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Also re the Soccer thing....i stopped playing aged 16 to play GAA but in hindsight wish I hadn't.  Soccer players get a game every single Saturday from August to May, train twice a week and a game at the weekend

In GAA we play 1 game to about 10 or so trainings. Appreciate there's a few times where we shoehorn in 3 games in a week at Senior League but most times we're standing frowning in serious huddles on a training pitch in the rain, listening to some lad spouting shite about a drink ban for a game weeks away.

Something to look at maybe re having much more underage blitzes and games to keep kids interested.

It's in the position it's been in since the early 60's.. are you blaming all the county boards since the 50's on the poor standards?

We had Casement and were still poor, we had St Mary's winning Hogan cup, still poor..

Club facilities mean nothing, we've probably the worst facilities and have won the lot, so stop with that, be great to have better facilities but it's not a reason.

As I said, there is a lack of commitment from players to get up to a standard, what players are doing from other counties from 14 upwards is down to them. Best coaches in the world can only work with what they have available.. what's the plan then?

The game at Woodlands probably played there as no other club had pitches available, unless you can tell me different.

Playing it out of Belfast would have brought complaints..

There are avenues available to you to pursue this, and I mean that in the best way, frustration is real.

success at county level is not there, that's why kids throw their lot into the club! Better chance of success, mindset at county level is missing. Btw, they get the same as players in most counties too, so it's not a lack of amenities/gyms/nutrition/games

I've no answer nor am I committed to create a better experience, so knocking one's that do put their hand up isn't for me

Totally agree. But that Galls team was a freak group,,,,breeding and talent all coming together at the 1 time. Hammered out the gate in an U16 final to winning it by a point the year after.....kicking on then to about 6 u21 titles in a row, Seniors and 7s. Players who were well brought through by great men but players who themselves were obsessed with and naturally good at football, no one drank really or went to the States or Oz.

There's zero talk about football here, all just blabbering and shite talk about who's gonna win the battle of the blind and then get beat in Ulster. There's f all improvement, is anyone excited about 1 young player coming through? Is there 1 name we're all excited about the past 10 years?

I do absolutely f all about it, so not for me to chirp I suppose. I just know through family and in-laws that other Counties care so much about their place and their team....it's LITERALLY their identity. They won't hear a bad word said about a squeaky gate in their County, never mind their football team

We simply don't have that mindset and are unlikely to unless a freak Antrim County team comes out of nowhere and causes all kids to start supporting and wanting to play when they grow up

[The second one being that in these islands, the PL now dwarfs over international football in terms of importance, achievement and awareness.]

You're kind of ignoring a group of cultural changes there.

The first one being that any man who plays 5+ PL seasons should have little or no need for media work, especially not stuff that involves flights to Dublin.

The second one being that in these islands, the PL now dwarfs over international football in terms of importance, achievement and awareness.

The decision taken by Houghton, Aldridge, Cascarino et al, was made when the opposite was true. Back then, being recognised as an international standard player was the pathway to bigger clubs and bigger wages. Nowadays it matters not a bit.

So whilst young English men might still wish to feel the pride of playing for their country, there really isn't much incentive in playing for someone's elses. Hence one cap v Andorra, even if that's all he ever gets, it's still a dream come true.

It's nearly amazing now the quality disconnect between club football, especially in Europe's top 4/5 leagues, and international football. If the current Irish team were a PL side, would we be in the relegation places? I'd say so.

That said with all the money in club football in the select few top leagues, no club competition comes near the World Cup for prestige, drama, mystique. They've tried the club World Cup and it was a damp squib. Of course national teams won't come near a top club with money to burn (Grealish cost City £100m and was to all extents and purposes a flop). I don't think club can ever match it for tribalism either no matter how much a derby game gets hyped up. World Cup still the greatest show on earth (for soccer anyways).

Nothing comes close

Reason why i dont really support a club team.....follow 1 but means nothing compared to Ireland

Rick Astley 'singing' on the Late Late

Anything like that viable on up the county?

Randalstown, Ballymena, Ballycastle and Carnlough take a lot of clubs into their catchment.

Two Antrim teams, covering the majority of clubs, competing in A level colleges would be a great grounding for upcoming talent in the county.

Belfast a good start regardless.

Great idea

Mulgrew reminded me of Sean Cavanagh and Cormac at underage at times during that game.

Colton was very good.

The highest possible compliment. I agree re the Cavanagh comparison driving through. Cavanagh to my mind was THEE most important Tyrone player back then.....without him driving his team forward they wouldn't have won any of the All Ireland's in the noughties (in my opinion) whilst they could and did when a Muggsy or O Neill and even P Canavan wasn't there.

Off on a tangent there but I saw similarities with Cavanagh too.....driving through the middle at pace, though his feet appear to be better, silkier. Anyway he's no age so we'll just have to wait and see.

What a game though, winner unknown to the last second and every ball contested

I thought Jarlath's speech today was grand btw. Has to acknowledge both teams, especially after a final as tight as that. People may disagree with him plenty, but as an orator there haven't been many like him in the Association's history.

Agreed, some of the speeches have been fantastic. Mentioning the counties and showing genuine knowledge etc.

After a few though people started thinking he was enjoying it too much, it was the Jarleth Show, he'd eat himself etc

But there hasn't been an Orator like him, that's fair.

Terrific interview here with Donnelly.

Here he's a great fella altogether. Fair play to him managing to bring that talent through and winning

Our midfield is invisible and has been all year

That's not true, Mulgrew has been one of the standout players on the pitch.

James Mulgrew is literally 1 of the Best minor footballers I've ever seen. He was incredible, can't believe he wasn't Man of the Match. Skill hanging out of him for a midfielder

Tyrone missed Kerr MASSIVELY yet somehow won (despite AWFUL shot selection and wides).

Kerry fella should've handpassed the point and went to extra time there

[San Sebastian]

That's the height of idiocy. The logistics of getting all those people to and from that golf course in a place barely fit to support it and they stick that in the middle of it 

I'll be watching it from a bar in San Sebastian that weekend! Was offered tickets and had the opportunity to work it this year but had a better offer!

Have you been before??

The lack of discussion on here about relegation to Div 4 shows the real problem in this county, no one really gives a toss

Agreed.

Div 4 for 2026

So given the Carlow result, we survive another year in Division One?

Yes

Sligo beat Clare today

Do or die v Sligo now

Very harsh comments on some of the clubs there - Glenravel especially harshly spoken about considering they don't even have a starter on the team.

A lot of talk about who McEntee can or cannot get out to join the panel, how do people know who he invited to join the panel? Its clear to me hes after a specific type of player - 6 feet plus and can run all day. Of course there are one or two who don't fit that criteria but thats the general rule it looks, regardless of ability.

Its the managers job to improve the team - he isn't doing that.

As for any nonsense talked about players not wanting to play with eachother etc, complete balls. Try our neighbours in Armagh and Derry for that and you'll soon find it happens all over. But 'cliques' apparently... You'd know a thing or 2 about cliques MR.

Sorry to hit a nerve but that's the way it is, who's at fault well who knows and certain posters from certain clubs continually blaming the manager? Christ, its embarrassing

We as an Antrim team don't play traditionally as a team, Baker was probably the best to have gotten us to play as unit, even then there was maybe one or two lads that probably were not invested

So I'll ask you would you blame your club manager for players being sent off? 

Very harsh comments on some of the clubs there - Glenravel especially harshly spoken about considering they don't even have a starter on the team.

A lot of talk about who McEntee can or cannot get out to join the panel, how do people know who he invited to join the panel? Its clear to me hes after a specific type of player - 6 feet plus and can run all day. Of course there are one or two who don't fit that criteria but thats the general rule it looks, regardless of ability.

Its the managers job to improve the team - he isn't doing that.

As for any nonsense talked about players not wanting to play with eachother etc, complete balls. Try our neighbours in Armagh and Derry for that and you'll soon find it happens all over. But 'cliques' apparently... You'd know a thing or 2 about cliques MR.

Sorry to hit a nerve but that's the way it is, who's at fault well who knows and certain posters from certain clubs continually blaming the manager? Christ, its embarrassing

We as an Antrim team don't play traditionally as a team, Baker was probably the best to have gotten us to play as unit, even then there was maybe one or two lads that probably were not invested

So I'll ask you would you blame your club manager for players being sent off? 

This is true......and yet people were calling for Baker's head on this forum plenty back then. We beat Meath at Casement in Div 2 in 2010, halcyon days, yet people wanted more

Even then there were plenty didn't commit, plenty 'stars' who didn't play on the 09 Ulster Final Team, then came back and perhaps upset the trajectory.

It's never been smooth but we've never had the sheer numbers a Tyrone etc has. If you're from Tyrone or Kerry etc your County football team is literally your identity, man woman and child.

In my class alone there were boys played international soccer and ran for Ireland. If they were in Tyrone or Kerry they'd have been playing GAA and undoubtedly County standard, but channelled their abilities elsewhere. The pull of other sports plus hurling, plus lack of Care by the community in Antrim at large leaves us with a ceiling of Div 3 with MAYBE the odd promotion to 2 (unless all changes)

Few cousins from Wife's family on Tyrone panel and doing EVERYTHING to stay on it, to get bigger, stronger, faster. Aunties and Uncles driving the length of Ireland in case they get 30 seconds on the pitch. Whole extended family BUZZING bout it. It's just a world away