Down Club Hurling & Football

[RadioGAAGAA]

If you think club managers have never been in the ears of fringe county players telling them to quit and to concentrate on the club?

Why would a fringe player want to spend all year training with the county and playing f*k all games because county management won't release them for the club nor play them for the county?

If I were in their boots, I'd just play for my club too.

[Leftmidfield]

If you think club managers have never been in the ears of fringe county players telling them to quit and to concentrate on the club?

Why would a fringe player want to spend all year training with the county and playing f*k all games because county management won't release them for the club nor play them for the county?

If I were in their boots, I'd just play for my club too.

Agree 100%

[Johnnysboys]

County football is a real catch 22.. If you are playing regularly - the world is a great place. However if you are a sub or not getting much time - rather than rolling your sleeves up and sticking with it for a while - todays "entitled" player runs away back to their club.. if we as a county don't get a group of 19/20 year olds to buy in for a period of 6/7 years - we are f***ed.. Armagh have done it with players and management, Monaghan, Derry, Donegal and they are reaping the rewards. For some reason - playing for down ain't attractive enough for our young lads anymore.. Or they go for 2-3 months and jump ship when the hard questions are asked of them.. young lads don't like tough training nowadays - I see it at my own club. I'm not talking about endless laps etc but even hard work with the ball and they are complaining. And parents are worse.. If they are challenged/beaten this year - next year they drop down a division. And then we wonder why we ain't producing county standard players..

[RadioGAAGAA]

County football is a real catch 22.. If you are playing regularly - the world is a great place. However if you are a sub or not getting much time - rather than rolling your sleeves up and sticking with it for a while - todays "entitled" player runs away back to their club..

Today's "entitled" players have a far higher training workload than any generation before them.

To keep up with the Tyrones and Dublins, they'd have to pretty much be at it every day of the week in some guise.... and for what? To pick splinters out of yer arse all year to watch the county get a hammering in the championship and watch from the sidelines in frustration at yer clubmates get regular games?

It's a wonder anyone bothers their hole for the county at all.


Until county management get real - and release *every* player for *every* round of club games excepting any the same weekend of an inter-county championship - then they'll always have a high squad turnover.

[SamFever]

God bless us,not much County good spirit around this evening.

[thewobbler]

Every county squad had a high turnover. It goes with the territory. The lifestyle it demands, is rarely rewarding on a team level, so it then has to be rewarding on a personal level. And watching football from the bench is rarely rewarding on a personal level.

All this just becomes more obvious when your county in struggling.

—-

The split season - which to be fair I was fully in favour of - is only going to heighten this problem. We don't yet know how forceful Down Senior Mgt are going to be in terms of their grip on players the club season. But I would harbour a guess that they (along with all other second tier managers) could kill the Tailteann before it starts, should they pull rank. There will be counties in Ireland who will struggle to gather up a 26 for that competition should it face off heavily against club football.

[Truth hurts]

Even if we do go into the Taitleann cup we should be making every effort to win it, we need this year to be a success of some sort. We have not won anything of note bar a McKenna cup since 1994 so we should not turn our nose up at anything. It reminds me of teams laughing at the corn an dun last year when they haven't won a trophy in donkeys.

[snoopdog]

Even if we do go into the Taitleann cup we should be making every effort to win it, we need this year to be a success of some sort. We have not won anything of note bar a McKenna cup since 1994 so we should not turn our nose up at anything. It reminds me of teams laughing at the corn an dun last year when they haven't won a trophy in donkeys.

If the mckenna cup is of note 2007 I think we last won it.  The tailteann Cup will get as much coverage as the 2nd and 3rd string hurling championships and it will be dead in the water like the tommy murphy.  The GAA only want the elite in the sam maguire. They only want Dublin Kerry  Mayo and tyrone in the semi finals . Couldn't  care less about the rest.

[Truth hurts]

Even if we do go into the Taitleann cup we should be making every effort to win it, we need this year to be a success of some sort. We have not won anything of note bar a McKenna cup since 1994 so we should not turn our nose up at anything. It reminds me of teams laughing at the corn an dun last year when they haven't won a trophy in donkeys.

If the mckenna cup is of note 2007 I think we last won it.  The tailteann Cup will get as much coverage as the 2nd and 3rd string hurling championships and it will be dead in the water like the tommy murphy.  The GAA only want the elite in the sam maguire. They only want Dublin Kerry  Mayo and tyrone in the semi finals . Couldn't  care less about the rest.

The Joe Mcdonagh final was live on RTE last year?

[Nanderson]

Even if we do go into the Taitleann cup we should be making every effort to win it, we need this year to be a success of some sort. We have not won anything of note bar a McKenna cup since 1994 so we should not turn our nose up at anything. It reminds me of teams laughing at the corn an dun last year when they haven't won a trophy in donkeys.

If the mckenna cup is of note 2007 I think we last won it.  The tailteann Cup will get as much coverage as the 2nd and 3rd string hurling championships and it will be dead in the water like the tommy murphy.  The GAA only want the elite in the sam maguire. They only want Dublin Kerry  Mayo and tyrone in the semi finals . Couldn't  care less about the rest.

Was 2008. Beat Derry in casement

[johnnycool]

Even if we do go into the Taitleann cup we should be making every effort to win it, we need this year to be a success of some sort. We have not won anything of note bar a McKenna cup since 1994 so we should not turn our nose up at anything. It reminds me of teams laughing at the corn an dun last year when they haven't won a trophy in donkeys.

If the mckenna cup is of note 2007 I think we last won it.  The tailteann Cup will get as much coverage as the 2nd and 3rd string hurling championships and it will be dead in the water like the tommy murphy.  The GAA only want the elite in the sam maguire. They only want Dublin Kerry  Mayo and tyrone in the semi finals . Couldn't  care less about the rest.

The Joe Mcdonagh final was live on RTE last year?

The lower tiered hurling finals used to be played before the AI semi-finals but then got moved to a Saturday out of the way. They still play the finals in Croke Park, but no doubt that'll be changed shortly as well..

The Tailteann Cup will go the same way soon enough.

[Lloyd p]

Every county squad had a high turnover. It goes with the territory. The lifestyle it demands, is rarely rewarding on a team level, so it then has to be rewarding on a personal level. And watching football from the bench is rarely rewarding on a personal level.

All this just becomes more obvious when your county in struggling.

—-

The split season - which to be fair I was fully in favour of - is only going to heighten this problem. We don't yet know how forceful Down Senior Mgt are going to be in terms of their grip on players the club season. But I would harbour a guess that they (along with all other second tier managers) could kill the Tailteann before it starts, should they pull rank. There will be counties in Ireland who will struggle to gather up a 26 for that competition should it face off heavily against club football.

Another reason for why lads are leaving the panel is maybe due to how they are being treated while they are on it. In some cases lads get told services are no longer required very early on before being given much of a chance or don't even get a phone call to let them know. Good man management is key and maybe in the past and even present this is something that is lacking in Down football and other counties...Just a thought!

[Truth hurts]

"the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results"

[Johnnysboys]

Another reason for why lads are leaving the panel is maybe due to how they are being treated while they are on it. In some cases lads get told services are no longer required very early on before being given much of a chance or don't even get a phone call to let them know. Good man management is key and maybe in the past and even present this is something that is lacking in Down football and other counties...Just a thought!
[/quote]

I would highly doubt that the current management have let anyone go this year without speaking to them. One thing James is very good at is his man management of players.

[SamFever]

"the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results"

Laverty and Murtagh dropped,McParland to midfield and Poland to CHB. Guinness and McEvoy into the starting lineup.Genius stuff.