LAOIS SENIOR FOOTBALL 2016

[Junior Ex Laoistalk]

Its not too late yet if the powers that be have a word in his ear and give him an ultimatum, shape up or ship out...
If not its going to come down to the players to do a Cork on it and speak up, even walk away if needs be.
How in God's name have we reached this situation after things looking so good a few years ago..

[Tony]

Indeed Junior, good post. There needs to be accountability. Otherwise people will just hide and pass on the blame.

WHO is responsible for the shambolic set up of 2016?

If there's no money, where is it gone?! Why can't we afford VERY basic things like food after a match and training?

I play for a very small club side, we have no money at ALL. But we're still treated to good food after EVERY training and especially EVERY match. Laois don't pay Lillis a thing so WHERE is the money for hotels?!

Disgraceful scenes and people need to become accountable.

[Helix]

Indeed Junior, good post. There needs to be accountability. Otherwise people will just hide and pass on the blame.

WHO is responsible for the shambolic set up of 2016?

If there's no money, where is it gone?! Why can't we afford VERY basic things like food after a match and training?

I play for a very small club side, we have no money at ALL. But we're still treated to good food after EVERY training and especially EVERY match. Laois don't pay Lillis a thing so WHERE is the money for hotels?!

Disgraceful scenes and people need to become accountable.

Would I be right in saying the development of the Centre of Excellence beside OMP have anything to do with money or lack of it?

[Hospital Pass]

I know for a fact that the players got fed after the Meath game. Whether they choose to eat it is up to themselves. The players are looked after with food after each match and training, so we can dispel that rumor.
What annoyed me about the league campaign is that we have seen no progression from the first game to the last. I like most, was skeptical when Lillis got the job but was prepared to give him a chance. As the league wore on my patience also wore thin.
The players by the end of the league should be at least fitter and more knowledgeable about the teams game plan. From what I've seen the players are still unfit and the manager has no plan or structure.
The Meath game illustrated this. We played the same naive gameplan of 15 on 15 and when meath got a run on us the answer was to throw Robbie Kehoe in as a sweeper. He looked lost out there.
In my opinion the county board needs a right good shakeup. The current board seem to have a monopoly over the positions. As soon as a term is finished that person is given another role. We need new blood, the whole thing is gone stale and this has reflected in the supporter numbers.
I would love to see a video of the interview Lillis gave for the job.

[OTF]

Ok it's going to be very hard to work out here what actually is fact  and whats not with regards to expensed, but what's clear is there's  very little money being spent on team preparation right now. This is not Lillis's or Chedder's fault, this is entirely the  responsibility of the CB and almost every CB in the county has the same problem.
They need to get out there and do something about it, it's not good enough to say O!! we don't have any money for team preparation we need to balance the books.They need to get their act together, I really can't understand the club delegates allowing them to get away with this
   

[Unlaoised]

Some very good points being made by everyone here but lets not loose the run of ourselves...

Few random points that most of us know but just putting them there in no particular order for people to glance over and agree or disagree.

1.We all know Laois football needs a shake up this has been the case for about seven years now since 2009 when we lost heavy to Kildare in the Leinster Semi and then got hammered by Down in Newry.

2.McNulty to be fair made a difference and got us to a level above what we should have been at with the players he had at his disposable but even tho the football was horrible to watch maybe he was on to something and should have been given more time.

3.We have probably a better squad now maybe defensively we are short a few but is there any reason why Meridith Begley and O'Loughlin can't play there like they have before in their careers.

4.The County board and its make up have certainly being behind other counties as regards the standard of facilities for training and how players are looked after...The likes of Dublin Mayo Cork Kerry and the Northern teams would laugh at our set up to be fair.

5.The County board needs a shake up and quickly some new young blood must be appointed with fresh ideas in both finance and the structure of our games in this county.

6.Appointing Mick Lillis was probably a cheap option but he had a good record that you couldn't take away from him and in the main seemed a popular enough choice from what was available and I for one was willing to give him a chance.

7.He has got more players back than we have had in a few years that must be a positive going forward that lads are willing to kick for the Blue and white and kick for him.

8.His tactics now look dated and it's obvious he needs help on the art of defending and the analysis of other teams before we play them,who's to say he hasn't bit the biscuit on this and is now working on it.He certainly brings great passion to the job and if he can get maybe that little bit of tactical nous needed at this level then maybe we can progress.

9.We still have some quality players Brody,Timmons,Quigley,Begley,O'Carroll,Kingston,Cahilanne,O'Loughlin would get on a lot of county teams in my Opinion infact probably on most bar the likes of Dublin Kerry Mayo and Donegal's of this country.

10.The summer ahead is attractive as a fan and as a player we have a tricky but winnable tie against Wicklow and then the Dubs in Nolan park and although we might be up against it they are still out of Croke Park and it will be a superb atmosphere that every player should jump at the chance of playing in.
It will probably be the biggest crowd that Nolan park has ever seen can you Imagine if Laois played well and got close or even won????Players must dream about this as I do even as far fetched as that dream may sound.Its only two years ago we were leading the Dubs by two points at half time imagine if that was in Nolan Park??

11.I presume the players read this site as they are involved like ourselves in so much social media so lets give them some positive vibes for once.They are training 3/4 times a week and probably more to represent this county and I know how much time and effort that takes.

12.I'll leave it on this note ...could this team playing for each other and with the right tactics give us a run in this years championship I think for one it could.

1.Brody 2.Attride 3.Timmons  4,Begley 5.Strong 6.O'Loughlin 7.O'Connor 8.Meaney 9.Quigley 10.Meridth(play a sweepers role)11.O'Loughlin 12.O'Carroll 13.Walsh 14.Kingston 15.Donoher(sweeper aswell)


That leaves you Robbie Kehoe,Adam farrell and Gareth Dillion  as cover for the backs..and Paul Kingston Paul Cahilanne and Ross Munnelly as cover for the forwards...
The team is only my opinion and the I could have swapped a few there Robbie Kehoe being an example.

Maybe bring in the u21s Eoin Lowry, Tom Shiled ,Robbie Dowling, Brian Daly , Michael Kehoe and Sean Moore to shake things up a bit and give fresh competition

Look at what Micko did with Donie Brennan in 2004 straight into the panel, and started and played well in a Leinster final.

I'm not dismissing the lads already there like Trevor Collins Danny O'Reilly Nigel Murphy Evan Costello and anyone else I forgot but why not include these u21 lads in the sessions see what their fitness is like as we get into ball work ther is over five weeks till we face Wicklow ...

I hear this game is in O'Moore park as well not Aughrim a double header with Louth and Carlow!


In all the doom and gloom over the weekend for Laois GAA lets try and make the best of it going forward!!!!

[High Fielder]

Remember there are two senior panels to prepare here. There is no money coming in so where do the CB get the money to finance all of this?

[Tony]

Great post, Unlaoised. At the moment you've JOL in at number 6 and 11 but apart from that, great post. A bit of optimism is nice. Look, I'm immensely proud of the players. We as fans don't expect an all-ireland win, just for everyone to give their all. We're seeing everyone give their all, lets hope we get some tactics & preparation with that.

[steven seagal]

The players are provided with food after every game, Bosco Ramsbottom was even in Enniskillen to feed them after the game with Fermanagh, so if a player wanted to eat at a petrol station after the game, I'd imagine that's down to the player. The food was there.

The issue of video analysis was brought up earlier as well. All of Laois' games are recorded, as well as statistics being kept. There is a stats team that is at all of Laois' games, usually consisting of around four lads, from Stradbally, who have been doing it for the last four or five years (McNulty put them in place and they have remained under TOF and Lillis). What is done with the information they collect, I don't know. From the outside looking in, I'd be tempted to say 'not a lot.'

The Centre of Excellence probably is a bit of a drain on resources, but it didn't cost Laois a penny to buy the land, so we're not paying off loans for it or anything like that. The same goes for the work on the terrace, the money for that came from outside the county. Money is an issue though, particularly if you want to be ambitious. We are one of only five counties to compete in the top two Divisions in the leagues, as well as the two championships. The others are Dublin, Cork, Galway and Kerry (who only came up from the Christy Ring this year). Compared to all of those, our population is way smaller, and we bring in significantly less in sponsorship as well, so it's a huge job to come up with the money we need. Outside of sponsorship money, we'd be relying on money from fundraisers and from clubs, and most clubs are hard pressed enough as it is. We probably need to start a supporters club or something to that effect, get more business involved and work it that way. The problem we have is, with no one going to games, we are not an attractive option for a sponsor. There's little profile to be gained from sponsoring us, unfortunately.

In the absence of money, you'd need a well organised and dynamic county board to find solutions to the problems. The lack of change on the CB is a worry, in that any organisation that receives no fresh impetus is bound to struggle. The problem is that there was no one outside of the current CB members nominated for a position at last year's convention, so there appears to be no appetite out there to change things up. As a county we probably need it to happen, because it's not a good scenario to find ourselves in. Lads left in jobs for five years with no pressure to work hard in order to keep it, or improve things, is a recipe for disaster. I was told last year that there are some CB members who don't even attend games in O'Moore Park. I don't know if that's true, but it's worrying if it is.

As for the football, I hate to say it but I think this year is a right off already. I wouldn't be confident about beating Wicklow, we are sitting ducks for that game after all the giving out we did last year over not getting to play Dublin in O'Moore Park. That game is like an All-Ireland for Wicklow and if we can't build up a bit of morale between now and then, we could find ourselves in a dogfight we're not prepared for. I know Wicklow are poor and have had a bad league, but I can't see them not being up for the game, and their U-21s gave us a right rattle. If we do win, I'd worry what Dublin would do to us. We seem intent on leaving 30-40 yards of space in front of our full-back line, and Dublin will annihilate us if we do that. Either way, if we lose to Wicklow, or beat them and lose to Dublin, I can see a wave of lads heading to the US this summer. The body language of the players before, during and after games isn't good, and if they were offered a few months and few pound to go Stateside for the summer, I can see a few of them jumping at the chance (and I wouldn't blame them).

[Unlaoised]

Great post, Unlaoised. At the moment you've JOL in at number 6 and 11 but apart from that, great post. A bit of optimism is nice. Look, I'm immensely proud of the players. We as fans don't expect an all-ireland win, just for everyone to give their all. We're seeing everyone give their all, lets hope we get some tactics & preparation with that.

Oops I didn't notice that ...then Robbie Kehoe to corner back and Begley to Number 6 ....

Steven Seagal thats a decent post I know Bosco feeds the team and his food is decent by all accounts but we still are well behind other counties on the whole set up.

I can't see Wicklow being a problem they just don't have the players to beat us especially up here!

[Stad]

I think players might even drop off the panel before the summer! Can't see many of them being enthusiastic about returning next year either. It really is turning out to be a shocking appointment. You have to wonder what Mick Dempsey and co were thinking? Was there really no one better?

[ILikeStrawberryJam]

thanks stephen segal its good to find out whats actually going on rather than rumours that cant be substaniated..

Unlaoised, great post and I love your optimism unlaoised but i dont think its based in realism.
We were a mess on Sunday. The ran through the middle of our defence again and picked us off all day.
We just seemed like a bunch of individuals not a team. the only tactic i could make out
was to hit every ball high to midfield where we were getting destoryed. They mixed their kick outs and won
numerous short ones, ran it up the field, few simple hand passes and kicked over from 35 yards out.
Brody would then launch a kick out to midfield which we seemed to lose nearly every one and so it began again.
People say the game turned on evan getting sent off but i dont think it did. They had our number from the 10th minute on.
Several players looked unfit. maybe that was from chasing shadows but my suspicion is that we're just not at the level of the other teams fitness wise.

I think Lillis has been looking to build up the team gradually for the championship and thought we would survive in division 2.
But that just dosent cut it any more. Division 2 is a serious division with team training from early winter. You'll be found out if your fitness is not up there.
Like steven seagal says if we lose to wicklow or get annihilatedby the dubs chances are a rake of lads will leg it.
2016 looks like a write off. Next year could see several retirements. We saw mcmahon and oleary go at 29 ..
Laois GAA is a bit of a mess. But look at roscommon, monaghan and cavan. If things are done right ..

[Tony]

Exactly. If things are done right...

We are blessed with more talent than what our population would suggest we have. We've had this more often than not since the great minor days of the late 90's.

I just wish we could harness that talent correctly. Seems to be a general apathy about regarding the poor state of Laois GAA.

I'd just really enjoy seeing good pro active minds getting stuck into improving the GAA scene in Laois. The talent is there but the set up stinks. Unfortunately we're getting more like an Offaly or Carlow at the moment rather than a Tipperary or Roscommon. Who's to say that must continue though. Surely someone has the necessary authority with a brain and some passion for Laois GAA to make positive and tangible strides within the county..SURELY. We're a proud GAA county and we need to show it.

[Unlaoised]

I really think John Sugrue is the man to change things with in this county .I've seen him working with teams and he is superb with under age talent as well..

What about getting Colm Begley involved in the set up hie must have a lot of experience of top class coaching in Parnells in Dublin.

[blueandwhite1]

Contrast the Tyrone approach to grooming managers to our own:

http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/2016/0407/780119-monaghan-under-21-ciaran-mcbride-tyrone/