Down Club Hurling & Football

[Brick Tamlin]

if these rumours are true then you would have to seriously wonder what the hell is going on in our county with the current Senior panel, management and county board.

firstly we have the ridiculous starting date for training for the squad in september with about 50 odd guys getting asked to train believing that they will end up being part of a panel and in turn will be lead to believe that the will end up getting a game at some stage through the year when in fact its the opposite, refer to this year's championship/qualifier games when we had a bench full of players that the management clearly didnt rate or believe could do a job and never used, see Stephen Toner, Darren Cunningham etc. those kind of guys were chosen to be on the panel but yet you were never ever given the impression that they would ever be used come crunch time in championship etc.

then we have the constant squabbling and rumours of fall outs. How many times do you ever hear of fall-outs in Tyrone/Armagh etc. Now i dont know whos fault it is or why these fall-outs occur but something needs to be done. Does the managament not clearly state at the outset of the year for each player involved in the squad what is expected of them as county players or how they should acting, what is acceptable and what isnt etc and then there can be no confusion. It seems to be certain players or groups of players get treated differently to others.

also answer me this (and maybe im just being cynical) but when the F**k would you ever catch armagh players or past Down players for that matter prancing around on stages/Catwalks as either models/singers/entertainers or opening supermarkets etc. Am in disbelief at why these guys would agree to or want to put themselves in these positions at all, it completely leaves themselves open for much more criticism than what they fail to do on the field of play.
The only place i want to see these guys entertaining the public is on gaelic Field, not in the canal court/Laceys/The Quays or anywhere else for that matter.

As i said you wouldnt have caught Kieran mc Geeney, Marsden, Paul Higgins,Eamon Burns etc at that craic, whereas in our county today its the norm for our players to do this sort of stuff and yet be fetted by the public for it. I think its so indicitive of our county senior team of today to be honest and says it all really.

[Townie]

Well said brick! But the whole thing seems alot of nonsence to me although if this is the case and the two boys are off is there anyone out there good enough to replace them?

[downredblack]

Maybe they mean business from the start this year , don't think the Bridge boys would be told not to come back  if training clashed with one of their functions  . Is this the second time Colgan and Ross have not seen eye to eye ?

At last years dinner dance the BRIDGE BOYS had to play a challenge match agianst Meath somewhere down the country, they came back to our dinner when it was over, Ronan sexton recieved player of the year bur noel had to pick it up for him!!!!!!!!!

I wasn't questioning the Bridge lads commitment to the Down cause but was implying that Ross was making an example of a fringe player (Colgan).

[5 Sams]

also answer me this (and maybe im just being cynical) but when the F**k would you ever catch armagh players or past Down players for that matter prancing around on stages/Catwalks as either models/singers/entertainers or opening supermarkets etc.

Or touting their books around the place to pay their gambling debts!!!

Am in disbelief at why these guys would agree to or want to put themselves in these positions at all, it completely leaves themselves open for much more criticism than what they fail to do on the field of play.
The only place i want to see these guys entertaining the public is on gaelic Field, not in the canal court/Laceys/The Quays or anywhere else for that matter.

Its the end of the season and nowhere near the start of next season ...are these boys not allowed a life??? Catch a f**king grip will you.

As i said you wouldnt have caught Kieran mc Geeney, Marsden, Paul Higgins,Eamon Burns etc at that craic.

Or Barney Rock or Jack O'Shea or David Beggy either...wise up...its only a bit of crack FFS.

[DownFanatic]

I hear Bredagh are looking to form a Thirds team. Does this mean that your Seconds are going to the ACPRFL Div 2?
Also, is it just me or should something be said at the East Down Convention about the shambles that is the EDRFL?

[T O Hare]

"also answer me this (and maybe im just being cynical) but when the F**k would you ever catch armagh players or past Down players for that matter prancing around on stages/Catwalks as either models/singers/entertainers or opening supermarkets etc. Am in disbelief at why these guys would agree to or want to put themselves in these positions at all, it completely leaves themselves open for much more criticism than what they fail to do on the field of play."

if your refering to last thursday night.. the boys who were on stage did it for a worthy cause, over 10,000 was made for the marie curie nurses, well done lads

[5 Sams]

Spot on Tommy...how could I forget that bit?? Any word on a final total yet??

[Brick Tamlin]

look fellas i know alot of you guys on here were involved in some capacity with recent charity events etc and im not just referring to that one event and i admire anyone who rolls up their sleeves and gets actively involved. I know how important fund raising and charity functions are and how much charity organisations rely on local celebrities etc but im sorry but i still firmly believe that certain figures who get involved in PR as amateur sportsmen are leaving themselves open to so much criticsim, even more so when you consider the state of our current county setup.

5sams, comparing legends like Jack O Se, Beggy etc to our current players, please dont make me laugh. Also are they not retired greats who have earned the right and respect to do whatever they like in their retirement. Ive no problem with our players doin that stuff when they have a back pocket full of medals and have the slippers on in front of the fire but now at their supposed peak age?? Are you seriously telling me that people throughout the county including past players arent shaking their heads and wondering what kind of heads are on these boys shoulders.

Give me a dour,grumpy,gym-loving, tee-totalling bore-the-knickers-off-ye Kieran Mc Geeney or Paul mc Grane any day of the week to replace some of the "local celebs" we have on our squads.

T O Hare i dont debate there was a large amount raised the other night and it was a very worthwhile venture and as i said i aint against that but id still question some players mentalities within our county, and again im not just refering to the charity do min the Canal Court.

Maybe i am overeacting a bit, maybe i should lighten up somewhat, then again on the other hand if we lose miserably to Tyrone come championship time and possibly falter at the 1st or 2nd hurdle in the qualifiers we can always comfort ourselves in the knowledge that our boys gave it their all and are entitled to do what they like in their spare time/off season while not forgetting that they are great craic too and know how to enjoy themselves.

[T O Hare]

not sure on a final total yet FIVE SAMS but brick i think you being totally unfair to any down players, they get a lot of stick for being spice boys and take it very well but they are allowed a life.. its closed season and they are nt doing anything more than any county player does.. look at oisins book or geezer fronting himself on the gpa, mugsy getting pictured with jordan etc
these lads are co players and there will always begrugders  putting them down!!
its not fair because any down player i know are friendly, down to earth and approachable, they are not the " do you know who i am brigade" that peole make them out to be

[amallon]

I'd have no problem with county players getting involved in events like this.  They helped raise the profile of the event and help increase the total raised for chairty.  If this took place in the middle of the championship season you'd have to ask questions but not in November.  I don't know many of our county panel but know the two Ballyholland lads and both are as down to earth as they come.  Anyway thank god they are better footballers than singers! 

[thewobbler]

Brick, seeing as fcukwits like you fully expect our county players to behave better than monks, well it's no wonder then that the GPA are seeking payments for players.

[downredblack]

Hey amallon , I managed to get into a pic on yer website . The big time at last .

[redandblackjack]

To be fair to Ross, he obviously knows that he needs to do alot of work to turn things around- one days training a week isnt a big sacrifice is it? The Down boys are also being asked to do weights during the week- i wonder how many actually do this!?

It seems playing for Down is taken for granted! Colgan and McVeigh obviously tried to call Ross Carr's bluff! Good on yis lads- it didnt work! If i was told not to drink for a year and i would be part of the panel i wouldnt drink! To attend training and go to a dinner dance afterwards (if this was the stumbling block) is a pain in the arse but do- able!

Armagh and Tyrone do not have the problems we have- as mentioned earlier- simply because they do not dare ask questions of management- they get on with it or they are history! Exactly what has happened in this case! If Mcgeeney could find time to train at a wedding (his sisters?) then surely Colgan and McVeigh could have found the time to train for their county! This is the difference! The dinner dance thing is a cop out!

At the end of the day if all the players are not willing to put the effort in then the management, no matter who they are will be pissing against the wind!

[east down gael]

down fanatic,not sure if bredagh are entering a thirds team or not,but as far as i am aware they won the east down reserve league and would presumably go up.

[No1]

Couldn't agree more redandblackjack. 

  Didn't McVeigh and Carr fall out last year?  Colgan walked last year, bit if an attitude problem there?  I don't know the fella at all but it reflects badly on him.

  As for the other 2 boys mentioned, FFS give them a break Brick.  Amateur sportsmen in the off season having a bit of craic and helping to raise money for charity, what exactly is the problem?  Murtagh is probably the fittest man on the panel and IMO was our best player last year.  As for Murphy, well he has big ears.