Sligo Football - Where do we go from here?

[Sligoper]

Typical feckin Sligo! Lets find a little shitty reason, pick on it and then use it as an excuse as to why we got hammered yesterday. So answer me if Tom Parsons was playing for Sligo yesterday would McNamara have buried his goal? Would Ross have cleaned Mortimer and would Gaughan have been class? I agree that its a sad sight and also that the rule must be looked at, not neccesarily changed, but we should get confirmation on it!
I read on the Hoganstand that Towey was playing for Curry until Tourlestrane complained and so he couldnt play. Heard it before actually.
Maybe not having the two mulligans and Parsons aint to bad because if we did, we would also have a very sided club championship!!

Tom was offered to play join the Sligo Minors and he declined. Says it all.

[Son_of_Sam]

Look, Parsons has been a Charlestown and Mayo player always. I ve been telling people in the loop about himself and Pierce Hanley since they were kids [ @14]  and I saw them on opposition teams. He s the archtypical Mayo footballer and could hardly have been created anywhere else [ yeah, and I include Kerry in that]  and if we had the so called Ros player Hanley we would have a foundation for a team for a decade and maybe for the ages. They are Mayo players through and through and you only have to look at how they play to understand that. If I was a Sligo person I would be more concerned about the football wasteland that exists around the largest town in the county but stretches a bit outside as well rather than what we lost from a village over the border. Reality is lads if Parsons had been born in Sligo Town he d be playin centre half in the League of Ireland. One of the largest secondary schools in the province hardly makes an impression at Colleges B level any more. Why? That is more pertinent than thinking what may have been with a lad that  got all his nurturing in Mayo and is a Mayo type footballer to the core. Yeah he is a special talent but its a Mayo talent with yet some Mayo failings. In other words he ll never take the head off ya which is a trait of the more creative Mayo Players. But he s a special  player and some of you now will realise how one or two  had him down as a possible no. 11. Management will be a lapse rate behind as usual. If he was nurtured in Kerry he d have been a Darragh O Shea. He s a Mayo player to the core.

Very true Moysider, had Ciaran MacDonald had been brought up in his Dads county Donegal he would have been a very different player, same for Ronan McGarrity had he grown up in Fermanagh, had Ronan O'Gara grown up in his mothers County Mayo, he would have a SFC club medal in his back pocket by now.

[RedandGreenSniper]

Look, Parsons has been a Charlestown and Mayo player always. I ve been telling people in the loop about himself and Pierce Hanley since they were kids [ @14]  and I saw them on opposition teams. He s the archtypical Mayo footballer and could hardly have been created anywhere else [ yeah, and I include Kerry in that]  and if we had the so called Ros player Hanley we would have a foundation for a team for a decade and maybe for the ages. They are Mayo players through and through and you only have to look at how they play to understand that. If I was a Sligo person I would be more concerned about the football wasteland that exists around the largest town in the county but stretches a bit outside as well rather than what we lost from a village over the border. Reality is lads if Parsons had been born in Sligo Town he d be playin centre half in the League of Ireland. One of the largest secondary schools in the province hardly makes an impression at Colleges B level any more. Why? That is more pertinent than thinking what may have been with a lad that  got all his nurturing in Mayo and is a Mayo type footballer to the core. Yeah he is a special talent but its a Mayo talent with yet some Mayo failings. In other words he ll never take the head off ya which is a trait of the more creative Mayo Players. But he s a special  player and some of you now will realise how one or two  had him down as a possible no. 11. Management will be a lapse rate behind as usual. If he was nurtured in Kerry he d have been a Darragh O Shea. He s a Mayo player to the core.

Good post Moysider. Charlestown are the club who nurtured the likes of Parsons, the Mulligans etc. And as Stephenite says its way too late to be whinging now. I've said this before, this sort of thing will happen on borders. Parts of some parishes stretch into adjoining counties - they don't just stop at the border. Bellaghy, afaik, is in the Charlestown parish. Similarly there are Mayo players playing for Roscommon clubs because that is the parish they are in. I know of at least two examples and I'm a long way from the border. You can be sure this situation is replicated in plenty of places all over the county. Lads in such situations tend to have a choice of who they play for.
Another example - Trevor Lydon from Finney just inside the Mayo side of the Galway border plays his club football across the border with Clonbur. But he played Under 21 with Mayo in 2005 (I think) because he had the choice to pick. Parsons could pick Sligo if he wanted to. He chose not to.

The situation regarding Sligo town is very valid. Summerhill College are an average B Colleges team - they should be up there with Jarlath's, Mary's, Gerald's etc - but they're not. That should be a much more pressing concern for Sligo people imo

[Mano]

Very true Moysider, had Ciaran MacDonald had been brought up in his Dads county Donegal he would have been a very different player, same for Ronan McGarrity had he grown up in Fermanagh, had Ronan O'Gara grown up in his mothers County Mayo, he would have a SFC club medal in his back pocket by now.

What your saying is nonsence-Curry have nurtured some good players over last number of years also and are one of the better underage clubs in Sligo over the last decade winning many titles. They currently have 5 or 6 players on Sligo minor panel. Sligo clubs including Curry are well able to nurture young lads from under 10 all the way up to senior level.

A lot of it has to do with natural ability and athleticisn also and the Parsons lad looks to have it in abundance.

[SLIGONIAN]

Im not using the parsons thing as an excuse sligoper, i want clarification on it. Is every quality player in bellaghy going to play with Mayo now? Is it legal? For the future we need this to be sorted out. And IMO PLAYERS shouldnt have a choice. He is either from sligo or mayo end of story. Does this mean that charlestown players can play with SLIGO?, its a joke when you think about it.

[kevmy]

Once a player is playing for a club which is within the remit of the county board he's eligible to play for the county. Charlestown and Ballagh' are the obvious examples. A player can choose to switch county if he switches to a club in that county or he can choose to play for his home county.

Club rules are a little more of a grey area. But it essentially comes down to the individual player/kid. They could usually play for two clubs but will make a choice at a young age to go with one and will usually stick there throughout their career.

[SLIGONIAN]

The only solution i see for the best for sligo football going forward is CURRY identify young players etc.. in bellaghy and provide transport etc.. to team matches ie make as easy as possible for them to turn up and sell the club ethics to them and know where there from. Have a sit down with the parents aswell. Get them involved before charlestown get them. Where do the bellaghy kids go to national school?

[Sligoper]

Was on the phone to a curry man today! Tom Parsons next door neighbour is a savage player with Curry U-14s!! I think its a laughable mess that the county board can only be to blame. But do you think they would help??? Do you think John Murphy would like to see Tom Parsons in midfield for Curry, with the two Mulligans in attack? Its laughable if you do, the man wouldn help 2 sligo lads play for Curry to help his own club, hes not going to fight to make Curry stronger!!

[moysider]

Football loyalties and stuff is not very clear cut. I know lads within a stone throw of James Stevens Park who play for Knockmore. I know 2 brothers who live in the same house and one plays for Ardnaree and the other for Knockmore. Then there s the Ballina/ Arndaree version of the Golan Heights and West Bank disputes. Thing is football allegiences can not be solved by cartography. And yes I ve seen young lads who have quit the game because a transfer was vetoed and I m aware Sligonian would rather likes of Parsons would not play at all rather than play for Mayo.  And I can appreciate that too because I hate some teams as well. Hate is agreat motivation in any sport.

I ve a nephew plays underage for Galway but will be wearing red and green for Connacht Final - largely because he got his interest in the game from a lunatic like me and a couple of brothers. Truth is he would nt be playin the game at all only for a couple of rabid uncles - his parents being almost disinterested in sport. But when he togs for the Maroon he ll be as committed as the rest.

[stephenite]

I know lads within a stone throw of James Stevens Park who play for Knockmore.

At Senior level?

[RedandGreenSniper]

I know lads within a stone throw of James Stevens Park who play for Knockmore.

At Senior level?

Graham O'Hora? It'd be a serious throw though

[stephenite]

Serious throw indeed  



But the bridge just past Childers Heights is the boundary between the two parishes so he is well within Knockmore boundaries. Patrick McHale defected to the dark side for a year and back again, but that sort of shite acting should be cut out in my view. Brian Gibbons family lived in Childers Heights when I was living back in Ballina but apparently they moved out Knockmore area quite some time back, so he was a good prospect lost. Seamie Smyth never hit the heights at Senior level mainly due to injury but he was a good one at underage for the Stephenites.

Mind you, Liam McHales father was a Knockmore man so I suppose we can't complain about it when they move in the other direction!!

The Ardnaree one is odd and there seems to be no hard and fast rule - a few of players that should've played for Ardnaree as kids played with the Stephenites in my age group coming up and then transferred back to Ardnaree once they went past minor level.

[RedandGreenSniper]

Didn't the McCarron brothers and Kieran Sweeney play with Ardnaree up until a couple of years ago? Is Ardnaree and Ballina the one parish? If so players are free to move between clubs, ie a club cannot object if a player decides to leave them for the other.
This is the situation with Breaffy and Castlebar as the former is a part of the Castlebar parish and as far as GAA goes who you play for tends to be dictated by what national school you went to and not an actual line.

I'd have some understanding of lads who might transfer to a neighbouring club if they were being screwed over or there was a fall out or whatever. But what McHale did, leaving Ballina for Knockmore and going back in the road to Ballina one year later is pure shite as you say Stephenite. That sort of thing should be kept restricted to soccer. It happens an awful lot in Mayo in soccer and we'd want to be sure it didn't spread to GAA.

Speaking of borders, isn't Damien Munnelly actually in the Ardagh parish?

[SLIGONIAN]

Was on the phone to a curry man today! Tom Parsons next door neighbour is a savage player with Curry U-14s!! I think its a laughable mess that the county board can only be to blame. But do you think they would help??? Do you think John Murphy would like to see Tom Parsons in midfield for Curry, with the two Mulligans in attack? Its laughable if you do, the man wouldn help 2 sligo lads play for Curry to help his own club, hes not going to fight to make Curry stronger!!

It is sad day for sligo football that club loyalites is so bitter and twisted that fellas would rather sligomen play for mayo clubs to benefit the chances of there own. The quicker we get rid of these oldmen who run a corrupt show the better.

Its posted on hoganstand that parsons played for curry at u14 aswell. but had played for charlestown before at u12, u10, that and they beat toulestrane in county u14 final that yr. Tourlestrane objected and won and replay had to be played without the bellaghy lads. Sligo county board need to take a long look at themselves, clearly the old farts are there for there own interest and not sligo football. As for toulestrane no comment  .

[SLIGONIAN]

O Hara comments from hoganstand:

Sligo talisman Eamonn O'Hara has expressed his deep disappointment at Sligo's fall from grace over the past 12 months.

Last year's Connacht champions were condemned to the Tommy Murphy Cup on Sunday following their heavy provincial semi-final loss to Mayo and their earlier relegation to Division 4 of the NFL, and former All-Star O'Hara admits that it's all very disheartening.

"It's very, very disheartening," he said.

"To think we have gone down to this level is embarrassing and disappointing at the same time."
O'Hara felt a missed goal opportunity at the start of the second half, when the Yeats County were still in contention, was the turning point in Sunday's game.

"We had a very good chance at the start of the second half. The ball bounced up to Brendan Phillips and he forced into - whoever it was - but they didn't stick it.

"That was really disappointing."

The long-serving Tourlestrane clubman is one of a number of Sligo players who are likely to consider their inter-county futures in the wake of this year's poor showing