Down Club Hurling & Football

[shagger]

Did anyone play well?

[SamFever]

The whole thing is a bit of a shambles at the moment.
I don't for a second blame James McCartan as he was handed a hot potato, I actually admire him for taking the job on knowing how difficult it was likely to be.
I agree with an earlier post implying that McCory was walking into an ambush situation, best manager we've possibly ever had hounded out over a couple of bad results while he was building a team.
This season was a similar scenario, Laverty, Clarke, and Jim McGuinness among others lined up to be the next managerial team and someone from a small group of people in the know leak that information!
It's well known McGuinness values confidentiality and it was clear he wasn't getting it in Down! They all walked and rightly so.
I blame the county board, not everyone obviously but the same sabotage team that constantly hold the county back for whatever reasons they have. IMO it's absolutely rotten.

You do know the county board is made up of reps from every club including your own. Your rep proposed a no-confidence in Paddy Tally which was seconded by the Clonduff rep . There is no point in pointing fingers at anyone. We need to come together as a county and not to keep jibing at the county board or executive.

you've got your hand on the pulse of County Board meetings.What Club Oglach from?

[terrifictommy]

I disagree that Kilcoo stole that final. They gave everything they had and got their reward. The build up to the goal (including the pressure put on their keeper) and the quality of the ball carrying and passing, at that stage of an All Ireland final - Wow. Just wow.
Down set up - Again, like Oglach just said - James knows what he got into, quite reluctantly from the reports. He's had little prep time and we all expect miracles, come on people. If you can't be realistic you'll always have a gripe. He deserves some serious respect for that.

[Sandstorm]

The problem is not that we got rid of Tally, we were playing crap football and getting hammered eg Donegal in the championship. The problem is also not wee James, he proved himself a real Down man by taking the gig . The problem is the five months in which the Co Board did not fill the management post and then had to go cap in hand to wee James and beg him to take it.

[Oglach]

The whole thing is a bit of a shambles at the moment.
I don't for a second blame James McCartan as he was handed a hot potato, I actually admire him for taking the job on knowing how difficult it was likely to be.
I agree with an earlier post implying that McCory was walking into an ambush situation, best manager we've possibly ever had hounded out over a couple of bad results while he was building a team.
This season was a similar scenario, Laverty, Clarke, and Jim McGuinness among others lined up to be the next managerial team and someone from a small group of people in the know leak that information!
It's well known McGuinness values confidentiality and it was clear he wasn't getting it in Down! They all walked and rightly so.
I blame the county board, not everyone obviously but the same sabotage team that constantly hold the county back for whatever reasons they have. IMO it's absolutely rotten.

You do know the county board is made up of reps from every club including your own. Your rep proposed a no-confidence in Paddy Tally which was seconded by the Clonduff rep . There is no point in pointing fingers at anyone. We need to come together as a county and not to keep jibing at the county board or executive.

you've got your hand on the pulse of County Board meetings.What Club Oglach from?

I'm from Kilcoo, as stated on my profile.
We're all anonymous here but the very least posters could do is state their club on their profile.

[Truth hurts]

Did anyone listen to Danny Hughes on a load of balls podcast, he said that we should do away with development squads as all money be pumped into coaching in schools. Are development squads good or a waste of time?
An interesting debate indeed

[Square Ball]

Think Mr Brolly done an article on development squads a while ago. Must see of I can find it, or maybe I am imagining things.

[SamFever]

Did anyone listen to Danny Hughes on a load of balls podcast, he said that we should do away with development squads as all money be pumped into coaching in schools. Are development squads good or a waste of time?
An interesting debate indeed

Danny Hughes talks well.

[Down Follower]

Would the lack of success at St Colmans indicate not all is well in Down football? Abbey never produced but been a while since Colmans won anything of sort.

The presentation of the 2019/20 Danske Bank MacRory Cup has taken place with the winning captains from St Patrick's Maghera and St Colman's Newry. The Final had been rescheduled to take place earlier this month, but a decision was taken to cancel this owing to the current public health situation. As a result, the trophy was shared between the two finalists. 🤔

[Godsown]

Did anyone listen to Danny Hughes on a load of balls podcast, he said that we should do away with development squads as all money be pumped into coaching in schools. Are development squads good or a waste of time?
An interesting debate indeed

Danny Hughes talks well.

The name of the Podcast sums up Danny's mutterings well

[thewobbler]

Schools are inherently better placed to progress elite (or nearly) elite level footballers for a few reasons:

1: They don't have to do politics to the same level, so don't have to cart along as many potential players to keep clubs happy and this bizarre regional thing balanced.

2: They train mostly as an extension to the school day, so it doesn't often come head on with other hobbies, including club GAA.

3: They train during the winter months mainly so it doesn't butt heads as much with club GAA.

4: Schools tend to be centrally located to their player base. Not always. You'll get the odd lad travelling 45-60 mins to school, but he and his parents made a clear choice there and it's part of their daily routine.

5: Some schools will also have a pick of players from other counties, meaning lads train with and come up against a wider peer group in training.

6: Solid and potential  are monitored pretty much for 7 years for progress, and not in a Go Games environment.

So I'd largely agree with Danny on this one.

——-

There was an u14 development squad a few years ago carrying around 60 players. Maybe this is normal for them. It's a shocker if it is, and it's a shocker if it ever happens. There is never anything close to 60 potentially elite footballers born in a calendar year in Down. It just doesn't work like that.

Carting lads from all across the county to train with players of a mediocre standard makes no sense at all to me. It cannot be a good or rewarding experience for the genuine stars in the making.

Carrying everyone to Ballykinlar in a few years time will only exacerbate this problem.

[Walter Cronc]

Would the lack of success at St Colmans indicate not all is well in Down football? Abbey never produced but been a while since Colmans won anything of sort.

The presentation of the 2019/20 Danske Bank MacRory Cup has taken place with the winning captains from St Patrick's Maghera and St Colman's Newry. The Final had been rescheduled to take place earlier this month, but a decision was taken to cancel this owing to the current public health situation. As a result, the trophy was shared between the two finalists. 🤔

Bad state of affairs when Colmans are clinging on to a shared trophy. I'd seriously doubt they'd have beat a star studded Maghera side (back boned Derry minor AI winning team). I can't remember when they last won a Rannafast or Corn na Nog.

[knockitdown]

Would the lack of success at St Colmans indicate not all is well in Down football? Abbey never produced but been a while since Colmans won anything of sort.

The presentation of the 2019/20 Danske Bank MacRory Cup has taken place with the winning captains from St Patrick's Maghera and St Colman's Newry. The Final had been rescheduled to take place earlier this month, but a decision was taken to cancel this owing to the current public health situation. As a result, the trophy was shared between the two finalists. 🤔

Bad state of affairs when Colmans are clinging on to a shared trophy. I'd seriously doubt they'd have beat a star studded Maghera side (back boned Derry minor AI winning team). I can't remember when they last won a Rannafast or Corn na Nog.

Clinging?

[marty34]

Schools are inherently better placed to progress elite (or nearly) elite level footballers for a few reasons:

1: They don't have to do politics to the same level, so don't have to cart along as many potential players to keep clubs happy and this bizarre regional thing balanced.

2: They train mostly as an extension to the school day, so it doesn't often come head on with other hobbies, including club GAA.

3: They train during the winter months mainly so it doesn't butt heads as much with club GAA.

4: Schools tend to be centrally located to their player base. Not always. You'll get the odd lad travelling 45-60 mins to school, but he and his parents made a clear choice there and it's part of their daily routine.

5: Some schools will also have a pick of players from other counties, meaning lads train with and come up against a wider peer group in training.

6: Solid and potential  are monitored pretty much for 7 years for progress, and not in a Go Games environment.

So I'd largely agree with Danny on this one.

——-

There was an u14 development squad a few years ago carrying around 60 players. Maybe this is normal for them. It's a shocker if it is, and it's a shocker if it ever happens. There is never anything close to 60 potentially elite footballers born in a calendar year in Down. It just doesn't work like that.

Carting lads from all across the county to train with players of a mediocre standard makes no sense at all to me. It cannot be a good or rewarding experience for the genuine stars in the making.

Carrying everyone to Ballykinlar in a few years time will only exacerbate this problem.

But is that not the whole point Wobbler?

Players develop at different times and at a different speed. Only picking the elite is not the way to go.  If you look at many good minor teams, how many, out of the 30,  really go on to have aong senior career?

In terms of schools, if the worth is not done in the clubs, then it's pointless. Great debate on the Antrim thread a few weeks ago about none of their schools playing MacRory football and the various reasons.

[thewobbler]

You seem to be working from the idea that once a squad is named at 13, it would be a closed ship until 17.

That shouldn't be the case.

When there's a strict cap on player numbers, then standards have to go up. Surely that makes sense? And when a lad springs up at 16 and he's invited into the panel, as the standard is better it won't take long to work out if he is still potential, or actually suited to representative sport.

Bloated square are a shitshow imho.