McCarthy admits he does not have backing of Cork hurlers

[billy the kid]

I have yet to speak to any Hurling or even GAA supporter who thinks the Cork players are doing the right thing. I admit I have not spoken to every single GAA supporter in the world but have spoken to club players, County players, 2 chaimen, and plenty of ordinary supporters and have yet to hear anyone think yous are doing the right thing. The majority of posters on here also appear to think yous are yet again bringing a hand grenade to a fist fight and many think the players are after their own agenda not a Cork Hurling agenda.  Im sure the cork county board like most county boards like to feel in control but it would also appear that the cork players unlike most players want to run the show and be the star attracion.

Have spoken to people from all those sections mentioned not just in my own neck of the woods but from various counties both in Ulster and further afield and no support at all, has been forth coming. in fact many have a pretty hostile attitude towards yous and the longer yous huff strike the more hostile it will become.

By the way your childish remarks only show how badly your struggling to justify your huffing strike Donal Og.

[The GAA]

so you don't know.

any hurling people i talk to support the direction the players have gone after they are furnished with the facts.

on the contrary, the majority of sensible posters here appear to support the cork players

[orangeman]

1 - Surely, even to someone like you, the decline of a team which had recently won all irelands has been alarming in the last couple of years?

so you reason that the players are just not good enough but the two games they won are down to the manager alone?

2 - do a bit of googling there and see what age "Sully, Timmy McC, Niall McC, Joe Deane" are and see if it fits with your impressions. interesing that you didn't include donal og.

I don't know why i engage in this primary school reasoning with you because as usual when i win every point you'll just start again tomorrow

So who are you then - I'm from a small club in Tyrone -  Ardboe to be precise  - what club do you belong do ? Never deny where you come from - always stand up, be proud of your roots - I know I am -

So where you from GAA ?

So you can't debate the issues? you have to make it personal when you run out of steam. you left out your name - mine's Donal and i'm from cloyne.

Are you taking the piss

[billy the kid]

1 so you don't know.

2 any hurling people i talk to support the direction the players have gone after they are furnished with the facts.

3 on the contrary, the majority of sensible posters here appear to support the cork players

1- Your right I dont know how every single fan, player, manager committee member in the entire country feels, DO YOU? What I do know is that i have yet to speak to anyone who supports your latest strike.

2- This must be the rest of your Cork team mates and im sure if the it was a discussion or vote where the younger players werent being pressurised by the ringleaders like you Donal, you might not have as much unity as you think.

3- There you go again with the childish barbs because we dont agree with you we are not sensible. Read back over this thread and you will see only 3 posters have stated that they support the Cork players, You, Reillers and to a lesser extent Zulu. Everyone else has been strongly against it and considering you and Reillers are Cork players your views are hardly impartial.

Ps thanks for the picture but my hair is slightly shorter than that now.

[theskull1]

GAA...I have no clue who you are talking to but seeing as I mentioned those names....

You're not capable of reading the previous post, then mine and work out that myself and orangeman are conversing?

Well when you blend orangemans posts with stuff I have written, then refer to one person in your reply, is it any bloody wonder? 

[billy the kid]

theres a picture of Reillers, The GAA and Zulu here discussing who can throw there Dummy the furthest.

[orangeman]

I just hope for the sake of the GAA that the players and management and county board all draw back from the situation they are in at the moment, i.e the brink of something bad.


We all love playing football and hurling and these great Cork legends shouldn't go out amid a blaze of controversy - they've all given us too much pleasure down the years and have become household names and hopefully have got things a wee bit easier in life as a result.

But likewise, people in the county board shouldn't be made to suffer either - they've all given sterling service to our association.


And finally likewise Gerald Mc Carthy who is another Cork legend shouldn't have to be subjected to personal insult from anybody.

I'm sure Gerald Mc Carthy is doing the job for the love of Cork hurling and has ( like the players ) put his life and soul into the job.


Surely a sensible, mature compromise can be sorted out.

The players should begin by taking a wee step back. Then management, then county and then you can all get back to playing hurling which is what you do best.

[heineken_on_tap]

on the contrary, the majority of sensible posters here appear to support the cork players

I don't support them - they are like spoilt kids. Any GAA person I have spoken to has little or no sympathy for the players. If they dont want to play then retire and let other lads who want to play do so.

[orangeman]

I just saw this on the other thread and it shows how mad the whole thing has become.

[Reillers]

The statement was hard hitting and it was well nothing more then a hit back, a response to McCarthy and the board, a response to them being called liars, brats..etc. Which they were perfectly entitled to.

I don't know what people were expecting, an apifamy, a grand solution they did what they said they'd do. They responded to the attacks on themselves and did so well.

And Billy you are so immature it's beyond a joke really, mounting evidence, mounting oppinions from journalists, ex managers, people who have an inside knowledge..etc. Have come out and said the villians in this are the board, the victims are the players and managers.
Yet you ignore everyone, posters on here, the general building view, the so called experts, everyone who knows something, you ignore them, you claim that all these people you've met back you and everyone you talk to..etc. But the fact is that the growing, rapidly growing, public view is swinging in behind the players, maybe not from petty Tipp or Waterford fans who come on not willing to listen to the truth and purely for a bitch and a whinge about players they've always hated, but from people who's oppinion like other managers and such, people's oppinion which means something, that are logical and not biased have all fallein behind the players, that's not on opinion, it's fact. Note the articles in the Indo, Times, Examiner, Tribune..etc.

You're childish enough to say that a few of us are players because cause forbid people back them. They are taking on the bully of all bullies who is destroying, yes destroying Cork hurling from the inside out. He's letting it rot for nothing more then a petty vendatta.
Not to mention the abandonemt of Cork Gaa itself.

Grow the hell up or don't bother posting, I'm sure there's an age limit on this, over 12s I think. Either read peoples posts not arrogantly breeze through them and tell us that we are all wrong, or just stop posting in general because you're wasting the rest of our time reading your attacks after attacks that are not fact based and have very little ground behind them and very little knowledge. The rest of us are open for debate but you, you continue to ignore our oppinions, ignore our posts which you never read, what you do read is taken so out of context.

Grow up or go away if you're not prepard to have a sensible mature debate where you're open to other people's oppinion.

[Reillers]

Billy and Co..who think the players are just a bunch of whingers, spoiled brats who are just throwing their dummies of the pram..

From AFR.

What about dealing with the real problem ?
By Slán go Fóill Saturday November 8th, 2008

A BREAK is as good as a rest, or so they say, so it was off to Barcelona for four days during mid-term. But nothing really changes, does it? Four days, three of them lashing rain all day long, we thought we were back at home.

But what we did see is that there is a very thin, fine line between genius and mad man and when we stared in awe at Gaudi's architecture in various parts of the city we just couldn't decide which he was, genius or mad man. Maybe a bit of both. It brought into mind our GAA situation here in Cork.

Are we all geniuses or mad men, especially in light of what Cork hurling is going through again? Only geniuses could have steered the GAA through the past 120 years, crisis after crisis, and delivered it improved and thriving on to the next generation. Only mad men could put up with some of the crises we create and I include the present hurling crisis in that. Not a single word of GAA for four whole days, we arrived home to find the newspapers full of the Cork story. Confidential documents leaked to the press, lack of trust and confidence, back-stabbing and accusations and, again, outsiders butting in, telling us what we should do and who to blame.

Where are we going and what are we doing? Are we seriously saying that the crisis with the Cork hurling team is the most pressing problem facing the GAA in Cork today? Well, gentlemen of the Cork hurling team, Gerald McCarthy and fellow mentors, members of the County Board, I have news for you today. It isn't.

This 'crisis' will be done and dusted in time for the National Leagues in the Spring, one way or the other, but the real problems facing Cork GAA will still be with us. Why doesn't the media deal properly with those problems? Because they aren't sensational enough and we all want to put our heads in the sand and pretend they don't exist. But they do, and they are not going away because very little is being done to solve them.

Do you want a list of the Top Twenty problems facing the GAA in Cork today, every one of them more important than Cork hurlers going on strike, again? Well, here they are – 1. An unacceptable fallout of players between the ages of 12 and 18. 2. an unacceptable fixtures structure that penalises clubs and club players. 3. an elitist system that forces out the less able players. 4. long, fine weeks of summer going by with no serious club activity. 5. no plan of action to cater for the growing, young populations in many urban centres. 6. declining standards in both football and hurling, especially in the city. 7. declining crowds at most club games. 8. the ever-rising cost of running clubs today. 9. total shortage of full-time coaches to service the schools. 10. deplorable lack of promotion of Gaelic games by the County Board in opposition to growing interest in other codes.

11. severe lack of voluntary workers in most clubs. 12. major lack of new, young referees and a very poor standard of refereeing all round. 13. unrealistic Co. Board deadlines that force teams to play three championship games within a week. 14. meaningless conventions that merely serve to emphasise the lack of proper democracy at grassroots' level. 15. an amateur organisation that sees some people making plenty money under the table but the big bosses can't even identify the tables. 16. a stadium that is antiquated and the most uncomfortable in the country. 17. a stagnant association that has seen only one new club formed, with great opposition, during the past quarter century. 18. too many Boards, all vying for their own slice of time, pitches and players. 19. too many ex-players putting nothing back into the clubs. 20. antiquated, dysfunctional divisional boundaries kept in place by vested interests. Etc,. etc.

None of these items are classed as crisis but 25 players refusing to play for their county is a major crisis. At this stage I wouldn't even put the hurling situation in my Top Fifty problems facing the GAA in Cork. It means nothing to me or my club whether or not we put a Cork hurling team on the pitch in 2009, except that we might be deprived of some good days out next summer.

All the above items directly affect my club and the players in it. That is the real GAA, that is the GAA that should be taking up our attention. Why isn't it? Because all the above problems are internal GAA problems and have no interest among the general public, no media interest.

There's no news in a junior club in West Cork being idle for thirteen weeks of the summer and then being forced to play three important games in a week. Or in players not being able to fix family holidays because nobody can give them a definite date for the next round of the championship. Or in a junior B championship starting at the end of October. Or being accosted at every hand's turn by clubs running large lotteries to fund developments or running costs. Or schools dropping out of Sciath na Scol because no coaches are provided to help them out.

What parents want to be told that the GAA under age club is not a baby-sitting service and that they should make some effort to give a hand while their kids are playing? Does it matter to the media if your under-12 hurling team, that you put so much effort into all during a very successful summer, leaves you high and dry when soccer and rugby start up again?

As I asked at the start, are we all geniuses or mad men? Sometimes I wonder. Maybe a greater influx of women into the association at all levels would help solve many of our problems. But the lack of effort in involving women is another ongoing problem in a male-dominated organisation.

I suppose as long as the games continue, we will always be satisfied with less than we should.

.....................

That's before I even go near any of the problems with Cork senior hurling. That's a taste of what we've to put up with. And ALL of that, not some, not most. ALL OF THAT is the CCB's fault and no one elses.

[orangeman]

The statement was hard hitting and it was well nothing more then a hit back, a response to McCarthy and the board, a response to them being called liars, brats..etc. Which they were perfectly entitled to.

I don't know what people were expecting, an apifamy, a grand solution they did what they said they'd do. They responded to the attacks on themselves and did so well.

And Billy you are so immature it's beyond a joke really, mounting evidence, mounting oppinions from journalists, ex managers, people who have an inside knowledge..etc. Have come out and said the villians in this are the board, the victims are the players and managers.
Yet you ignore everyone, posters on here, the general building view, the so called experts, everyone who knows something, you ignore them, you claim that all these people you've met back you and everyone you talk to..etc. But the fact is that the growing, rapidly growing, public view is swinging in behind the players, maybe not from petty Tipp or Waterford fans who come on not willing to listen to the truth and purely for a bitch and a whinge about players they've always hated, but from people who's oppinion like other managers and such, people's oppinion which means something, that are logical and not biased have all fallein behind the players, that's not on opinion, it's fact. Note the articles in the Indo, Times, Examiner, Tribune..etc.

You're childish enough to say that a few of us are players because cause forbid people back them. They are taking on the bully of all bullies who is destroying, yes destroying Cork hurling from the inside out. He's letting it rot for nothing more then a petty vendatta.
Not to mention the abandonemt of Cork Gaa itself.

Grow the hell up or don't bother posting, I'm sure there's an age limit on this, over 12s I think. Either read peoples posts not arrogantly breeze through them and tell us that we are all wrong, or just stop posting in general because you're wasting the rest of our time reading your attacks after attacks that are not fact based and have very little ground behind them and very little knowledge. The rest of us are open for debate but you, you continue to ignore our oppinions, ignore our posts which you never read, what you do read is taken so out of context.

Grow up or go away if you're not prepard to have a sensible mature debate where you're open to other people's oppinion.

I'm trying to have a reasoned debate with you but that statement just is't true.
I suppose it all depends on who you're talking to but I have good friends in Cork and they're sick of it all and sick of the players in their eyes trying to dictate and run the show.

There are rights and wrongs on all sides but I don't think Frank Murphy would "enjoy" seeing Cork GAA disintegrate - For God's sake, he has spent a lifetime building it up ( not on his won ) and like everyone has given his life to the association. I really don't think that Frank Murphy should be accused of intentionally doing the damage that you are alleging.

[orangeman]

Billy and Co..who think the players are just a bunch of whingers, spoiled brats who are just throwing their dummies of the pram..

From AFR.

What about dealing with the real problem ?
By Slán go Fóill Saturday November 8th, 2008

A BREAK is as good as a rest, or so they say, so it was off to Barcelona for four days during mid-term. But nothing really changes, does it? Four days, three of them lashing rain all day long, we thought we were back at home.

But what we did see is that there is a very thin, fine line between genius and mad man and when we stared in awe at Gaudi's architecture in various parts of the city we just couldn't decide which he was, genius or mad man. Maybe a bit of both. It brought into mind our GAA situation here in Cork.

Are we all geniuses or mad men, especially in light of what Cork hurling is going through again? Only geniuses could have steered the GAA through the past 120 years, crisis after crisis, and delivered it improved and thriving on to the next generation. Only mad men could put up with some of the crises we create and I include the present hurling crisis in that. Not a single word of GAA for four whole days, we arrived home to find the newspapers full of the Cork story. Confidential documents leaked to the press, lack of trust and confidence, back-stabbing and accusations and, again, outsiders butting in, telling us what we should do and who to blame.

Where are we going and what are we doing? Are we seriously saying that the crisis with the Cork hurling team is the most pressing problem facing the GAA in Cork today? Well, gentlemen of the Cork hurling team, Gerald McCarthy and fellow mentors, members of the County Board, I have news for you today. It isn't.

This 'crisis' will be done and dusted in time for the National Leagues in the Spring, one way or the other, but the real problems facing Cork GAA will still be with us. Why doesn't the media deal properly with those problems? Because they aren't sensational enough and we all want to put our heads in the sand and pretend they don't exist. But they do, and they are not going away because very little is being done to solve them.

Do you want a list of the Top Twenty problems facing the GAA in Cork today, every one of them more important than Cork hurlers going on strike, again? Well, here they are – 1. An unacceptable fallout of players between the ages of 12 and 18. 2. an unacceptable fixtures structure that penalises clubs and club players. 3. an elitist system that forces out the less able players. 4. long, fine weeks of summer going by with no serious club activity. 5. no plan of action to cater for the growing, young populations in many urban centres. 6. declining standards in both football and hurling, especially in the city. 7. declining crowds at most club games. 8. the ever-rising cost of running clubs today. 9. total shortage of full-time coaches to service the schools. 10. deplorable lack of promotion of Gaelic games by the County Board in opposition to growing interest in other codes.

11. severe lack of voluntary workers in most clubs. 12. major lack of new, young referees and a very poor standard of refereeing all round. 13. unrealistic Co. Board deadlines that force teams to play three championship games within a week. 14. meaningless conventions that merely serve to emphasise the lack of proper democracy at grassroots' level. 15. an amateur organisation that sees some people making plenty money under the table but the big bosses can't even identify the tables. 16. a stadium that is antiquated and the most uncomfortable in the country. 17. a stagnant association that has seen only one new club formed, with great opposition, during the past quarter century. 18. too many Boards, all vying for their own slice of time, pitches and players. 19. too many ex-players putting nothing back into the clubs. 20. antiquated, dysfunctional divisional boundaries kept in place by vested interests. Etc,. etc.

None of these items are classed as crisis but 25 players refusing to play for their county is a major crisis. At this stage I wouldn't even put the hurling situation in my Top Fifty problems facing the GAA in Cork. It means nothing to me or my club whether or not we put a Cork hurling team on the pitch in 2009, except that we might be deprived of some good days out next summer.

All the above items directly affect my club and the players in it. That is the real GAA, that is the GAA that should be taking up our attention. Why isn't it? Because all the above problems are internal GAA problems and have no interest among the general public, no media interest.

There's no news in a junior club in West Cork being idle for thirteen weeks of the summer and then being forced to play three important games in a week. Or in players not being able to fix family holidays because nobody can give them a definite date for the next round of the championship. Or in a junior B championship starting at the end of October. Or being accosted at every hand's turn by clubs running large lotteries to fund developments or running costs. Or schools dropping out of Sciath na Scol because no coaches are provided to help them out.

What parents want to be told that the GAA under age club is not a baby-sitting service and that they should make some effort to give a hand while their kids are playing? Does it matter to the media if your under-12 hurling team, that you put so much effort into all during a very successful summer, leaves you high and dry when soccer and rugby start up again?

As I asked at the start, are we all geniuses or mad men? Sometimes I wonder. Maybe a greater influx of women into the association at all levels would help solve many of our problems. But the lack of effort in involving women is another ongoing problem in a male-dominated organisation.

I suppose as long as the games continue, we will always be satisfied with less than we should.

.....................

That's before I even go near any of the problems with Cork senior hurling. That's a taste of what we've to put up with. And ALL of that, not some, not most. ALL OF THAT is the CCB's fault and no one elses.

Totally way off the mark -

Has your club any representation on the county board ?

Do they send delegates to meetings ? If os, what do your delegates do about the above ?


What I'm trying to say is that you can't leave all these problems at Frank Murphy's door and I'm not a supporter of Frank Murphy by the way. I merely respect what he has done for the association over a very long period of time - in fact most of his life.

[EddieMerx]

1 - Surely, even to someone like you, the decline of a team which had recently won all irelands has been alarming in the last couple of years?

The decline is not that massive in reality,

Lets consider the facts
1. An aging team, of course the team will fall back
2. Last year they lost to a Waterford team who have beaten this Cork team before so that's no big surprise
3. Kilkenny have upped the standards to a point that even this Cork team in their day wouldn't be able to cope with
4. Cork would have had beaten Tipp this year if they took all their chances, it was just one of those games

[Reillers]

They are not trying to run the show, two ex managers have said that, the players have just said that there themselves..yet that's good enough, who's word is good enough.  

I said not from petty factless fans but from people who have a clue.

I think, no I know, that Frank is enjoying watching this situation unfold, or read the post I just posted from AFR and tell me he's been doing his job. He hasn't done his jobe in a very long time.

Times have changed, the board hasn't. He has a strangle hold on Cork hurling, that is not an oppinion, it is a dead cold fact. Nothing will chance till he retires, he now has McCarthy on a string, whether Gerald knows that yet I don't know.)
He has such a hold that, it's a well know fact that some delegates from some clubs do not vote the way their clubs have told them to vote.
The delegates unaminously always seem to vote in the way of the CCB, first unaminously for Teddy Holland to keep the job, they all felt that strongly, the coincidently a few months later they alll voted for him to be sacked. He has a vice grip on Cork hurling, and nothing will change till he leaves, he's 65 next year but I can see him going on and on and on and out living us all.
The sooner he retires the better for Cork GAA in general.