Derry Club Football & Hurling original

[Josey Wales]

Must surely be the most harebrained scheme in a long time, even for Derry CB, to relegate 4 and possibly 5 teams out of the top division in one fell swoop.

You would wonder at the thought process behind this, that someone would randomly say:

'right I've got it, the solution to Derry's football ills at county level is that our players are playing too much football, what we need to do is give all senior teams 11 games a year in the league and at least one in the championship. And this season lets ram 15 league games into about 10 weeks so that lads are playing 3 games in 8 days a few times, after not having a game for 2 months, which will allow us to introduce a nice big long break in the middle of the summer that we can fill with glorified friendlies, sure that'll allow any lads that want to f off to America the perfect opportunity to do so'.......

complete mad nonsense.

No but Barker is doing a tremendous job according to some on here.  All to suit the County footballers who have a support of about 500 at games and to hell with the other 99% of the playing Gaelic footballers in the county and supporters.

[You, Yew and Ewe]

What way does the play off work?  Is it the 5th from bottom plays the winner of Div2?  If thats the case what 4 teams to you feel you will finish above?

The remaining fixtures are:
Slaughtneil (20 pts) v   Lavey (h)   Dungiven (a)   Ballinascreen (h)   Swatragh (a)
Glen (18 pts) v   Glenullin (h)   Coleraine (h)   Dungiven (a)   Magherafelt (h)
Magherafelt (17 pts) v   Bellaghy (a)   Claudy (h)   Lavey (h)   Glen (a)
Coleraine (16 pts) v   Ballinascreen (h)   Glen (a)   Newbridge (a)   Glenullin (h)
Dungiven (15 pts) v   Swatragh (a)   Slaughtneil (h)   Glen (h)   The Loup (a)
Ballinderry (13 pts) v   Newbridge (a)   Kilrea (h)   Glenullin (a)   Bellaghy (h)
Lavey (12 pts) v   Slaughtneil (a)   Ballinascreen (a)   Magherafelt (a)   Newbridge (h)
The Loup (12 pts) v   Kilrea (h)   - - -   Claudy (a)   Dungiven (h)
Bellaghy (12 pts) v   Magherafelt (h)   Swatragh (a)   Greenlough (h)   Ballinderry (a)
Swatragh (9 pts) v   Dungiven (h)   Bellaghy (h)   Kilrea (a)   Slaughtneil (h)
Ballinascreen (8 pts) v   Coleraine (a)   Lavey (a)   Slaughtneil (a)   Greenlough (h)
Newbridge (8 pts) v   Ballinderry (h)   Glenullin (a)   Coleraine (h)   Lavey (a)
Kilrea (7 pts) v   The Loup (a)   Ballinderry (a)   Swatragh (h)   Claudy (h)
Greenlough (4 pts) v   Claudy (h)   - - -   Bellaghy (a)   Ballinascreen (a)
Glenullin (4 pts) v   Glen (a)   Newbridge (h)   Ballinderry (h)   Coleraine (a)
Claudy (3 pts) v   Greenlough (a)   Magherafelt (a)   The Loup (h)   Kilrea (a)

For what it's worth I reckon it's Claudy and Glenullin to go down without another win, Greenlough and Kilrea going down picking up just the two points (both against Claudy) with Newbridge into the playoff courtesy of Paddy Bradley's men beating Glenullin.   Ballinascreen to only beat Greenlough in their final league game to have the same number of points as Newbridge but to stay up in 11th spot as a result of their early season victory over the 'Bridge.  Slaughtneil and Magherafelt to pick up maximum points to finish first and second.

But hey-ho, anything is possible don't ye know?

[Josey Wales]

Are you sure it goes to head to head.  I thought Derry CB changed it to score difference at the start of this season?

[oakleaflad]

Must surely be the most harebrained scheme in a long time, even for Derry CB, to relegate 4 and possibly 5 teams out of the top division in one fell swoop.

You would wonder at the thought process behind this, that someone would randomly say:

'right I've got it, the solution to Derry's football ills at county level is that our players are playing too much football, what we need to do is give all senior teams 11 games a year in the league and at least one in the championship. And this season lets ram 15 league games into about 10 weeks so that lads are playing 3 games in 8 days a few times, after not having a game for 2 months, which will allow us to introduce a nice big long break in the middle of the summer that we can fill with glorified friendlies, sure that'll allow any lads that want to f off to America the perfect opportunity to do so'.......

complete mad nonsense.

No but Barker is doing a tremendous job according to some on here.  All to suit the County footballers who have a support of about 500 at games and to hell with the other 99% of the playing Gaelic footballers in the county and supporters.

It's the clubs at the bottom of Division 3 I feel sorry for, 6 (possibly 7) going down from current Division 2. Some of them have shipped very heavy defeats to Limavady this year. If you add the likes Desertmartin, Faughanvale, Ballerin and Craigbane down there (based on current league positions) then this could become a regular occurrence and won't really help either those teams relegated or the teams at the bottom of Division 3.

[Keyser soze]

Well I want to see Derry doing well too, as I'm sure does every single poster on this thread. 

But making club players train all year for a handful of games is definitely not the way to achieve that.  I know it is a balancing act but cutting the number of games and having a massive training to games ratio will only drive players away from GAA.  Just look at the number of reserve fixtures unfulfilled this season already, it's unprecedented.  There is no balance in the fixtures this year that's for sure.  And cutting the number of club fixtures as a solution is just wrong. 

[ONEDerry]

The idea of balancing the numbers across the leagues is probably the right way to improve the standards in the long run.  Doing it all in the one year with the number of clubs dropping down is too much.  So many teams at the one time will result in a good few hammerings next year in Division 2 and probably 1B which isn't going to help anyone.  As much as the number of senior games might be an issue the current reserve and minor football games being played is not good. Reserves and minors are supposed help lads come through and develop for club and maybe county. A number of clubs must have young lads at minors that are fed up with it as they have played maybe only 3 or 4 games in leagues that started in April or May.

[Champion The Wonder Horse]

What way does the play off work?  Is it the 5th from bottom plays the winner of Div2?  If thats the case what 4 teams to you feel you will finish above?

The remaining fixtures are:
Slaughtneil (20 pts) v   Lavey (h)   Dungiven (a)   Ballinascreen (h)   Swatragh (a)
Glen (18 pts) v   Glenullin (h)   Coleraine (h)   Dungiven (a)   Magherafelt (h)
Magherafelt (17 pts) v   Bellaghy (a)   Claudy (h)   Lavey (h)   Glen (a)
Coleraine (16 pts) v   Ballinascreen (h)   Glen (a)   Newbridge (a)   Glenullin (h)
Dungiven (15 pts) v   Swatragh (a)   Slaughtneil (h)   Glen (h)   The Loup (a)
Ballinderry (13 pts) v   Newbridge (a)   Kilrea (h)   Glenullin (a)   Bellaghy (h)
Lavey (12 pts) v   Slaughtneil (a)   Ballinascreen (a)   Magherafelt (a)   Newbridge (h)
The Loup (12 pts) v   Kilrea (h)   - - -   Claudy (a)   Dungiven (h)
Bellaghy (12 pts) v   Magherafelt (h)   Swatragh (a)   Greenlough (h)   Ballinderry (a)
Swatragh (9 pts) v   Dungiven (h)   Bellaghy (h)   Kilrea (a)   Slaughtneil (h)
Ballinascreen (8 pts) v   Coleraine (a)   Lavey (a)   Slaughtneil (a)   Greenlough (h)
Newbridge (8 pts) v   Ballinderry (h)   Glenullin (a)   Coleraine (h)   Lavey (a)
Kilrea (7 pts) v   The Loup (a)   Ballinderry (a)   Swatragh (h)   Claudy (h)
Greenlough (4 pts) v   Claudy (h)   - - -   Bellaghy (a)   Ballinascreen (a)
Glenullin (4 pts) v   Glen (a)   Newbridge (h)   Ballinderry (h)   Coleraine (a)
Claudy (3 pts) v   Greenlough (a)   Magherafelt (a)   The Loup (h)   Kilrea (a)

For what it's worth I reckon it's Claudy and Glenullin to go down without another win, Greenlough and Kilrea going down picking up just the two points (both against Claudy) with Newbridge into the playoff courtesy of Paddy Bradley's men beating Glenullin.   Ballinascreen to only beat Greenlough in their final league game to have the same number of points as Newbridge but to stay up in 11th spot as a result of their early season victory over the 'Bridge.  Slaughtneil and Magherafelt to pick up maximum points to finish first and second.

But hey-ho, anything is possible don't ye know?

Excellent summary of the remaining games and the likely outcomes. The really big four pointer there is ourselves against Kilrea. Winners of that should be ok, losers will be in massive danger.

[Franko]

If you want to have a go at setting the fixtures, join the committee.  I'm sure they'd love to have some of the brains here on board.  Last year there was a full-on consultation period for people with regard to all this.  Why did you not head over to Owenbeg and present your concerns there...?  Yeah bollocks to that, far easier to sit back, take another mouthful from your tin of special brew, and snipe from the sidelines with the benefit of hindsight when it doesn't work out to your liking.

If the county team had done in any way well this year and there was a conflict of club fixtures with a qualifier, for instance, the same bunch would be out in force yapping that our county board weren't giving them any backing.

[lenny]

If you want to have a go at setting the fixtures, join the committee.  I'm sure they'd love to have some of the brains here on board.  Last year there was a full-on consultation period for people with regard to all this.  Why did you not head over to Owenbeg and present your concerns there...?  Yeah bollocks to that, far easier to sit back, take another mouthful from your tin of special brew, and snipe from the sidelines with the benefit of hindsight when it doesn't work out to your liking.

If the county team had done in any way well this year and there was a conflict of club fixtures with a qualifier, for instance, the same bunch would be out in force yapping that our county board weren't giving them any backing.

Totally agree, great job done by the fixtures committee this year with plenty of football for club players. Next year should be good also with plenty of meaningful games even if the county team does better which hopefully they will.

[Keyser soze]

If you want to have a go at setting the fixtures, join the committee.  I'm sure they'd love to have some of the brains here on board.  Last year there was a full-on consultation period for people with regard to all this.  Why did you not head over to Owenbeg and present your concerns there...?  Yeah bollocks to that, far easier to sit back, take another mouthful from your tin of special brew, and snipe from the sidelines with the benefit of hindsight when it doesn't work out to your liking.

If the county team had done in any way well this year and there was a conflict of club fixtures with a qualifier, for instance, the same bunch would be out in force yapping that our county board weren't giving them any backing.

Totally agree, great job done by the fixtures committee this year with plenty of football for club players. Next year should be good also with plenty of meaningful games even if the county team does better which hopefully they will.

Well I for one am too busy 5 or 6 nights a week taking teams. Full-on consultation process my hole, there was one meeting with a lot of 'we will take your views on board' plamas. 

[Franko]

If you want to have a go at setting the fixtures, join the committee.  I'm sure they'd love to have some of the brains here on board.  Last year there was a full-on consultation period for people with regard to all this.  Why did you not head over to Owenbeg and present your concerns there...?  Yeah bollocks to that, far easier to sit back, take another mouthful from your tin of special brew, and snipe from the sidelines with the benefit of hindsight when it doesn't work out to your liking.

If the county team had done in any way well this year and there was a conflict of club fixtures with a qualifier, for instance, the same bunch would be out in force yapping that our county board weren't giving them any backing.

Totally agree, great job done by the fixtures committee this year with plenty of football for club players. Next year should be good also with plenty of meaningful games even if the county team does better which hopefully they will.

Well I for one am too busy 5 or 6 nights a week taking teams. Full-on consultation process my hole, there was one meeting with a lot of 'we will take your views on board' plamas.

Ah right.  Good for you.  It's strange, with your schedule, that you've got time to put your views on paper in this forum though.

A couple of things:

1. 'Take your views on board' means exactly that.  It doesn't mean 'do everything that you ask'.  There's a lot of (mostly competing) interests that have to be balanced on something like this.
2. It wasn't just one meeting, clubs were asked to submit any and all ideas for improving things.  I take it you hadn't time to get yours in?
3. If this issue is as important to you as your posts would indicate, would your time not have been better spent heading over and airing your views?  Surely you could have got somebody to look after the U-8's for an hour.

"I'm too busy to do anything to sort it out but I'll yap like fcuk about it afterwards" is nonsense.

[Glenman93]

If you want to have a go at setting the fixtures, join the committee.  I'm sure they'd love to have some of the brains here on board.  Last year there was a full-on consultation period for people with regard to all this.  Why did you not head over to Owenbeg and present your concerns there...?  Yeah bollocks to that, far easier to sit back, take another mouthful from your tin of special brew, and snipe from the sidelines with the benefit of hindsight when it doesn't work out to your liking.

If the county team had done in any way well this year and there was a conflict of club fixtures with a qualifier, for instance, the same bunch would be out in force yapping that our county board weren't giving them any backing.

Totally agree, great job done by the fixtures committee this year with plenty of football for club players. Next year should be good also with plenty of meaningful games even if the county team does better which hopefully they will.

Well I for one am too busy 5 or 6 nights a week taking teams. Full-on consultation process my hole, there was one meeting with a lot of 'we will take your views on board' plamas.

Ah right.  Good for you.  It's strange, with your schedule, that you've got time to put your views on paper in this forum though.

A couple of things:

1. 'Take your views on board' means exactly that.  It doesn't mean 'do everything that you ask'.  There's a lot of (mostly competing) interests that have to be balanced on something like this.
2. It wasn't just one meeting, clubs were asked to submit any and all ideas for improving things.  I take it you hadn't time to get yours in?
3. If this issue is as important to you as your posts would indicate, would your time not have been better spent heading over and airing your views?  Surely you could have got somebody to look after the U-8's for an hour.

"I'm too busy to do anything to sort it out but I'll yap like fcuk about it afterwards" is nonsense.

What club are you Franko?

[toby47]

The fixtures this year were a failure and everyone knows it? Players know is, managers know it and supporters know it

[theticklemister]

Barry Cassidy did well today.

[lenny]

The fixtures this year were a failure and everyone knows it? Players know is, managers know it and supporters know it

They've been pretty good so far.