Sligo GAA - What's gone wrong?

[Thewhataboutery]

Since defeat to Roscommon last year by a point they have just gone back ways, but not just backways but backways at an amazing rate of knots. They were probably punching above their weight alright with Walsh last year and he might have been unlucky not to survive in Division 2 but still they are a shadow of the team they were last year.

[magpie seanie]

How good were we in the first place?

[neilthemac]

You cannot be uncompetitive at underage levels vs Mayo, Galway and Ros and expect to beat them at senior.

No matter how many players go through Sligo IT and get to play good football there.

[Onlooker]

I would that failing to win the Connacht Final after beating both Galway and Mayo broke the team's spirit last year and they have not recovered from that defeat by Roscommon.  Too many regrets about one that got away.  Lack of underage wins is also a major factor.

[magpie seanie]

You cannot be uncompetitive at underage levels vs Mayo, Galway and Ros and expect to beat them at senior.

No matter how many players go through Sligo IT and get to play good football there.

I actually disagree with your argument for a few reasons but regardless we were competitive against Mayo, Galway and Ros the last times we played them. Losing to the likes of Leitrim and Wickow comprehensively is not acceptable though.

Our underage has not been completely disastrous (won Manning Cup last year, beat Galway at U-21 last year, Sligo schools as good as any in Connacht in last two years) but could be better, especially at minor. However, success at these levels is always going to be difficult for a county as small as Sligo. If we bring through 2-3 from each minor team its enough. You can only put 15 on the field at senior.

Not too many Sligo players paying for Sligo IT over the years until the last 3-4 so not really a relevant point.

[stephenite]

Every time they touch the ball, in the back of their minds they're worried about what abuse Sligonian will heap on them after the game.

[Mano]

We have had a lengthy injury list this year with Kelly, J Davey, McGee, McNamara, Mullen missing the entire year. We were missing 5 more yesterday.  Sweeney, Cawley, Costello, Curran, S Davey. Any county can't do without that amount of players especially a county with a limited player base.

[neilthemac]

You cannot be uncompetitive at underage levels vs Mayo, Galway and Ros and expect to beat them at senior.

No matter how many players go through Sligo IT and get to play good football there.

I actually disagree with your argument for a few reasons but regardless we were competitive against Mayo, Galway and Ros the last times we played them. Losing to the likes of Leitrim and Wickow comprehensively is not acceptable though.

Our underage has not been completely disastrous (won Manning Cup last year, beat Galway at U-21 last year, Sligo schools as good as any in Connacht in last two years) but could be better, especially at minor. However, success at these levels is always going to be difficult for a county as small as Sligo. If we bring through 2-3 from each minor team its enough. You can only put 15 on the field at senior.

Not too many Sligo players paying for Sligo IT over the years until the last 3-4 so not really a relevant point.

competitive? well done. other counties are in it to win it
what have ye won at minor?
what have ye won at under 21?
what have ye won at schools level?
what have ye won at connacht club level?

until ye start winning stuff at all those four levels then all Sligo will ever be is 'competitive'

[SLIGONIAN]

We have a mountain to climb at all levels. What i witnessed yday was shocking bad in Markieivicz. I think neil your missing seanies point, why have we been so good at senior from 1995 to 2010 with no underage success? Simply because we were able to bring through 2/3 minors every yr. Thats all you need.

Our history and tradition is pathetic and isnt going to change overnight, there are loads of obstacles within the county to any sort of underage success or consistency at senior level, but these losses may result in the quickening of implementing the changes and solutions necessay starting with the sacking of the minor, u21 and senior management along with looking seriously at coaching the county.

[SLIGONIAN]

We have had a lengthy injury list this year with Kelly, J Davey, McGee, McNamara, Mullen missing the entire year. We were missing 5 more yesterday.  Sweeney, Cawley, Costello, Curran, S Davey. Any county can't do without that amount of players especially a county with a limited player base.

What happens if we have the same injury list next yr, and the yr after that etc... we need to unearth more players and there are alot of wasters in and around this panel.

[laoislad]

Sure at least ye still have Sligo Rovers.

[Thewhataboutery]

We have a mountain to climb at all levels. What i witnessed yday was shocking bad in Markieivicz. I think neil your missing seanies point, why have we been so good at senior from 1995 to 2010 with no underage success? Simply because we were able to bring through 2/3 minors every yr. Thats all you need.

Our history and tradition is pathetic and isnt going to change overnight, there are loads of obstacles within the county to any sort of underage success or consistency at senior level, but these losses may result in the quickening of implementing the changes and solutions necessay starting with the sacking of the minor, u21 and senior management along with looking seriously at coaching the county.

You want to sack the minor manager even though Sligo just were beaten by Galway by 4 points. Under 21's went so close last year, senior ok something has gone wrong. You seem to have an OTT reaction t everything, do you understand the game? 

[Thewhataboutery]

Sure at least ye still have Sligo Rovers.

Magpie Seany should go into meltdown when he sees that, although they do seem to have more success that the Gaelic football team.

[Shrewdness]

Somewhere on this board, buried many pages down, is a similar thread to this that i started about Roscommon football a few years ago.
I asked the same question about Roscommon football, not just at inter county level, but also the club scene.
Thankfully things picked up in a huge way since that, but there aren't any quick easy solutions.
It takes time, talent, luck and a huge level of dedication.
The major worry that i would have for Sligo football is that there is no genuine success at underage level. I don't mean just being competitive, but actually turning around and winning a Connacht U-21 or Minor title. It's just not happening.
Ros were going through the same barren underage scene until the minors of 2006 came along and won the All Ireland. About 7 of that team are likely to start the Senior final in 3 weeks time.
That win sent confidence through the entire underage set up, and they are still benefitting.

[ross matt]

Somewhere on this board, buried many pages down, is a similar thread to this that i started about Roscommon football a few years ago.
I asked the same question about Roscommon football, not just at inter county level, but also the club scene.
Thankfully things picked up in a huge way since that, but there aren't any quick easy solutions.
It takes time, talent, luck and a huge level of dedication.
The major worry that i would have for Sligo football is that there is no genuine success at underage level. I don't mean just being competitive, but actually turning around and winning a Connacht U-21 or Minor title. It's just not happening.
Ros were going through the same barren underage scene until the minors of 2006 came along and won the All Ireland. About 7 of that team are likely to start the Senior final in 3 weeks time.
That win sent confidence through the entire underage set up, and they are still benefitting.

The 2006 AI win was the impetus for Ross football to gain confidence but its not the only reason for improvement. They've had very good underage sides plus development squads for quite a number of years. The result has been not just winning titles but being competive versus Galway or Mayo. Roscommon  are still a work in progress but there is progress and whilst it may be modest its steady. Thats in contrast to 2001 where they did well but were swallowed up by self destructive hype. This current set up manage to keep a low profile so far and alot of that is down to Fergal O'Donnell and the manner in which he operates.

As Seanie said Sligo have been competitve against and have beaten Galway and Mayo over the last number of years. However since 02 they had some excellent players in the likes of O'Hara that in his peak would have made any first 15 in the country. Fine managers in Brehony and Kevin Walsh. They seemed to have brought through some decent underage talent like Kelly. But from  a small playing pool if you have a number of injuries plus your elite players aging then what you replace them with wont cut it. I think they maxed out what they had in 07 plus last year until the connacht final. They deserve great credit for that. Losing that final cost them big in terms of mental confidence plus frustration and regret. They havent been able to halt the slide since then. I think they missed the boat last year and it will take time now to regroup and get back on track. Its just a cycle in my opinion. I personally deal with and know alot of genuine gaa people at grassroots level in Sligo who are ambitious for their county team to compete and win against the top sides despite smaller playing population and soccer etc. Its thanks to the likes of them that they scaled the heights of the last few years and that they will do so again.