Antrim Hurling

[Minder]

Dont laugh Hardstation, some bollocks's on here will kick me off now.

Why? You have been a model poster so far.

[Clár Fograí]

Dont laugh Hardstation, some bollocks's on here will kick me off now.

Why? You have been a model poster so far.

Well Thank you Minder, but ya know when a few fellas hormones start playing up!

[Clár Fograí]

I can picture it now. You're sitting at an important meeting in Casement about which tea bags are the best for the tae for officials on match days while posting on this board. If they find out.........yikes.

Sure I am running the show now, I have the reigns and the stripes!  Sorry John/Tyrone, I was getting a little above myself there for a moment.  FFS, cant open your gob in this place now days!

Oh to be back in Armagh
Among Ulster Council friends
These F**Kers here in Casement
Are driving me round the bend.

[Clár Fograí]

By the way.  who the Feck is this bollocks 'Templar' ?? F**King diabolical liberty, setting up a poll rating me and other county secretary's.  Who does he think he is!!!!!  I bet ya it's that Tyrone fella trying to get me shafted because I am the only one in the new Tradice at HQ.  The reason I am the only one in the Tardice is to enable me to keep an eye on the big bollocks!


Simon (f**king) Templar, If I find out who ye are!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Lecale2]

Dinnyu wants to come back according to HS!

Cahill keen on Saffron return
22 October 2009

Tipp native Dinny Cahill has confirmed that he is interested in becoming the manager of the Antrim senior hurling team for the second time.

It is understood that he is among the leading candidates for the post left vacant by the resignation of Sambo McNaughton and Dominic McKinley.

Sources close to the Saffrons have confirmed that Cahill is contemplating teaming up with former county star Gregory O'Kane and that the four man committee charged with filling the post are receptive to the proposed pairing of the two.

"I suppose if I thought there was a good programme there, and if I thought there were people interested in having me up there, then I suppose I would," Cahill stated.

"When you commit to doing something, you just do it.

"I would never consider the mileage. If there is something to be done you just knuckle in, do it, and make sure you have your day's work done before you leave."

Meanwhile a new team-management consisting of Dunloy's Shane Elliott and Cushendall's Fergus McAllister has also been mooted in some quarters.

[theskull1]

If Dinny thinks he can come up and take Team Antrim away from club hurling for years the same as he done the last time then I definately don't want see him back in the job.

During his reign the club leagues were an absolute disaster. Half hearted, going through the motion affairs because nobody was hurling with their best team. And then we have people wondering why the standards dropped and there isn't enough players now of the right quality to play at intercounty level. Give me strength

Proper focus on player development through more intense club competitions and then you'll maybe after a few years find the players who have the potential to take our county game to the next level.

But fully expect quick fix solutions from those who seem to have no clue about these things. 

[NAG1]

What would you make of Greg O'Kane going in with him then Skull if that is the truth?

[theskull1]

Would only want a County manager that gets the idea that player development through intense club competition is the only way to raise the standards across the county and from previous experience Dinny is not the man regardless of who he brings in. Intercounty is not the only game in town but when Dinny was here all the focus was directed at County team development.

Now after those 4 years of his blinkered disregard for club competition we're wondering why we now don't have a lower number quality players to represent the County. How is bringing in a win at all costs at County level man going to help us in the long term. Should we not learn from the recent past and take a longer view at doing things right?

Someone (not me) on the antrim website posted my earlier response to this rumour in relation to County players not being allowed to play (or train) for their clubs for half the season and admins reply was that that (the playing club games bit) was a total myth. Is my mind losing it because I am 99% sure that for the first couple of years there was a serious amount of games played without County men. And then after club pressure the County players played club games but they still were expected to train away with Dinny on Sat & Sun before league matches later in the day leaving them jaded and more injury prone.

Can someone please back that version of history up for me...or has the gargle dimmed me brain???

[Two Hands FFS]

Skull there was a non starred league where teams played without County players...but it was the biggest pile of shite. County players often would have trained Tues with the County, Thurs with their clubs & then friday, sat & Sunday morning with the county then a match on Sunday afternoon.....how could any county player be fit to play by Sunday Afternoons. But the county board dont see that.

[Clár Fograí]

Would only want a County manager that gets the idea that player development through intense club competition is the only way to raise the standards across the county and from previous experience Dinny is not the man regardless of who he brings in. Intercounty is not the only game in town but when Dinny was here all the focus was directed at County team development.

Now after those 4 years of his blinkered disregard for club competition we're wondering why we now don't have a lower number quality players to represent the County. How is bringing in a win at all costs at County level man going to help us in the long term. Should we not learn from the recent past and take a longer view at doing things right?

Someone (not me) on the antrim website posted my earlier response to this rumour in relation to County players not being allowed to play (or train) for their clubs for half the season and admins reply was that that (the playing club games bit) was a total myth. Is my mind losing it because I am 99% sure that for the first couple of years there was a serious amount of games played without County men. And then after club pressure the County players played club games but they still were expected to train away with Dinny on Sat & Sun before league matches later in the day leaving them jaded and more injury prone.

Can someone please back that version of history up for me...or has the gargle dimmed me brain???

Ticked off Skull by one of the county Adminstrators, it wasnt me this time!


Name : The Skull
22 October 2009
If Dinny thinks he can come up and take Team Antrim away from club hurling for years the same as he done the last time then I definately don't want see him back in the job.

During his reign the club leagues were an absolute disaster....

Good job it's not up to you then. Your facts are completly and totally wrong. The last time he was manager of the county he requested one round of fixtures to be changed in 4 years. That is the reality and not this myth peddled around that "sponges" actually think has some element of truth in it.


I would concur in some respects with your assessment on things during Duinny's past reign.  I would agree we need intense and more frequest hurling games during the spring time and summer months.  Get all the boys playing week in week out at club level.  So what if some boys get the odd knock, we would just have to take it on the chin and except that if we wish to raise the standards and promote competiveness.

One question though, if not Dinny then who else?  There is no surge of people beating on the door and wanting to take the job on.  I would still be of the opinion it would be better with someone outside the county. Too much inter club rivalry and bad blood prevails among our clubs. Ii would also encourage each and every player up to the standard to come forth and make the competition for places very tough.  Get the likes of Watson  back and others who have clearly got the skill and ability.  If not Dinny, would you be happy with a Rossa, St. Johns, Sarsfields, St. Galls, Ballycastle Loughgeil or Dall man?  I would not be too sure!

By the way Skull, we at the county board know who you are!  Now that is interesting.

[theskull1]

Thanks tommy.....I was along the right lines. Admin had me on semantics....but the bottom line was it was a disaster and our leaders up in casement still dismiss honest comments out of hand. Anybody who knows the game would tell you that it was as bad as that. Question is why does the likes of "Admin" appear to not know that it was that bad at that time?

In reply to our enigmatic new board contributer
Can someone help me understand where all this bad blood exists between clubs? Such an easily trumpeted out line but it just doesn't stand up to scrutiny IMO.

If someone well respected in the game took on the job with a good backroom team and accepted that development at club level was pivotal to our long term future and was prepared to work within that sort of framework then I don't care which club he/they come from. I admit that the options aren't jumping out at me...but if we went with Dinny, and Dinny being Dinny (i.e. his own man) we are resigning oueselves to a further drop in standards in our senior club population. I don't think anybody wants that...do you?

Should I care if you know me Clár?

[the colonel]

The line about only 1 fixture being changed might be true, but i'd say the league fixtures were set at Dinny's request. So he had set what fixtures he wanted at the start of the year, therefore he never had to ask for many to be changed, as he had set them.

Starred leagues were shite. It was a poorer version of the ulster league. At least the Ulster league is at the right time of the year. Starred leagues were smack bang in the middle of the summer. Were crap, especially for clubs such as ourselves, dunloy and the shamrocks were it was a glorified reserve league

[theskull1]

And it wouldn't just have been crap for the top 3 or 4 teams. Up and coming hurlers in the other clubs didn't get a chance to push themselves and test their game against the top players and give them the confidence that they could push on through the season. There was a complete emptiness about those games that no one got anything good from.

Is that what anyone who loves the game wants for the next few years? Div2/3/4 hurling supporters may not have seen this happening and as a conseqeunce will see a reappointment of Dinny as nothing but positive as it can't be denied he did for 3 years have the county team playing at a better standard. I hope they understand that damage was being done by his approach and we see the impact of that currently IMO when you look at the depth of quality that is there at the minute.

[Clár Fograí]

The line about only 1 fixture being changed might be true, but i'd say the league fixtures were set at Dinny's request. So he had set what fixtures he wanted at the start of the year, therefore he never had to ask for many to be changed, as he had set them.

Starred leagues were shite. It was a poorer version of the ulster league. At least the Ulster league is at the right time of the year. Starred leagues were smack bang in the middle of the summer. Were crap, especially for clubs such as ourselves, dunloy and the shamrocks were it was a glorified reserve league

The difference between succes and failure - is not trying hard enough.  We can only blame ourselves!

[Clár Fograí]

And it wouldn't just have been crap for the top 3 or 4 teams. Up and coming hurlers in the other clubs didn't get a chance to push themselves and test their game against the top players and give them the confidence that they could push on through the season. There was a complete emptiness about those games that no one got anything good from.

Is that what anyone who loves the game wants for the next few years? Div2/3/4 hurling supporters may not have seen this happening and as a conseqeunce will see a reappointment of Dinny as nothing but positive as it can't be denied he did for 3 years have the county team playing at a better standard. I hope they understand that damage was being done by his approach and we see the impact of that currently IMO when you look at the depth of quality that is there at the minute.

IMO the damage is being done by the clubs cancelling games.  Bottom line, in the spring summer months our lads collectively are not playing frequent competitive and meaningful hurling games at inter club level.  They do need to be playing week in and week out.  This will then carry them through to the county team where their fitness, stick work and eagerness to play will be of greater benefit to the county.  Starred leagues are a joke, all club players are stars if you ask me, they are keeping the game alive when others would like to see its demise for the sake of football.  We should value highly those at club level who wish to play the game and encourage those skilful and fit enough to go forward for county selection.  Give them games to play and plenty of them on a regualr basis.  Play under lights, run a few tournaments, up the ante in terms of the numbers of games they play.  this will enhance their skill, fitness and over ability.

Give them games, meaningful games, competitive games, frequent games.  Get the clubs to commit to this, acknowledge and appreciate hurlers need to play just as much as footballers.  Provide more resources for clubs in hurling development terms.

FQ reporting from HQ, over and out. Tyrone, turn the f**king lights out quick, do you think we are made of money!