Antrim Football Thread

[themac_23]

Well if you are referring to the Irish League please state that, otherwise you are legitimising the six-county state as do all uneducated six-county soccer internationals when they refer to this part of Ireland as 'the country'. Personally speaking I would not fix a county final for a Saturday, not because it clashes with soccer but because a lot of people work on a Saturday and Sunday is the traditional GAA day. Saturday evening as a compromise would probably draw a bigger crowd as evening throw-ins tend to prove popular.

Yeah meant Irish League, was just for the purpose of this and not in a political sense. Yeah I know what you mean, but for these lads Soccer is their saturday job now don't get me wrong there are lads who are working on a saturday and will also have to get it changed, but i think its a bit easier to get out of a saturday shift in a bar/ shop than it is to get out of playing irish league in front of circa 1000 people. Even if this was possible there is no way of stopping it from getting leaked. I don't know if Glenravel will have any missing because of the timing either but both teams should be helped as much as possible to get their strongest team out and if that meant a 6pm throw in or Sunday before the senior final then so be it.

[CitySlicker11]

County board should wise up and play this game on Sunday. Common sense is not something they excel at.

[themac_23]

County board should wise up and play this game on Sunday. Common sense is not something they excel at.

Agreed, but they won't change it now, shouldn't have been fixed for sat in the 1st place. they won't change it so doesn't look like they are facilitating soccer, which is unfortunate.

[Kickham csc]

County board should wise up and play this game on Sunday. Common sense is not something they excel at.

Agreed, but they won't change it now, shouldn't have been fixed for sat in the 1st place. they won't change it so doesn't look like they are facilitating soccer, which is unfortunate.

This has nothing to do with the facilitation or non facilitation of soccer.

It's  to do with the Senior County Final being fixed for a Sunday, plain and simple, and the county not wanting other county finals to clash with the senior final, i.e the marquee football game all year is the senior football final, so the playing of other finals as a double header is OK, but not splitting them, as it will distract from both finals. This is common throughout the land

BTW, the county has been doing this for years, I have played in two Int finals, one on a Sunday, one on a Saturday. We just got on with it. The Sat one was fixed because the senior final was on the next day. No problem for us, players got time off work, made the normal sacrifices and got on with the game.

Every player has the right to play whatever sport they want to, and the county has whatever right to fix their games how the want to.

The players playing soccer have options, so the decision of what game to play is absolutely theirs to make. Maybe you should be talking to them, and not pointing fingers elsewhere.

BTW, this argument sums up why Antrim football is at the bottom of the rung in Antrim. This would not be tolerated in other counties.

For example Baker, playing for Coleraine, got it written into his contract that if a game clashed with his club, he would play for the club.

[themac_23]

County board should wise up and play this game on Sunday. Common sense is not something they excel at.

Agreed, but they won't change it now, shouldn't have been fixed for sat in the 1st place. they won't change it so doesn't look like they are facilitating soccer, which is unfortunate.

This has nothing to do with the facilitation or non facilitation of soccer.

It's  to do with the Senior County Final being fixed for a Sunday, plain and simple, and the county not wanting other county finals to clash with the senior final, i.e the marquee football game all year is the senior football final, so the playing of other finals as a double header is OK, but not splitting them, as it will distract from both finals. This is common throughout the land

BTW, the county has been doing this for years, I have played in two Int finals, one on a Sunday, one on a Saturday. We just got on with it. The Sat one was fixed because the senior final was on the next day. No problem for us, players got time off work, made the normal sacrifices and got on with the game.

Every player has the right to play whatever sport they want to, and the county has whatever right to fix their games how the want to.

The players playing soccer have options, so the decision of what game to play is absolutely theirs to make. Maybe you should be talking to them, and not pointing fingers elsewhere.

BTW, this argument sums up why Antrim football is at the bottom of the rung in Antrim. This would not be tolerated in other counties.

For example Baker, playing for Coleraine, got it written into his contract that if a game clashed with his club, he would play for the club.

wouldn't be tolerated in other counties? did you see the link i posted from the hoganstand about so many counties moving their county finals so that it didn't clash with rugby which was on tv.... this was for supporters not even players, so that kind of blows that out of the water.

People keep saying they have options when in reality they don't, they would be hung out to dry if they played a club gaa game before a soccer game they are contracted to play.

At no stage did i say it should be played at the same time as the senior final, you're right it is the biggest game in the club county calendar but the junior final could have been played before it. My point is that t senior and intermediate level clubs tend to have bigger squads and could deal with the problem better but at junior level it is more difficult.

[Hectic]

Some d*ng being talked here.  If you look up the Antrim Schedule of fixtures set out at the beginning of the year Intermediate and Junior Finals both set for this Saturday so stop crying about players availability, they should have known about this possibility before the season even began and before the last season of soccer even ended.  Some folk are always playing hard done by - to start moving things for given reasons would result in games never been played.  Wise up folk - any player could get injured in the run up or not be available for a host of reasons so get on with it and stop gurning about it.  I also think some players become better when they are missing.

[themac_23]

Some d*ng being talked here.  If you look up the Antrim Schedule of fixtures set out at the beginning of the year Intermediate and Junior Finals both set for this Saturday so stop crying about players availability, they should have known about this possibility before the season even began and before the last season of soccer even ended.  Some folk are always playing hard done by - to start moving things for given reasons would result in games never been played.  Wise up folk - any player could get injured in the run up or not be available for a host of reasons so get on with it and stop gurning about it.  I also think some players become better when they are missing.

They have always been set for this saturday, have they? i could be wrong but i thought in the master fixtures it was set as the week of as opposed to an actual day but as i say I'm happy to be corrected. Nobody is gurning, I'm not a Davitts or Glenravel man so i couldn't care less who they have available I'm just saying that i would prefer to have the best players available on the pitch. FWIW i cant go to the JFC and IFC finals on saturday due to other commitments but will be at the senior game on sunday, if either of the 2 sat games had of been on before it i certainly would have been there to watch it too. But i suppose at the end of the day nothing is gonna get resolved in an internet forum i just feel sometimes players get punished for wanting to juggle different sports, it should be encouraged not punished.

[Kickham csc]

County board should wise up and play this game on Sunday. Common sense is not something they excel at.

Agreed, but they won't change it now, shouldn't have been fixed for sat in the 1st place. they won't change it so doesn't look like they are facilitating soccer, which is unfortunate.

This has nothing to do with the facilitation or non facilitation of soccer.

It's  to do with the Senior County Final being fixed for a Sunday, plain and simple, and the county not wanting other county finals to clash with the senior final, i.e the marquee football game all year is the senior football final, so the playing of other finals as a double header is OK, but not splitting them, as it will distract from both finals. This is common throughout the land

BTW, the county has been doing this for years, I have played in two Int finals, one on a Sunday, one on a Saturday. We just got on with it. The Sat one was fixed because the senior final was on the next day. No problem for us, players got time off work, made the normal sacrifices and got on with the game.

Every player has the right to play whatever sport they want to, and the county has whatever right to fix their games how the want to.

The players playing soccer have options, so the decision of what game to play is absolutely theirs to make. Maybe you should be talking to them, and not pointing fingers elsewhere.

BTW, this argument sums up why Antrim football is at the bottom of the rung in Antrim. This would not be tolerated in other counties.

For example Baker, playing for Coleraine, got it written into his contract that if a game clashed with his club, he would play for the club.

wouldn't be tolerated in other counties? did you see the link i posted from the hoganstand about so many counties moving their county finals so that it didn't clash with rugby which was on tv.... this was for supporters not even players, so that kind of blows that out of the water.

People keep saying they have options when in reality they don't, they would be hung out to dry if they played a club gaa game before a soccer game they are contracted to play.

At no stage did i say it should be played at the same time as the senior final, you're right it is the biggest game in the club county calendar but the junior final could have been played before it. My point is that t senior and intermediate level clubs tend to have bigger squads and could deal with the problem better but at junior level it is more difficult.

I'm sorry, some counties moved the timing of their senior final to suit the rugby, not move the dates at a late stage.

Playing two county finals on the same date as the senior, would take away from both finals as most gaels like going to the senior final

[Hectic]

I have a copy of the '2015 Antrim Club Fixture Schedule (Final)' on my desktop and it clearly states Sat 17th Oct 'Jun and Int F.Finals' Sun 18th Oct 'Antrim Sen F.Ball Fin'.  I saved this document to my desktop on 25/02/2015 at 08:35.  Hopefully this put some of the arguing to bed.  Whether it makes for a better spectacle to play it another day I think is irrelevant when you are talking about scheduling way back in February.  It is a long time for teams and players to get the chance to arrange to show their true ambitions.

[themac_23]

I have a copy of the '2015 Antrim Club Fixture Schedule (Final)' on my desktop and it clearly states Sat 17th Oct 'Jun and Int F.Finals' Sun 18th Oct 'Antrim Sen F.Ball Fin'.  I saved this document to my desktop on 25/02/2015 at 08:35.  Hopefully this put some of the arguing to bed.  Whether it makes for a better spectacle to play it another day I think is irrelevant when you are talking about scheduling way back in February.  It is a long time for teams and players to get the chance to arrange to show their true ambitions.

Fair enough, as i said i stood to be corrected i'll hold my hands up. Yes i understand where you're coming from saying they could have got something sorted but in reality could they? would crusaders really let their no1 goalkeeper go and play a jfc final? if they lost the supporters would hang him out to dry, and rightly so they pay his wages. I just think sometimes a step back and look at things logically would do the job. But I'm sure both clubs will get on with it and hopefully its a good game, good luck to all teams this weekend.

[SaffronHeart]

At the end of the day, its up to the player in Question. Sets a dangerous precedent if the county start accommodating other sports, Im sure the IFA doesnt hold the GAA in the same esteem as what you are suggesting to do the Mac. Anyway Davitts got a more favourable semi final date than say Ardoyne who also had Irish league players, its just how the cookie crumbles unless Glenravel have influence on the CCC  .

[Hectic]

I am pretty sure Glenravel have at least one Irish League Player.

[themac_23]

I am pretty sure Glenravel have at least one Irish League Player.

Yip I'm pretty sure they do, its not fair on them either, i just think more should be done to help the clubs, id rather see the best players playing from both sides.

[Milltown Row2]

Very quiet on senior final!   cargin by 5 with a Lamhs man sent off

[theskull1]

Just back from the intermediate final. Big gulf in football know how between ourselves and Glenavy and it turned out to be a bit of a stroll in the park once they got a five point lead. Had to laugh at the ironic refereeing decision to yellow card our keeper for time wasting when we were 8 points down with 7 or 8 minutes to play. Well done Glenavy