Down Club Hurling & Football

[western exile]

Secondly, Liam Doyle peaked when he was 18 years of age.  He has done nothing since.  He is totally overrated and to put him at CHB would be a major mistake.  Based on his performances in the red and black, he doesn't deserve a place on the team.  Surely if he was fit, and stayed of the sauce, he would be an addition to the team.  He has been a passenger and was picked because of his reputation and potential.  Not good enough

Cloc Mor ,a bit of baiting here - anything more to add to this astute observation ?

Great work Caitlin !!  Keep us all honest !!!!

[lisdoon1]

Secondly, Liam Doyle peaked when he was 18 years of age.  He has done nothing since.  He is totally overrated and to put him at CHB would be a major mistake.  Based on his performances in the red and black, he doesn't deserve a place on the team.  Surely if he was fit, and stayed of the sauce, he would be an addition to the team.  He has been a passenger and was picked because of his reputation and potential.  Not good enough

Cloc Mor ,a bit of baiting here - anything more to add to this astute observation ?

Well spotted, Doyle has been calm & commanding in the past two games making very encouraging bursts from the half back line.

John Clarke was also brilliant on Tues Night.....

But lets all pinch ourselves here, it is the Mckenna Cup and we as well as all other teams are not at full power.

Win or loose agains derry on Saturday we have enjoyed a nice taste of good flowing football.

Ross ca sit back now & look at the negatives & build on the Positives. Benny would be interesting at Midfield, we wont know until we try!

Any word on what was up with Dan Gordon On tues??

Will he be fit for Saturday??

[Pangurban]

Benny at midfield with Dan at FF, might be the solution to the forwards lack of self confidence, and over-reliance on Benny. Its certainly worth a try

[Naomh Pol CLG]

Benny at midfield with Dan at FF, might be the solution to the forwards lack of self confidence, and over-reliance on Benny. Its certainly worth a try

I have always said that Dan Gordon is a Full Forward and not a midfielder. He only has to win a couple of balls at full forward to beat Tyrone.

Aye, was always a dangerous player at full forward..Would prefer to see him there, but the lack of ball winning midfielders within the squad would suggest big Dan is destined for a more withdrawn role this year again.

[mournerambler]

I think that the management team need to forget about Michael Walsh being part of the team lining out on 8th June, the whole county has been waiting for close to a decade for him to show off his much talked about talent on the inter-county scene, but time & time again we are left scratching our heads as to what seems to be his latest tale of woe.Now is the time to forget about the primadonna's & concentrate on the squad available & willing to bust their balls, & hopefully they can restore the pride in our county team.

[lisdoon1]

I think that the management team need to forget about Michael Walsh being part of the team lining out on 8th June, the whole county has been waiting for close to a decade for him to show off his much talked about talent on the inter-county scene, but time & time again we are left scratching our heads as to what seems to be his latest tale of woe.Now is the time to forget about the primadonna's & concentrate on the squad available & willing to bust their balls, & hopefully they can restore the pride in our county team.

I wouldnt single out walsh. The lad in in London doing his exams so he cannot commit for a very good reason. Walsh has been unlucky with injury, i thought he had a good game in cavan last year.

As a small county we cannot let a few wins go to the head and declare what players we want. We need every player available, and we also need to make sure that there is an open door to those who are unavailable or who are willing to bust their balls.

Closing the door is not a position we are in, maybe in the Kingdom of Kerry where you have a ream of talent coming through, but not in down.

Unless you know a few Mickey walshes who are heading for the panel ??

We ahve all been waiting for waslh / doyle & co to deliver since their minor success. Two things (only my opinion)

1. Winning an all ireland medal at minor level does not mean the same bunch of lasd will win a senior medal in x years time, it does not even mean that they themselves will make it to the top level & we in down have seen that.

look at the St Colmans team that won the Hogan cup in 1998 (their last I think?)

How many players who achieved all ireland glorey went on to play at the top level in down football? Liam Doyle.....

Om Im ranting a little, but my point is yes we have won all ireland minors in recent years, this does not equal automatic gains in senior quarters in a few years time.

Why? I think because these lads lack guidance. With Wee pete & Paddy unable to take advantage of our young players coming through maybe Ross will & maybe things will change.....


Another unrelated point, Michael McAllister didnt have a bad game for UUJ last wednesday night, anyone see him on the Panel for NFL??

[passedit]

Having long insisted that this team plays better without Benny Coulter, i feel i am being vindicated, Benny is a good footballer, not a great one as some on here seems to think, who presence is detrimental to the team. His return will bring an end to the expressive, flowing football , with forwards willing to take on responsibility and go for their scores. Mark my words

100% Pangurban. You are right and they are wrong. It's a combination of human nature taking the easiest route and the easiest route not being a real leader in the mould of Blaney, Mc Cartan or DJ or even a real leader lite like Mc Geeney, Mc Grane or Marsden. Not really his fault (he wasn't born to be a leader) nor that of the other false prophet doyle but as it stands this team will be better without him and, until i see a fit committed no 6, the other boy either. Time will tell, but all this shite about every team in ireland wanting someone who, lets face it,  has won fcuk all, is just that, shite.

[T O Hare]

Having long insisted that this team plays better without Benny Coulter, i feel i am being vindicated, Benny is a good footballer, not a great one as some on here seems to think, who presence is detrimental to the team. His return will bring an end to the expressive, flowing football , with forwards willing to take on responsibility and go for their scores. Mark my words

Pangurban, if you watch enough football you will realise that Benny Coulter is not only a great player but one of the best and most exciting players this county has ever produced..
yes we are playing well at the minute but i can only imagine that a player of his stature and ablity should lift a team, enhance it and put fear into the opposition..

Ps... my father has watched football since the 50's and seen Irelands best, i asked him who was the best he has seen in his life, he never gave me a final answer but he said that Benny is in his top five!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Pangurban]

I also have been watching football from the 1950s. While i agree that Benny has the potential to be a great footballer, he still has some way to go.  I would not place him among the top twenty of the best i have seen, indeed i would not place him in the top twenty within the County over the past fifty years, but he is young and may yet emerge as one of our greats. Best i have ever seen Sean Purcell, ask your father about him

[Guillem2]

Benny is good but over rated - especially in Down. He's not a team player and tries to win the game on his own. Maybe better managers could come up with a better game plan that makes best use of his talent?

[amallon]

I can't believe some of the comments on here today.  I find it hard to understand that Down supporters can attribute Down's mini revival to the absence of Benny Coulter.  Or the old "one time against Kildare Down played better when he went off" crap.  Maybe the players upped their game to try and win the match for Benny.   
If the rest of the Down team can keep their performances at this level we will see the best of Benny Coulter this year.  For too long he hasn't had the support from enough quality players around him, he's spent so long starved of possession.  On other occasions he has been double or triple marked and garryowens landing in on top of him.  He's good but not that good.

[spiritof91and94]

I can't believe some of the comments on here today.  I find it hard to understand that Down supporters can attribute Down's mini revival to the absence of Benny Coulter.  Or the old "one time against Kildare Down played better when he went off" crap.  Maybe the players upped their game to try and win the match for Benny.   
If the rest of the Down team can keep their performances at this level we will see the best of Benny Coulter this year.  For too long he hasn't had the support from enough quality players around him, he's spent so long starved of possession.  On other occasions he has been double or triple marked and garryowens landing in on top of him.  He's good but not that good.

100% - Down need Benny on the pitch, a pure class act.

Ross (or DJ) better not meet McHugh in the near future going by todays Irish News - and Ross is obviously very happy with his squad at the moment and rightly backs them to the hilt - McHugh is a real asshole anyway...

[5 Sams]

I said earlier in this thread that "Its only the fcukin McKenna Cup" and now some people on here are talking about the absence of our best player being the reason for a couple of good results agianst a bunch of students and a couple of reserve teams and they are talking about doing without him....for fcuk sake lads wise up.

[western exile]

Correct !   I remember people saying in the late Eighties that Greg Blaney was overrated, try to win on his own,..... blah blah, etc, etc....    All the exact same things that are being presented on this tread this morning re Benny Coulter.  Deja vu or what?

With right support he has the potential to show his true worth. And therefore must NOT be discarded like some are suggesting.

[western exile]

I can't believe some of the comments on here today.  I find it hard to understand that Down supporters can attribute Down's mini revival to the absence of Benny Coulter.  Or the old "one time against Kildare Down played better when he went off" crap.  Maybe the players upped their game to try and win the match for Benny.   
If the rest of the Down team can keep their performances at this level we will see the best of Benny Coulter this year.  For too long he hasn't had the support from enough quality players around him, he's spent so long starved of possession.  On other occasions he has been double or triple marked and garryowens landing in on top of him.  He's good but not that good.

Another valid reason.  And another reason for those around him to up their game if the team are to threaten.  That tactic had become too predictable in recent times, and our opponents have been wise to it