Messages

Pedro, it doesnt matter how far a team like Louth, or my own team Down go in the qualifiers. They are never going to win the All Ireland through the qualifiers and when you look at their performance in Leinster this year, just like ours was in Ulster, it was dire. They struggled badly to beat Wicklow, in fact I think it went to a second replay. Then lost to Wexford and the final scoreline didnt reflect how poor Louth were on the day. Yes they had a decent run in the qualifiers, but at the end of the day there are no prizes for winning a couple of games in the qualifiers and Louth will only begin to make progress with a decent run in Leinster.

I dunno really what your tryin to say here 5ive Times. Louth, like Down, have not been near winning an All-Ireland for a long time but its not like they can come from being the 3rd worst team in the country (Louth) and go on to win the All-Ireland the next year. There has to be some kind of progress, an incremental improvement year on year which will push the team closer to winning something major. I'm sure you would be slating (or Down for that matter) Louth if they had to have adopted the attitute of "Well, we're knocked out of Leinster/Ulster, we're not going to win the All-Ireland now so we might as well call it quits for the year". I think Louth deserve some credit for going down to Limerick and Kildare and winning. Granted, they are no world beaters but surely that can only help the team (especially the younger members) for next year.

Ten to fifteen years ago where were Armagh?? Certainly not near All-Ireland winning standards but they stuck at it year after year and eventually it paid off for them. Hopefully something like that could happen the Wee County.

Should have said next year may be his last. I think he has gone as far as he can with this panel.
By the way this is my opinion and not necessarily the opinion of anyone else, if you know what I mean.

I think thats a bit harsh 5ive times, you said earlier that Louth had a dire year but they still were a kick of a ball away from beating Cork, I reckon we would beat Sligo and then played Meath in a semi final. Thats hardly A dire year. However, I do think something went amiss during the league this year. We started off brilliantly and then stumbled through the rest of it. Whether this was down to the training the lads were doin i don't know.
I really think the Louth fans are unreal fickle. I mean, what had we got before we had eamonn? We were in the BOTTOM 3 in Ireland. Although we are in Div. 3 next year we stiull made it to the last twelve and we know we can compete with some of the bigger teams in Ireland. At this stage what more can Eamonn do? We are progressing but unless we win te All-Ireland people are gonna complain no matter who is the manager.

Pedro, I think that it is time that you got an avatar, I say this cause I found a good one for you 

http://www.thepats.ie/images/Social/final06/final22.jpg

Classic!! This photo actually surfaced recently in the dressing rooms, I'm sure Goss came in for plenty of abuse. Sayin that I wouldnt mess with him when he is in that sort of mood!

i know by right Cooley should accept the punishment but in fairness this is one area which the GAA as a whole needs to tighten up on. There have been too many high profile cases of players getting suspensions overturned which only serves to permeate down to club level. If it was our club and say Paddy K or Colin Goss was out I'm pretty sure they would look into getting them off. It may not be right but most clubs will do it. I imagine the Mary's would do it if it was Darren Clarke, same with the Joes with Ollie Mc.

Longest club senior?? I'm sure it has to be between the Blues and Cooley but thats only cuz they have the most history.

LE it does seem to be early to be starting for next year but maybe the work has to be done behind the scenes to try and find a few players that could get us to the next level. I still don't know who they are or where they come from though.

well they're fair points lads, maybe i'm just seein it from a different angle because i know there's no players from our club up to that level.

Sad to see Farrelly play his last championship game in what was a loss in relegation but it was forthcoming, a pity because, barring injuries, he would still offer a lot to club and county.

Is there any truth in the rumour that Cooley are appealing to Leinster Council in order to get Sean O'Neills red card rescinded?? I hear they caused war at the county board meetin the other night about it?? Obviously I would hate to see him getting it but if it was one of our players and there was some sort of loophole to get him off I'm sure we'd go down the same road.

I see in the paper there was trials matches for Louth '08 tonight. Any word on these? Who was asked etc.?

While I definitely have no problem with the do for the men of '57 but is it just me or is there some celebration or other nearly every year for this team??
I have the utmost respect for them and fair play but was there not somethin similar run over the last couple of years?

Any word on where the final is to be played? With Pats and Cooley in the senior and the Gers and Young Irelands in the minor I presume it will be at a north Louth venue. Personally I hope its in Dowdallshill, always great atmosphere there for the Pats/Cooley games.

What would be the view on the minor? I wouldnt have followed any of the minor football but by all reports both teams appear to have a few handy footballers

I have a feeling for Cooley though.

5ive Times we could have a falling out with talk like that!! 

ah what a great day to be a Pats man!! Feels great after last nites performance, the buzz about the place was great and the lads really done us proud. Great game of football, played at a serious pace and was a much higher standard than the previous nites game. As for Paddy, what more can he do?? Unless he scores 5 points from midfield people will say he didnt play great. Sure himself and Paudie lorded it at midfield. its good to see that the rest of the team is beginning to stand up and not try to leave everything to PK.

As for the final there will be some sh!te talk the next two weeks but sure thats all part of it!! Let it roll!

5ive Times, you a Gers man or whats your connection? you follow much Louth football?

That f**king 'Daft Dave and his million tiles for liquidation' ads.I mean WTF??
The worst thing about it is I didn't really notice it until one of the lads at work mentioned it to me and now it seems like I'm hearing it everywhere.

I'm just getting pissed off now writing this!

Pats at 3/1  I remember the last time we were at those odds and we flopped big time (along with losing a wad of cash!)
I would have us at slight favourites but no way that strong!

As far as i know about Charlie, he has had serious trouble with injuries and although he has been a fantastic servant to Louth (i don't think we have replaced him in the middle either) he really struggled to make an impact in many games this year. Would be very sorry to see him go as he is a nice lad and always gave everything for the cause. I particularly remember his run up the line last year against Tyrone, getting tackled by two men and still beating them, crossing the ball to Stanfield who pointed.
This was just after Tyrone got the two goals. Just showed the sort of never-say-die attitude he has

With the Brides you need to rack up a good lead fast else you will be in trouble. They are a hard bet team, and no one ever seems to beat them by much even though they would not have many good footballers.

Thats one thing I really like about the Brides, they dont have the best players around but they get the best out of what they have and don't do any whinging anout it.  They hit, get hit and play on.

What is the story with Goss? Is he fit? Next week will depend on Paddy Keenan. While the Pats are far from a one man show, Keenan is a class act with the ability to win games by himself.

Well goss, being goss, is as fit as we would like and he has been relatively injury free all year so we're happy enough with him. On the other hand, PK is a worry. He still has a groin injury and hasn't trained since we played Glyde in a league match about 3-4 weeks ago. To win the championship we definitely need him at full tilt.

As for McKenna, no different from last year. To think he is on the inter county circuit is unreal. So many mistakes. What did you make of the two men tackles?

He's on the inter-county circuit!!? that is a joke!! The two men tackles were a joke, fair enough if a lad gets hit let the play go on, or if there is a bit of rough play let them get on with it but the amount of times a player was surrounded by two (sometimes three) players and getting fouled only to get blown up for overcarrying was ridiculous, I'd say it could have been into double figures!!

Louth Exile, what do you make of the Joes chances against the Sean O'Mahoneys?? It would be some fall for grace for the club after last years heroics if they go down. Has this ever happened before??

Also lads, while at the Cooley/Blues game listening to the Blues and other neutrals giving out about Cooley (particularly their roughhouse tactics on Judge) got me thinking... Who are the most hated club in the county??

Obviously being biased I am going to say Cooley but I would nearly have the Glyde up there as well. There always seems to be a bit of a scuffle in all their games and the crying and whinging they do to the ref and each other would sicken ya!! Having said that, I know there are a few clubs who wouldn't be the best of friends with the Pats either!!

I hear there's a young lad playing with Dromintee (corner back I think) who's originally from Louth (Kilkerley or somethinng?), good footballer by all reports. Anyone able to shed any light on this chap??

Dammit! All of us over at the club tonight were hoping they's still be in the states should they win! Would definitely make our passage a lot easier!!

Lads, any thoughts on the standard of refereein in the county this year?? From a Pats point of view I thought the standard in our last two games was absolutely dreadful. Obviously I'll have a biased view but all of us felt that the referees were clearly against us in the two games (Glyde and Kilkerley). Now, I'm not saying for one minute that it affected the way we have played or the results (our brutal performance against the Glyde was completely down to ourselves) but are we getting penalised beacuse we're a bigger club or because we're favourites for many games?? I dunno, but just a thought

Also it would be worth noting, I was disappointed in the way Trevor O'Brien was treated this year. We could have done with his talent, but if he isn't even coming on as a sub whats the point.

While i think Trevor is an excellent football and has made valuable contributions to the team in the past (e.g. Cavan and Antrim in league 2006),  I recall seeing a picture of him in the local paper playing soccer and with the headlin "O'Brien takes xxx apart" or something to that effect. Even to myself it looked bad and maybe he didn't give the commitment that the rest of the team were offering.

Do you remember the qualifier game in Drogheda (I think it was Antrim) where Nicky Mc D was playing a great game, Andrews took him off and most of us in the crowd jeered this decision. Andrews looked around as if to saw "What did I do", complete rabbit in the headlights look on him. What happened later on.. He brings Nicky back in. The man was a joke.

Ha, I remember that! I actually thought it was Roscommon but that was an absolute joke.. Some of the stories  used to hear from our county men were just unbelievable, I mean our club had a better set up at the time!

LE, your right about A Reid. I was very disappointed that he was not used in qualifiers even tho he was a late comer to the squad. He is a very talented footballer and has loads of drive and ambition.

of all the players on the club scene he probably really is the only one who would stand out which maybe is a worry. I feel its always good to have a few club players disgruntled at not making the panel which makes them go out and prove a point to the management and gives them a real hunger.

Pedro... answer me this. What was the story with Sean Connor at full forward?? Radio said he had a mighty game. Could this be his breakthrough into the Louth first team as a forward??

Well LE, it was obvious that we had major problems in the forward in the last few games (especially against the Glyde) and we needed to freshen things up. Sean just happened to be partaking in some of the wee games at trainin and was showing up well so they just decided to take the gamble on it as we had nothin to lose. He had a hell of a game, scoring 1-2, got fouled for a penalty, a few frees and set up one or two more from play. However, it is hard to judge him solely on that game as Kilkerley were very poor but i'd imagine he'd be there for the next day. Couldn't see him out the field for Louth though!

How are all the Joes' lads injuries?? There was some bad one wasn't there especially to Smyth and Yore, if I'm right??

Predictions for the weekend
Blues vs Cooley - I'd slightly favour Cooley (begrudgingly of course), I think they will be very cynical to young Judge who is playing some stuff and that will limit the Blues scoring ability.
Mattock vs Malachi's - Its hard to look past Collon but Malachi's could cause problems, what they lack in ability, they make up for with sheer hard work.
Glyde vs O'mahoneys - I would think Glyde should come through this relatively handy with a belief that they are better than they have shown all year.

Oh, and any word if Mark Brennan and David Reid will be back in time for the semi-finals should Collon make it? We would than be playin them and it would be a boost if they were still in the states!!

ah another poster!

I dont think anyone can take anythin away from the Joes last year and all from the Pats wouldnt begrudge them the victory but the defeat in the final last year still hurts everyone at the club and it is still felt that it is 'the one that got away'. But there's no doubt that the Joes were more up for it on the day and more tactically sound coupled with the fact that only Keenan and Eamonn Carroll played for the Pats.

there are a few from my own club that I would like seen given a chance to prove themselves. Niall Sharkey being one, considering the way he left the squad in 2005 and looked like finally making a break through. And then cast away once injured.

In fairness I dont think Sharkey would be near fit enough to get anywhere near the Louth panel. While I admire how good he WAS and the display of point-kickin he put on in the 2003 drawn final was amazing, I think his chance at the top level is gone. It's a pity because you always felt that he had a lot more to offer than was shown.

I have to say well done to our lads on the win over Kilkerley. They came in for an awful lot of abuse after the Glyde match but then again Kilkerley were poor so its hard to know where we really stand.

Louth Exile, seeing as you attend a lot of games (club) is there anyone out there good enough to break into the Louth panel for 2008??

Also LE and MidL, what is your general opinion of Eamon Mac?? Personally i think he's a fantastic manager and speaking to our Louth men they seem to be very happy witht the whole backroom team and set up. If I thought we would go back to where we were under Val Andrews (a first-class cowboy from all reports BTW) i dunno what I would do!!

yeah i think it has been tough on the county players, they have had a long year and then last years run with the Tommy Murphy Cup made it a long year also. But then again, if we were knocked out early in the year we'd all be giving out! makes you wonder how the likes of the Armagh/Cross boys do it

Goss s moving pretty well at the minute but you always get the feeling that he's only one game away from injuring himself again. Paddy K hasn't trained the last two weeks (apart from playing against the Glyde), suffering from some sort of groin strain which is a big worry for us as he keeps drivin the team on and he's our captain. I think its somethin to do with lack of rest mixed with the type of hard-running game he plays.

Speaking of Louth players, would there be any club players good enough to make the panel next year. Based on games you have seen of course??

Although i haven't seen him I hear Derek Maguire (Y. Irelands) is a good prospect, maybe trainin at a higher level could really bring him on. Conor Sheridan (Glyde) looked good against us but he kind of struggled on the seniors before.

I personally think that the Louth senior team is missing a few mean, hard b@st@rds

Lone Shark, it is indeed the top in each group goes directly to semi-final and 2nd and 3rd goes into the quarters. You can put your money on the Pats (many peoples favourites) coming out top in the easiest Group B (depending on them beating Glyde tomorrow nite of course) and Cooley to come in 2nd with Kilkerley or Malachi's coming in 3rd.

In the other group it is near impossivle to call but should be clearer after this weekends games. At a hunch I would have Brides, Blues and anyone from Martins, Mattock, mary's to qualify - in other words, impossible to call!

My own bet - Pats to go the whole way, 6 men on county panel and possibly another 2 more next year, great defence and best player in the county in Paddy Keenan, Cooley won't be far away also. Really looking forward to the knockout stages this year, promises to be some great matches