record would be expecting to be winning titles, but Galway are nowhere near that level now.
To be fair Galway got loads of players out of those under 21 teams Bergin,Clancy,N. Joyce,Meehan & indeed fitzgerald himself... of course when it came to the senior set up poor management & not been able to find the right balance are the reason's why they didn't reach the same levels
Same thing has happened in Mayo with the under-aged talent & it remains to be seen can Horan get the best out of them?
With respect Ross4Life the Mayo situation is completely different. A diferent dynamic altogether to be fair. Although to an outsider I can see how it appears similar.
We're a shambles at the minute, very poor performance in Monaghan and I doubt they'll be much improvement next Sunday in Newry.
Regardless of training etc. this is the virtually the same panel of players who didn't deliver under Forde, Sammon, Kernan and, the way things are going at the minute, now O'Flatharta.
There's only one constant factor over the last 5 years, the players just aren't good enough and there is nothing coming through underage, the last U-21 win we had was the 2005 AI final against Down. Until there is a change in this I'd say it'll be the same issues year on year.
Quote from: An Fhairche Abu on February 15, 2011, 12:00:26 AM
We're a shambles at the minute, very poor performance in Monaghan and I doubt they'll be much improvement next Sunday in Newry.
Regardless of training etc. this is the virtually the same panel of players who didn't deliver under Forde, Sammon, Kernan and, the way things are going at the minute, now O'Flatharta.
There's only one constant factor over the last 5 years, the players just aren't good enough and there is nothing coming through underage, the last U-21 win we had was the 2005 AI final against Down. Until there is a change in this I'd say it'll be the same issues year on year.
I agree its the same players with different managers An Fhairche but Galway should be doing so much better. In the last 8 years there has been 2 AI u-21 & 1 AI minor title. One of the greatest forwards of all time still in the form of his life in Padraig Joyce. Most other counties would harness that as a launch pad for a senior AI title or at least be competing in the last 4.
The structures in place for bringing underage players through (or even if they are being brought through ) bringing them through and developing them just dont appear up to the standard of the Tyrones etc of this world. With the obvious exception of 01 this present Galway squad appear to have little interest in the back door once they exit the provincial championship. They've went down tamely to some average sides in the last few seasons. The club standard is poor. The admin side of things seems laden with politics/cronyism. Supporter attendences whilst always of the bandwagon variety are now at an all time low.
Far be it from me to jinx an up and coming Ross side but football in general needs a good Galway side. The 98/01 side played a fantastic brand of football. Whilst the current crop may not have the star studded line up they had back then they should still be able to play with some of their traditional flair and see how far it gets them. Sammon's shoot out with Kerry a few years back was a bench mark surely.
Ross Matt - I don't think Galway are that important to the sport of Gaelic Football that the game 'needs a good Galway side'. That's not to say that they're not good to watch when they're going well, of course they are, but all teams will have good times and bad times and the game as a whole will manage just fine either way.
Moysider - far be it for me to be defending Ray Silke (my dislike of him goes back to my secondary school days!) but I just pulled one comment out of a whole interview in my previous post. He wasn't saying that O'Flatharta was the sole cause of the problems with Galway football or anything like that, just that his training styles had led to two players packing it in. He also said that the structures and the way the game is run in the county needs sorting out from top to bottom. Both him and SBB were exceptionally downbeat throughout the interview. When SBB is on a downer about Galway football you know there's a big problem.
Quote from: moysider on February 14, 2011, 11:39:35 PM
Silke should know better than that drivel anyway.
Feck sake the man is a master of drivel. ;D
Quote from: moysider on February 14, 2011, 11:30:58 PM
Quote from: INDIANA on February 14, 2011, 08:24:36 PM
O Flaharta wont get the best out of Galway.
Galway have a natural instinct for the game. They need a Galway-man in charge. Stop going for these outside defence orientated coaches.
Has to be some element of enjoyment Zulu- they dont get paid for it.
Galway have nearly always gone with Galway managers. The outside ones have arguably done better - all 2 of them before the current one. I d disagree about their natural instinct for the game. When they had quality players of course they had but that was a good few years ago. Maybe they believe that themselves and that could be part of the problem. Liam Sammon brought them back to the traditional game that he ll bring to the grave. He wont compromise on his vision of the game. There is no better old school coach but that did not work either, and didn't save his skin when results nosedived - regardless how pretty they looked.
In my view Galway produce the most natural talents outside Kerry. Attitude is probably the issue here. Lads like Armstrong, Nicky Joyce and Meehan are class acts. Galways biggest problems are in defence and midfield.
Never replaced Kevin Walsh.
Every county has their own natural style of playing. What the smart managers do is tweak it to suit the modern game. In my view Kernan and O Flaharta attempted and are attempting to re-invent the wheel with Galway and it wont work.
You'd wonder where they are going at present.
Quote from: INDIANA on February 15, 2011, 06:50:01 PM
Quote from: moysider on February 14, 2011, 11:30:58 PM
Quote from: INDIANA on February 14, 2011, 08:24:36 PM
O Flaharta wont get the best out of Galway.
Galway have a natural instinct for the game. They need a Galway-man in charge. Stop going for these outside defence orientated coaches.
Has to be some element of enjoyment Zulu- they dont get paid for it.
Galway have nearly always gone with Galway managers. The outside ones have arguably done better - all 2 of them before the current one. I d disagree about their natural instinct for the game. When they had quality players of course they had but that was a good few years ago. Maybe they believe that themselves and that could be part of the problem. Liam Sammon brought them back to the traditional game that he ll bring to the grave. He wont compromise on his vision of the game. There is no better old school coach but that did not work either, and didn't save his skin when results nosedived - regardless how pretty they looked.
In my view Galway produce the most natural talents outside Kerry. Attitude is probably the issue here. Lads like Armstrong, Nicky Joyce and Meehan are class acts. Galways biggest problems are in defence and midfield.
Never replaced Kevin Walsh.
Every county has their own natural style of playing. What the smart managers do is tweak it to suit the modern game. In my view Kernan and O Flaharta attempted and are attempting to re-invent the wheel with Galway and it wont work.
You'd wonder where they are going at present.
Agreed.
Quote from: Cosmo Kramer on February 15, 2011, 04:37:01 PM
Ross Matt - I don't think Galway are that important to the sport of Gaelic Football that the game 'needs a good Galway side'. That's not to say that they're not good to watch when they're going well, of course they are, but all teams will have good times and bad times and the game as a whole will manage just fine either way.
Moysider - far be it for me to be defending Ray Silke (my dislike of him goes back to my secondary school days!) but I just pulled one comment out of a whole interview in my previous post. He wasn't saying that O'Flatharta was the sole cause of the problems with Galway football or anything like that, just that his training styles had led to two players packing it in. He also said that the structures and the way the game is run in the county needs sorting out from top to bottom. Both him and SBB were exceptionally downbeat throughout the interview. When SBB is on a downer about Galway football you know there's a big problem.
Maybe not Cosmo but like Indiana said in his post I believe they produce the most natural talents outside of Kerry. The 98/01 side gave Roscommon a few miserable days but being objective they were a joy to watch and generally good for the game. In 98 they had youth, flair and luck. In 2000 they were at their most complete only to narrowly lose to a great Kerry side in a replayed final after a drawn match they let slip. In 01 they were dumped on their ass in Tuam but dusted themselves off to go the scenic route and destroy Meath in the final. In those years they were entertaining to watch but also proved to be mentally tough and resilient. The game could do with something like them again in my opinion.
Quote from: ross matt on February 15, 2011, 08:57:22 PM
. In 98 they had youth, flair and luck.
Not to mention the ***** from Aughna********* >:( >:( >:( >:( >:(
Quote from: Rossfan on February 15, 2011, 09:05:03 PM
Quote from: ross matt on February 15, 2011, 08:57:22 PM
. In 98 they had youth, flair and luck.
Not to mention the ***** from Aughna********* >:( >:( >:( >:( >:(
Indeed Ross. The pick up off the ground. The replay was a great match altogether. People rarely mention it. Extra time as well.
Quote from: ross matt on February 15, 2011, 10:35:12 AM
Galway should be doing so much better. In the last 8 years there has been 2 AI u-21 & 1 AI minor title. One of the greatest forwards of all time still in the form of his life in Padraig Joyce. Most other counties would harness that as a launch pad for a senior AI title or at least be competing in the last 4.
The structures in place for bringing underage players through (or even if they are being brought through ) bringing them through and developing them just dont appear up to the standard of the Tyrones etc of this world. With the obvious exception of 01 this present Galway squad appear to have little interest in the back door once they exit the provincial championship. They've went down tamely to some average sides in the last few seasons. The club standard is poor. The admin side of things seems laden with politics/cronyism. Supporter attendences whilst always of the bandwagon variety are now at an all time low.
I disagree with the assertion that Galway should be doing better, due to the stellar team that was there from '98-'01 I think that every year Galway are overrated, the players have got umpteen chances look at the number of championship games that Galway have lost by a point over the past 5 years, Wexford and Sligo last year, Mayo and Donegal '09, Sligo '07, Mayo and Westmeath '06, the narrow loss to Cork in 2005 in a game that should have been over at halftime.
All these results point to players that don't have the capability to close out matches, players that do not have the belief that they are winners and maybe aren't as good as some people have made them out to be. Meehan and Joyce are the only real leaders on the team, it was sad to see PJ trying to carry Galway past a rubbish Wexford team on his own last July and not getting the even meagre help from the rest of the team that should have done the job. Really this is the level that Galway are at currently, pretty much the same panel of players have had several different managers of differing football philosophies and methods, has every manager been wrong?
I should have been clearer at how bad Galway's U-21 record is, Galway have not even won a single match at U-21 level since the 2005 win, this is a shocking statistic. Any players that would have come from the 2005 win are either in the squad or have been and gone. Minor wins are not nearly as indicative in terms of predicting talent that will make it at Senior level in my opinion, although that being said the return on the 2007 Minor win has been poor especially compared to numbers that your own Rossies have managed to get from the 2008 winning team. Certainly I agree that the underage structures in the county, whatever the makeup, are simply not working.
As I live and work in Dublin I can't comment on the Senior club games in Galway because I'm simply never at them, Clonbur are Junior so I don't see any of the top teams even when I do get to the occasional match at home, but I think that most people would share your views on the current standard of club football in Galway.
Galway's core support is awful, lads can go on about half the county being hurling but there was a big support going when the team was winning, there is less and less heading to matches every year, the crowd for the Wexford match last year was pathetic. Not much optimism about Galway for the rest of 2011 I'm afraid...