Where,What,How for the GAA in Down?

[wobbller]

 Where do we start?,What are we to do? and how are we going to do it? Suggestions,possible solutions and likely scenarios for the future for both Football and Hurling in Down.

[Pangurban]

Employ two top flight coaches,in tune with the pace, strategies and levels of fitness required in the modern game, to work with not only our Co.team,but also the Managers and Coaches of our club teams. This should create a trickle down effect,produce a pool of trained,aware,highly motivated people who can form the nucleus of a centre of excellence. We desperately need fresh thinking and impetus, which i have reluctantly come to accept will necessitate us going outside the county. If we continue to march in hope with Ross and DJ. and a pool of poorly motivated players, we are headed for Div4 and oblivion. As for the hurling, if it not taking up by the primary schools,forget it.

[6th sam]

I think this debate's a good idea to stimulate discussion-but if we're going to make progress we need to take the personalities out of it.
If this debate is going down the road of subjective opinions on individuals,it will serve no purpose.

[Maguire01]

No offence intended, but Ross Carr never came across as overly convincing when interviewed by the press. Always seemed very timid and meek - lacking in any passion and emotion. He has actually reminded me of Stan Staunton in that i wouldn't be convinced in his ability to give his players a good rolicking when required.

I know the manager can only work with what he's got - but he also has to be able to inject a bit of passion and enthusiasm into his players.  Whenever i see him being interviewed by BBC/RTE, i'm not convinced there's any passion/belief/enthusiasm.

[Pangurban]

Wholeheartedly agree that this discussion should not be allowed to slide into a debate about personalities. Lets just accept that everyone has been doing their best, but somewhere along the way we lost our way,and now need to stop and take stock, asses calmly our strengths and weaknesses, devise and implement a rational plan to raise standards within the county, with built in objectives ,targets and methodologies that can be evaluated at regular intervals to judge how they are working. Lets inject some optimism, we are probably at our lowest level now, the only way is up

[Pangurban]

I see where you are coming from Wobbler, but i believe our problems are more fundamental, our organisational structures need to be overhauled and modernised before we can begin to address the problems. Your point re.coaches is very relevant. We could have the best players in the Country, but if they continued to play in the system and style which has become the norm in Down Co.and club football, they would not progress. The answer is not to critisize or ditch individual coaches, most of whom are hard-working and dedicated, but to stimulate them with fresh thinking and new ideas. They too as individuals must be bored and frustrated by the monotonous, sterile, unadventerous, skill-less game that is now the norm in our club football. There is no room for talent to flourish.Why have we lost the basic skills and flair. Take a walk down to your club and watch the coaching of your underage teams, it will make you weep. Natural talent crushed, and negative habits instilled that they carry on into senior teams. If Colm Cooper came from Down,he would never have learned to kick a ball

[Square Ball]

I see where you are coming from Wobbler, but i believe our problems are more fundamental, our organisational structures need to be overhauled and modernised before we can begin to address the problems. Your point re.coaches is very relevant. We could have the best players in the Country, but if they continued to play in the system and style which has become the norm in Down Co.and club football, they would not progress. The answer is not to critisize or ditch individual coaches, most of whom are hard-working and dedicated, but to stimulate them with fresh thinking and new ideas. They too as individuals must be bored and frustrated by the monotonous, sterile, unadventerous, skill-less game that is now the norm in our club football. There is no room for talent to flourish.Why have we lost the basic skills and flair. Take a walk down to your club and watch the coaching of your underage teams, it will make you weep. Natural talent crushed, and negative habits instilled that they carry on into senior teams. If Colm Cooper came from Down,he would never have learned to kick a ball

Pangurban

I am a bit worried about the bit I have highlighted, natural talent should be nurtured and developed at all ages, weather it be attacking flair or defensive qualities. As a coach myself at underage level I have never tried to crush natural talent, it is a rare commodity and should be helped to flourish

[clarshack]

stop living on past histories!

[new devil]

maybe there just shit

[darbyo]

Lads I know nothing of the inner workings of Down football, but from the outside things don't seem as bad as ye're making out. Ye were narrowly beaten by Meath, Monaghan and Silgo in the past two championships. All 3 counties are fairly decent and have accounted for Galway, Derry(who beat Mayo & Armagh), Kildare and Meath drew with Dublin. Thats not the worst formline in the world. In addition ye recently won a minor All-Ireland and produced Martin Clarke, so ye're underage coaching can't be as bad as some of ye are making out. Most counties go through periods when they just don't have talented enough squads to compete with the best and unlike years gone by the are no easy games anymore so limited teams tend to get found out more quickly these days.

[Armagh Exile]

Who has a job description for Sean o Mc Ateer?

Why do you require this?
Sean Og is one of the many Gaels who give their all for the GAA without any thought of recompense whatsoever.  In fact his contribution to the Association has been of immense proporations and he would be deeply offended if he was even offered legitimate expenses.
He is the one man who can make Down great again.

[mournerambler]

As long as the county board fail to provide the required facilities to compete at the highest level at all ages we will struggle to compete,take a look at the facilities that Monaghan have which has been rewarded with an Ulster final appearance today.Another point is that the idea of starred games should be scrapped & let our players get as much competitive football with their clubs as possible to try & build the confidence of players & develop skill levels,rather than deprive them of football & expect them to go out & perform miracles on big match days.

[Pangurban]

It is just possible that given the  proper authority and structures to do the job, Sean Og could be our Man. A suitable precedent for what would be required in the post can be found in role exercised by Maurice Hayes back in the Sixties. He provided the vision and plan and along with the Co.team management devised the strategy for success.This involved co-ordinating and faciltating to meet all the needs of the team and management from kit provision , training grounds, challenge matches, treatment, equipment etc.  But the most important criteria was his ability to liase forcefully with the Co.Board and ensure that whatever was needed was provided, from whatever source

[orangeman]

Down just don't have enough good players to compliment the ones they do have or support them when the good players are having an off day. It's as simple as that - nothing to do with Paddy O'Rourke or DJ or Ross ! But Down's time will come again. No doubt.

[lecale3]

Downs time won't come again just because it has in the past.
Things have moved on and Down are 10-years behind the Tyrone's etc.
We don't have the top quality coaches, facilities are crap for development squads etc. What we do have is a lot of very dedicated people all doing their own thing, some well, some badly.
We need direction, money and a will from the top to change things - otherwise we'll be a Div 4 team the year after next.
Someone needs to have the leadship and the status to be allowed make changes. Take a look at how other counties do it and radically change the whole structure.
Someone like Eugene Young would be ideal - but that type of person would cost (not just money) and maybe the will isn't there.