Antrim Hurling

[milltown row]

yes maybe it was a free weekend but lets look at this. the Leinster Championship was fixed in stone for tomorrow. did we as a county not think we'd be competing in that final? we already beat Wexford in the league, and on a number of times beaten Dublin, so there was a good chance of us reaching the final.

now did Sambo book his flights after the Dublin game? after asking what dates were available from the county? I'd say he did. same as the other lads that are away on their holidays.

bit of a shambles really. poor communication from everybody.

[imtommygunn]

Not looking good. Christy ring next year I doubt.

Crap.

[Fairhead]

Very disappointing result tonite but not surprised after last weeks 2nd half performance against Down. Cant see how they will get a result against Offaly so Christy Ring again next year.

[Minder]

A new low

[Minder]

Another famous one is "we don't have to look round the car park anymore to see if we have enough for training"

What they have been doing at training would be open to debate though judging by the performances this year

[theskull1]

Over the top Groundie.

For what its worth
Dinny made the leagues worse than they were. Now they have improved (well the last two years...this year has been poor enough) because CP's play club matches where they didn't under Dinny.
Jingo was in for one year and several people I spoke to thought the training was very poor. He got shafted though after the team did OK that year

Sambo was right generally speaking about NA compated to SA & SWA. What is so contentious about that?

[The Real Laoislad]

Very surprised with that result last night,I didn't think Laois hurlers had it in them..
I thought a year or two in the Christy Ring would have done us some good actually...

[theskull1]

Over the top Groundie.

For what its worth
Dinny made the leagues worse than they were. Now they have improved (well the last two years...this year has been poor enough) because CP's play club matches where they didn't under Dinny.
Jingo was in for one year and several people I spoke to thought the training was very poor. He got shafted though after the team did OK that year

Sambo was right generally speaking about NA compated to SA & SWA. What is so contentious about that?

You can say what you like about Dinny Cahill but he improved the speed and style of our hurling ten fold. He was a breath of fresh air to the county, and our performances in Croke Park in 2002 & 2003 where proof of the progress he made with us . I agree that he might have hindered the leagues, yes, but Cahill's positives by far out weigh his negatives.

On your point about Jingo. Who are these experts that can say training is poor etc, and how qualified are they to say it? However poor Jingos training apparently was, his results in league and Championship back him up. We beat Galway in the league, a team Sambo's charges haven't even got with 20 points of, and we ran Kilkenny & Tipp to within a puck of a ball. And we beat the 2nd tear teams comfortably when it mattered.

What are the positives from Sambos rein?

I have said it what I like so to speak and you've agreed with me. One thing you need to think about though is the argument that any drop in standards that has came about is to a large degree down to the lack of respect given to the leagues especially during Dinny's reign. So when all the good things were happening at County Level, the foundations were being chipped away.

Tell me what qualifications people need to look or take part in training sessions and have opinions about them?

I have already said that he did rightly and was shafted, BUT for you to bring up the Galway game when they had just arrived back from a 10 day session in China was it, and then ignore the fact that Antrim beat the Cats (whi I believe weren't that long home from a trip) and the fact they won the Walsh Cup under S&W just exposes your blinkered bias. Have a look at yourself b4 you start spout crap like that.

I don't think that S&W tenure was great for the record but it is not the be all and end all. The County Panel will not be able to develop until the club game strengthens.

[Minder]

Skull I think we all agree with your point about the club game needing to improve to produce a better standard of player, but it can't be continually used as a convenient excuse or cop out after an abject performance. Does anyone for a minute think the club structures in Laois hurling are that strong? Maybe our players are not as good as we (or they) thought but I think we should be beating Laois with a bit to spare.

[NAG1]

Seriously disappointed in the result at the weekend.

Some serious questions now have to be asked, firstly it is absolute nonsense to suggest that this date was not going to the date for any qualifier game.

Is it acceptable for the manager to take off in the most important two weeks of the season, also for two players to be away on holidays and missing a vital game. There is some serious double standards being applied here, it seems to be an attitude of tear away and do what you want inside the camp. However we are being told that everything is rosey and that we have 25 committed fella's doing the damdest for Antrim hurling. Im sorry but that no longer cuts the mustard.

Im not attacking anyone personally because there has been a serious amount of hours put in regardless of the outcome but we are in bad shape if we cant put laois away.

On another note any one any comment on a prominent referee being 'punched' in North Antrim last night?

[Minder]

Who was attacked Nag? PM if you don't want to post it

[NAG1]

One of our up and coming referee's doing the line at the Feis Final from what I hear, but Im sure others can clarify.

[maxpower]

Heard rumours but never saw anything.

Scandalous if it did happen, just to be clear, thankfully it wasn't a Dunloy supporter

As for the game itself, it was a timid enough game until the end when Dunloy down by 6 points with 4 minutes to go managed to find the net twice.  Skinner was sent off, struck with the hurl to the throat in the middle of a schmozzle.

[theskull1]

I have said it what I like so to speak and you've agreed with me. One thing you need to think about though is the argument that any drop in standards that has came about is to a large degree down to the lack of respect given to the leagues especially during Dinny's reign. So when all the good things were happening at County Level, the foundations were being chipped away.

Tell me what qualifications people need to look or take part in training sessions and have opinions about them?

I have already said that he did rightly and was shafted, BUT for you to bring up the Galway game when they had just arrived back from a 10 day session in China was it, and then ignore the fact that Antrim beat the Cats (whi I believe weren't that long home from a trip) and the fact they won the Walsh Cup under S&W just exposes your blinkered bias. Have a look at yourself b4 you start spout crap like that.

I don't think that S&W tenure was great for the record but it is not the be all and end all. The County Panel will not be able to develop until the club game strengthens.

Dinny's rein was only 3 seasons. The standard of club hurling before that was at an all time low. We couldn't even produce county hurlers good enough to win an Ulster Title. You seem to pin the blame on him, when clearly the standard of club hurling was already poor before his arrival.
Dinny brought so much to this county and he never really got any credit for it, his championship performances in 02 & 03 will live long in the memory.

Since Dinny has now been away for four years now, where are we? Back to square one! The blame has to be laid on the current management.

In reply to your statements about Jingos training methods, I was simply saying that when most so called people in the know, who like to bitch about managers training methods/sessions haven't a clue what they are talking about themselves.
If you were to hand them a whistle and cones and tell them to take a warm up or drills they wouldn't know where to start. 

I think you need to look at yourself before you can claim that other managers sessions are poor, as however poor Jingos sessions were, his results certainly back him up comprehensively.

The Walsh Cup was nice to win, but in all honestly good teams and managers are judged on how they perform when it counts i.e league & championship. Preseason competitions are utterly meaningless in the grand scheme of things. Maybe not to you thought, could you tell me the past 5 winners of the Waterford Crystal & Walsh Cups off the top of your head?

Thought not.

Groundie unlike yourself I don't live in a black and white world. I have stated many times in the past that the leagues have been poorly treated going back to before 89 as there was more emphasis placed on County preparations. So yes the standards were on the slide as far back as then. But they took a noticable dive when Dinny came on the scene and took all "HIS" players away from the leagues. I thought it was 4 years but if it was 3 years it was still too long and the leagues took another nudge down in standards during his reign regardless of any elation you may have felt in 02 & 03 (lets conveniently forget the next year shall we). You have to ask yourself...what has he left behind him since he left? I see a weaker standard of hurling theat needs a better club structure to begin to thrive again.
And on the training sessions argument. You are of course right that 95% of people would struggle to take a good session themselves, but it's a nonsense to use that fact to suggest that they then shouldn't have a valid opinion on whether training sessions are good or not? BTW some of the people I've spoken to do know how to take a session so ......

And groundie, if you believe (and I don't disagree) that "good teams and managers are judged on how they perform when it counts ", then don't bring Galway into your argument and I won't to counter with a walsh cup result. Both were the same time of year and both sides were just back from holiday.

Agree with you NAG about the timing of holidays......name any other County teams that this has happened to? It is pretty farcical

Didn't hear about Herbie last night. A disgrace if it did. A sounder man you could not meet.

Poor game. Crosswind didn't help. Cannot abide that skinner boy. Loughgiel better on the breaking ball most of the time. Both defenses beat their opponents over the hour (James McKeague my MOTM). Good finish from Dunloy but the previous 50 was not good in the forward department. I'm sure Cushendall went home happy after watching it as no team offered what looked to be a good enough threat to their crown

[whiskeysteve]

An Antrim fella told me that 'The Pound' in Loughgiel is the best spot for a night out in North Antrim, is this so?