Antrim Football Thread

[InnocentByStander]

All this depends on your view of success.

What is success...from where you finished the previous year.

If you finished 5th in league, getting to 3 rd and having a decent run in the championship would represent success to me.

Conversely, finishing 9th the previous year and hoping to get to win the league is not success.  People and clubs need to be realistic.

I've mentioned this before on here. Clubs need a 10 year plan, set achieveable and realistic goals - review it every year. Underage must be part of it also.

If a club (who finished 10th year before) bring in a managerment team, pay them say 10k and 'hope' they win the championship, more fool them.

They'll move off to a neighbouring club are two years and everybody will be back to square one. And repeat.

100 percent these teams should be putting that 10k into their youth structure, rather  than bringing outside managers in and hoping for things to happen.

To have a winning senior team you don't need a championship winning team at every level as long as you have a conveyor belt of 2/3 good players on every team to bring through.

The lack of structure in youth teams in the city at the moment is very poor outside of St Bridget's (but they do have about 60 children to pick from at every level).

In a wider county scale of things if we ever want to move forward in any shape at county level, more focus needs to be put into the youth especially up in the city. 

[Caesar]

Have you any thoughts on why the city teams in particular seem to be struggling at underage? What has changed in the city that doesn't apply to the country boys?

[Milltown Row2]

Have you any thoughts on why the city teams in particular seem to be struggling at underage? What has changed in the city that doesn't apply to the country boys?

Doing a lot of under age games and Naomh Brid (Belfast) seem to be doing rightly at underage lately as are St Paul's..

As mentioned taking your eye off the underage and channeling energies into senior only will only reduce the counties ability to get better

[imtommygunn]

St galls were borderline a once in a lifetime team which skews everything...

[Milltown Row2]

St galls were borderline a once in a lifetime team which skews everything...

Our 82 83 teams played in successive Ulster club finals.... Its not a once in a life time team 

[imtommygunn]

Never won any all irelands though or  close...

[EOC1923]

Have the country teams raised the standard or have the city teams just got worse. A bit of both?

I ask this because it seems to me that our county underage teams are no better than they ever were and are possibly worse.

And if I expand this out to senior club football, trying to tread carefully as I know they can be sensitive on here. Cargin posters - I'm not having a pop at your club!!

Cargin are undoubtedly and deservedly the standard bearers in Antrim football currently. Do you think that Cargin's current team are of a higher standard than their team that wasn't winning many championships 10-15 years ago?

I think Cargins current team full out are better than 10-15 years ago, though not at that level of St Galls All Ireland winners. That was an exceptional team.
We have kept a consistent standard throughout while others have dropped off. Only my opinion

[Milltown Row2]

Never won any all irelands though or  close...

Injury time sucker goal lost in semifinal against one of the best teams never to win an All Ireland Clann naGael.. 2 up lost by one !!

But yes, that generational team that won the big prize was something else, but borne from hard work and huge input by many

[NorthAntrim]

Have you any thoughts on why the city teams in particular seem to be struggling at underage? What has changed in the city that doesn't apply to the country boys?

Doing a lot of under age games and Naomh Brid (Belfast) seem to be doing rightly at underage lately as are St Paul's..

As mentioned taking your eye off the underage and channeling energies into senior only will only reduce the counties ability to get better

GNM seem to be doing good work

[InnocentByStander]

Have you any thoughts on why the city teams in particular seem to be struggling at underage? What has changed in the city that doesn't apply to the country boys?

Said this on here a few times, don't think too many agree but i believe schools have a massive part to play, Antrim the only county in Ulster not represented at macrory level. Look at the clubs performing well over recent years ourselves creggan and aghagllon all tend to send their children to schools outside of Antrim and competing at high level in schools football.

[Saffrongael]

Never won any all irelands though or  close...

Injury time sucker goal lost in semifinal against one of the best teams never to win an All Ireland Clann naGael.. 2 up lost by one !!

But yes, that generational team that won the big prize was something else, but borne from hard work and huge input by many

It was a 6 county effort

[Saffrongael]

Have you any thoughts on why the city teams in particular seem to be struggling at underage? What has changed in the city that doesn't apply to the country boys?

Doing a lot of under age games and Naomh Brid (Belfast) seem to be doing rightly at underage lately as are St Paul's..

As mentioned taking your eye off the underage and channeling energies into senior only will only reduce the counties ability to get better

GNM seem to be doing good work

GNM have good U-15 teams (relatively speaking) in both codes. They are struggling under that age to field in hurling for example. I wouldn't accuse a team in Belfast of not "putting the work in", I have seen the challenges at first hand.

They are varied, soccer, the number of clubs, kids not practicing from one week to the next and don't come back. If a club doesent have numbers they are behind the 8 ball already. St Brigids have huge numbers at football (not so at hurling)

St Paul's are strong in football and hurling from U-11 up to U-15, not sure about U-17.

[Milltown Row2]

Have you any thoughts on why the city teams in particular seem to be struggling at underage? What has changed in the city that doesn't apply to the country boys?

Said this on here a few times, don't think too many agree but i believe schools have a massive part to play, Antrim the only county in Ulster not represented at macrory level. Look at the clubs performing well over recent years ourselves creggan and aghagllon all tend to send their children to schools outside of Antrim and competing at high level in schools football.

So the teams that did well that didn't send their kids to schools outside of Antrim did ok?

[imtommygunn]

I think they are up there in under 17 too. Gnm had a minor team not far off as good as the minor team with Mick McCann on it and had a few good years but probably never kicked on. I think, taboo as this may sound, city teams struggle more with player retention.

It'll be very interesting seeing how st brigid's go over the next few years. They are up there at underage every year it seems.

[marty34]

Have the country teams raised the standard or have the city teams just got worse. A bit of both?

I ask this because it seems to me that our county underage teams are no better than they ever were and are possibly worse.

And if I expand this out to senior club football, trying to tread carefully as I know they can be sensitive on here. Cargin posters - I'm not having a pop at your club!!

Cargin are undoubtedly and deservedly the standard bearers in Antrim football currently. Do you think that Cargin's current team are of a higher standard than their team that wasn't winning many championships 10-15 years ago?

I think Cargins current team full out are better than 10-15 years ago, though not at that level of St Galls All Ireland winners. That was an exceptional team.
We have kept a consistent standard throughout while others have dropped off. Only my opinion

St. Galls were better alright. Won an All-Ireland etc.

Cargin have won a few Antrim titles but, as of yet, have done very little in Ulster.

As I said previously, they need to look beyond Antrim instead of their supporters on here talking up winning another Antrim title.