Messages

RFC - Byransford
PRFC - Burren

Burren
Clonduff
An Riocht
Bredagh
Drumgath
Tereconnaught

Didn't do the last couple of rounds but will have a go at q finals

Senior
Clonduff
Kilcoo
Byransford
Burren

Intermediate
St Johns
An Riocht
Liatriom
Bredagh

Junior
St Micheals
Dundrum
Tereconnaught
Drumgath

Kilcoo
Mayobridge
Clonduff
Castlewellan
CPN
Longstone
Byransford
Burren

Bosco
Glassdrumman
An Riocht
Bredagh
Liatriom
Shamrocks
Clan na Banna
Tullylish

Johnny......to be honest it was the clubs that didn't play the u16 fixtures nothing to do with the county so the clubs need to look at themselves there if they aren't willing to play without 1 or two lads, so not sure we should be pointing blame at the county


NAG no big talk but for a start I'd be looking that they have the open hurling forum that Martin McAvinney promised.....not a closed shop handpicked by Ulster but genuine open forum for hurling people facilitated by people from outside the province such as Paudie O Nelill, Liam Sheedy etc so we are least can give voice to everyone's frustrations

We then also need to clear strategy for our urban areas particularly Belfast but also Derry, Armagh, Newry, Omagh .....to be fair Dungannon have done some real good work and provide a solid template to copy at least at underage

Each existing hurling should be made create a development plan with the support of Croke and Ulster council including what is needed in terms of support to stabilise the club and then grow

At the end of the day we need to start somewhere and expecting different results from the same set of actions is the act of lunacy.....forget about county rivalry we all need to pull together or the game will be finished up here in 20 yrs

Big boast from a county with as many clubs as Clare etc.......Down hurling isn't in a great space but not sure Antrim should be throwing any stones given how far they have fallen.....Antrim are the only Ulster county with the playing numbers to be at a decent level but instead are a shambles relative to their potential......

As a collective in Ulster hurling we should be outside the Ulster offices in Armagh with burning brands and pitchforks as those f@ckers are being well paid to preside over the death of Ulster hurling.

- Armagh don't field in minor championship
- Derry refuse to play the play off in Ulster championship
- no Ulster team above Div 2A and no Ulster winner of Ring, Rackard, Meagher

We can poke fun at each other all we like but Ulster hurling is dying and we all continue to worry who will be kings of the dung heap instead of demanding action for the powers that be

Antrim will probably win the Ulster minor by 7/8 pts on Sunday but it will be f@ck all good to their development compared to a round robin in Leinster etc.....same for Down who at least will have a B All Ireland to fall back on unlike Derry.

We across the border can laugh all we like about the Christy Ring defeat for Antrim but it's a shallow laugh as just as a rising tide lifts all boats the demise of Antrim hurling is reflective of a wider death of the game across Ulster......forget about all the bull about u8blitzes and the like, what really matters is how many lads at 17/18 are playing the game and that is falling year after year.....we don't need more clubs but rather save and strengthen the clubs we have

Antrim hurling needs to recover quickly for the good of the game across Ulster as 2017 will be the 2nd year in a row without Liam Mc Carthy representation and next up will be changes at u21 and minor (soon to be u17)

Having a direct debit set up and having the money to pay it are two different things! Sure the ref payments were meant to be done the same way but half the clubs weren't paying leading to most of the problems.

A lot of clubs want their cake and to eat it but you can't have it all your own way and they need to take some responsibility for lack of funds as they aren't paying their fees or insurance etc when they should.

As I have said a few times it's easy to blame one or two individuals for Down woes but there is a far greater circle of blame including many clubs

I'm assuming he is referring to Eamon Burns staying on as senior manager or maybe the fact that 100k in fees etc is owed by clubs to the county board.......hard for the clubs to say too much about the exec when a lot of them aren't playing their own bills!

Seriously do you think Croke Park would entertain that proposal? Seriously you have a hell of a lot to learn about Croke Park and how they operate......don't pay them back then they simply withhold the grants for development squads, national league gate receipts etc etc.....I thought you would come up with some serious ideas and proposals rather than pie in the sky stuff.....as for nodding dogs I could have sworn a man central to the Burrenbridge fiasco was given a special award by the East Down clubs a couple of years ago.......so maybe the clubs need to reflect a bit on their actions .....

Whether we like it or not Croke Park is now a business run by people more akin to civil servants and our room for manoeuvre is extremely limited whether we like it or not.....easy to spout on a discussion board but the cold reality is very very different.....

As for players expenses and things like that, I can assure you that is problem throughout Ireland and confined to Down, far from it....main reason is cash flow for counties hence the GPA proposal that all player gear and expenses be managed centrally from Croke Park as they are the ones with the regular and consistent cash flow.....believe other counties such as Derry, Armagh, Mayo among others are all facing the same challenges....Roscommon, Kildare, Mayo have all restructured their finances with Croke Park support in recent years so let's stop making this out to be a problem that is confined to Down, far from it

Nobody pulling my strings Saulzer but sick of seeing keyboard warriors spouting rubbish and bile here.....if some of you knew anything about how the GAA is run then you would understand that some of the rub bush being spouted here us simply that rubbish......nobody us happy with how Down performed thus year or indeed last year but some if the blame game here is nonsensical never mind being highly personal and inaccurate.

Simple question what would ye do to deal with the Burrenbridge debt.....Croke Park aren't just going to write it off, let's hear the great ideas instead if simply blaming those who are trying to deal with the situation........let's not forget county boards up and down the country are all struggling financial mainly due to the crazy outlays on inter county teams driven by egotistic and greedy management teams....Eamonn Burns may not be the greatest manager but at least he isn't ripping off the county unlike some other managers

Was Jim Mc Crory a super manager?? He had the most talented club team in Down yet failed to win the Ulster club championship once......winning Down titles with that Kilcoo team is no massive boast.....good club manager agreed but not sure I'd use the word super to describe him, but your use of that word is telling.

Down were haunted last year in 2/3 of their league games, a bounce of the ball the other way and we could easily have been in the Div 2 relagation fight as opposed to the promotion play off were we were exposed by Roscommon just as we were in both championship games last year.......we are talking about no money and players expenses etc but the previous management team were costing an absolute fortune in what is meant to be an amateur game......I don't think the mc Crory episode was well handled but let's remember only a narrow majority of clubs voted to keep him so it was hardly the ringing endorsement you are alluding to.

What is the point about hammering on about Burrenbridge we all know it was a total f@ck up but you are seeking to blame the wrong people for it, that's my big issue as the current secretary and chairman are actually trying to clear up a mess they didn't create which us hampering everything the county is trying to do as Croke Park now own the debt and Down have to pay them back every month as well as have all their spending supervised.....that is the reality which the county need to deal with and that won't change no matter who is on the Exec....don't fool yourself otherwise

As for Armagh, they choose not to re-appoint a secretary/administrator who the previous term was up, clearly their choice but Down didn't select that option and re-appointed thus removing someone from a post were they have been selected and appointed by Croke Park is going to be very difficult.....assume you understand the concept of employment law etc......this could all get very messy and for what outcome, will we really be any better off

Simple question if the county exec is the sole source of all our woes which you and couple of others are suggesting then our club scene would be flourishing relative to our peers in Ulster so simple question how many club Ulster titles have Down teams won at senior or minor in last 10 yrs?? Surely the Exec can and must do better but clubs, schools etc all need to look in mirror and reflect on their contribution as well

This scapegoating 1/2 people like a few posters are doing is missing the whole point and failing to recognise the reality of the situation we find ourselves in

Cut the crap I'm no nodding dog and I can guarentee you I know just as much about the GAA (all codes....you do know there is more than one don't you?) and indeed business as you do but some of what you are posting and saying about people is just wrong and incorrect.

If Sean Og is to blame for the last couple of years on the football field in assuming you will be giving him the credit for reaching all Ireland in 2010, the Ulster final in 2012, winning the Christy Ring in 2013 etc etc as you can't have it both ways.

The way people are talking here you would swear Down were winning ulster and all Ireland's every 2/3 yrs when that has never been the case......we won in 1994 and it took another 16 yrs to get back to a final.....prior to 1991 our previous all Ireland was 1968....maybe we aren't as good as we think and we need to rebuild our approach like we are trying to do with the academy etc but to try blame one man for all Down's woes is not only wrong but misses the whole point that the exec as a whole, the clubs, the schools all have a responsibility here but starting a bitter blood letting is going to get us nowhere........

Armagh got rid of their administrator but they are hardly going great guns, relegated to Div3, beat by a poor Laois team and unable to field at weekend in Ulster minor hurling championsip

Nothing official about me Wobbler....don't hold or even go to county board meetings but some of the nonsense on here needs challenged, we all want the county team doing better but some of what's being posted here is just wrong and factually incorrect.

Last yr we could have easily ended up in a relegation battle in Div 2 but scraped some late wins v the likes of Kildare which pushed us up the table and led to us being promoted into a division we all knew would be too challenging for us........Saturday was disappointing no doubt but when half of our most capable players won't commit it certainly doesn't help

Cut the crap just a couple of things.....I note you say sort out Down football and there was me thinking that we were the GAA and it involved all codes but not surprised at that given some of your other spouting.

A couple of points I would make

- you are constantly berating Sean Og about lack of finance......you are aware that it wasn't him but two other individuals who were primarily responsible for the Burrenbridge fiasco.....those are the men whose ineptitude but us in this financial position which makes it incredibly difficult to invest in what is required.....until we sort the legacy of the Burrenbridge bill we will always be struggling, that is the reality and we are doing well to be able to keep our heads above water at all.

- is Sean Og well paid??? I'm assuming the role is paid in Euro so about 45000 stg based on croke park figures....,working seven days a week including meetings etc at night, constantly on call etc, likely 80-90 hrs a week.....put it in that context then I'm not sure I'd say he is very well paid......there are other paid officials I'd be looking at first such as the coaches to see what exactly they are doing.

- are we sure it's all the county exec fault??? What are the clubs and schools doing.....much us made of Dublin and their money etc but most people don't realise that the clubs are the real driving force in Dublin, they are half funding every coach employed .....how many clubs in Down are doing that or are willing to do it, it's alright moaning about the exec (albeit we should be holding the real men responsible for Burrenbridge to account and not constantly berating those dealing with the legacy).....I would agree the county exec need to do more to set the strategy but that has started with academy etc but the clubs need to buy in and commit nit withholding players like they often do to win an underage league etc so they can be king of the dung heap!

- players expenses etc are a problem in almost every county in Ireland, I know as I hear it first hand and it's primarily due to cash flow and lack of the same....hopefully Croker have plans in situ to address shortly but let's not pretend it's a problem isolated to Down alone....a big issue in many counties why players can't get expenses us that the managers and coaches are getting paid so much....laughable to see people at times giving out about starred games and access to county players, nothing to do with player welfare and all to do with managers watching their own results to justify their brown envelope at the end of the week

There are a lot of things we can and must do better in this county but abusing Sean Og on this board and using him as a scapegoat for deep rooted issues in Down gaa is wrong......maybe we need to accept that the 60s and  early 90s were the exception and not the norm, God knows we haven't won a massive amount outside of that so it might be we need to lower our expect ions for a while to a realistic level and build from the ground up on a sustainable basis that involves clubs, players and county in partnership but thinking that changing the exec on mass is the answer is knee jerk, short sighted and you ignore the fact that they there are virtually no contested positions on exec year after year....easy to snipe from sidelines but not many seem willing to step up

Ps I had a number of teams/squads in both carrickdale and canal court this year so think you should remove your comments about canal court and Sean Og as it's clearly incorrect and libellous