Messages

Down manager Mickey Johnson.
©INPHO/Presseye/William Cherry.

Down hurling manager Mickey Johnson has quelled speculation linking him to the vacancy in his native Antrim.

Johnson, who lost out to Kevin Ryan for the Antrim post in 2012, says he is committed to Down for at least one more season.

"I'm currently the Down senior hurling manager and I will be the Down senior hurling manager, as far as I'm concerned, in 2016," the Belfast man told the Irish News.

"It's all to do with timing. It's an absolute privilege for anybody to be involved with any county team – to be in involved in your own county team would be an absolute honour whether it's minor, U21 or senior.

"Of course it's everybody's aspiration to manage their own county at a time, but it's all to do with timing."


According to the website of truth.. Hogan Stand.

Going through Refs on County Website to see which club a ref was from and seen this ref
Liam Mc Bribe Carey Faughs. maybe a bit immature but I thought by the name it was a wind up. Can anyone confirm if this Ref exists as I had never heard of him but found his name funny in the context of being a referee

It's Liam McBride

No matter who gets it we need our 25/30 best players on the panel and everybody weighing in behind the new management team. Inter club rivalries are all well and good but we all should want Antrim competing at a high level.

I think if we are staying within the county then PJ would be as good a man as any if he gets the correct back room team with him. Maybe PJ & Shane Elliot?

We need people in charge who have Antrim at heart and would get respect from every club, North & South of Dunsilly.

Anthony Daly anybody? May be costly but would surely have what it takes to put pride back in the jersey.

Getevennotcross I'm not blaming anyone for anything. I do however believe, given previous performances, Elliott tends to favour our opposition. We have some decent referees. He isn't one of them.

So are you saying the mans a cheat, biased?? ( I personally would not agree with that).  Come on lad, get it off your chest, not doing yourself any good harbouring such anger and resentment.  Want to share it with the group, you'll feel a little better maybe?  Bloody marvellous!
[/quote

Give it a rest ffs!!

Full time score Cushendall 1-12 Loughgiel 1-15.

Any line ups?

Bearpit I think

Falls Park has quite good changing facilitates in their bowling pavilion yet abit away from the pitches which in theory would not qualify them for Championship matches. I wouldn't imagine to many clubs with c'ship facilites offering up their ground with the rain theres been recently. Which is a petty. Either that or this our the county view this type of game?

Yeah was thinking it was quite far away, admittedly i haven't been to FP in a good while, Junior B or not i think the teams should be treated with the same respect as all clubs, personally i would find it hard to step it up to 'championship' gear playing on a public park on a saturday night, maybe thats just me.

Championship is championship no matter what the grade and teams should be treated with the same respect.

U16's will pay £2 into all Championship games this summer. Disgraceful! Discuss ....

So me & the wife & the 3 kids need to pay £26 to watch a county final? Think I'll follow it on Twitter!

You won't be alone. Very shortsighted of them.

I'm guessing the hurling will be in Ballycastle this year again, say 2 adults & 3 kids that's £26 plus petrol and if your coming from the city you may wanna stop for grub. Could be touching £70/£80 at least. Not doing much to promote the games anywhere are they. That's not including money spent on earlier rounds.

U16's will pay £2 into all Championship games this summer. Disgraceful! Discuss ....

So me & the wife & the 3 kids need to pay £26 to watch a county final? Think I'll follow it on Twitter!

I'd say the Un21s will be good enough to beat Derry. I watched them last week against Armagh & although they weren't tested at all they showed a real desire and will to win.

Don't know enough about Dublin, but hopefully the minors show some pride and have a go. No doubt Ciaran and the management will have it hammered home that work rate and performance will be key.

Whats the general view on Kevin Ryan? Do we keep him on or do we look elsewhere? Is there anybody from within the county to take up the reins?

The amount of average club players in that squad is frightening.

Shows the level the county is at when you get a phone call the week before an Ulster final. Fair play to those who got the call though.

Ryan McCambridge back to good health? PJ back on the panel?

Ryan seems to be.. Pj has being going well for the club apparently, also I thought McAlonan was on holidays.

Can you post the team?

According to Antrim F/Book

1. C O'Connell     
2. O McFaddden 
3. M Donnelly     
4.T. O'Ciarain   

5. J Dillon           
6. C.McKinley     
7. T McCann     

8. N McAuley
9. E McAlonan

10.  N Mc Kenna
11. C McCann
12. E. Campbell

13. D McClean
14. C. Carson
15. D McKernan

16. C Heyden
17. R McCambridge
18. P Burke
19. M Dudley
20 . T Burns
21. J Connolly
22. C Ross
23. D. Traynor
24. Patrick McBride
25. Paul Sheils
26. PJ O'Connell

That was truly shocking yesterday. Fermanagh looked like a well drilled outfit who played with hunger and purpose. Peter McGrath has got them playing well above themselves which is to me the sign of a good manager. Not that the dual all ireland winner needed to remind us of his qualities around a football team.

Less than one year ago Peter Mc Grath made it clear he was interested in the Antrim job. Our all knowing  (know nothing) officials did not even have the courtesy of contacting him, or even go as far as putting him on their shortlist.  This was just another example of their disgraceful lack of both courtesy and intelligence whilst tasked with the right appointment of our senior team management. And I could tell you half a dozen other similar stories about these clowns. Crimes against football in our county is an understatement!

In comparison Antrim looked like a bunch of misfits cobbled together! I have seen many bad Antrim performances over the years but that yesterday was stand out poor.

I'm not having a pop at our management here because I will make my feelings known to Fitzy independently. He served his time with minors and u-21 and was entitled to put his hand up for the job. He has given this all he has, often against the odds. No one will feel sicker this morning than Frankie and I don't plan to add to that. But he will need a big long think about how this can change if he is even remotely considering another year.

My ire is mostly reserved for the board who need to know exactly why three quarters of our first team were not playing yesterday. It's because they see our "set up" as a shambles, that's why. It's for our board who appoint a five man sub committee to oversee football management appointments, budgeting, ambition and structuring decisions despite the obvious fact that NOT ONE of them is properly qualified to do so. Not one of them coached at a high level or played at any level, relative to the position. Jim Murray (McDermotts) Joe Edwards (where did he come from) and Tyrone Eastwood WTF. Did those two ever kick a football in their life!! Jesus wept. Add in a county Treasurer (by default with no experience of finance) whose purpose at "interviews" is to keep the costs lower than the year before.....and less than 50% of the hurling expenditure.

Any wonder we are a mess.

Would they even know what to look for? Yet we allow these clowns to make football decisions. That needs to change with immediate affect at this year's convention.

And whilst I'm at it there's no way some players representing us can get off with that shit yesterday either. Not too many came out with any real credit (Niall Mc Keever looked like a footballer at least) but half a dozen players in particular let us, themselves and their manager down badly with performances that wouldn't allow them on a club team. They know who they are, and based on that maybe it's time for some of them to do the decent thing. When you get individual performances so poor it really wouldn't matter if you bring in the Dublin management.

Where do we start Bannside? What's your take on how we get out of this mess??