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And if you split Mayo in two and Kerry in 3 we would be flying...... 

I agree that football is in huge trouble but can't see a split. What would happen if one of the Dublin teams were to become weak? The clamour to put them back together would start.

To be fair to the country board, I think they've generally done a good job in selecting hurling managers. Cheddar's appointment was clever (even if it kinda happened by accident) and Eddie Brennan's appointment was inspired. There is always an element of luck in every recruitment effort (especially for the small fish) but here I think they've done pretty well in both codes but especially hurling, at least in recent years. It would be a real shame to undo those good decisions now.

The county board have tended to appoint panels to appoint senior team managers. Cheddar appointed Cheddar. He was asked (by the county board in fairness) to find a manager. Other managers have been appointed by panels also. I'd say the county board regret this method as it means that the best person will usually get the job if appointed by good hurling people. It avoids yes-men.

Anyway I do hope that Eddie is retained. No harm to go into next year with the county board under pressure and the best possible manager on board.

Here is the job spec for next senior hurling manager:

- Doesn't stir the pot or throw the county board under the bus or highlight it's ineptness
- Doesn't cost much
- Has enough of a profile that the county board said they got their man but not so much as that he can't be sacrificed when things go wrong
- Ability to bring the county forward - optional

Laois have been somewhere between the 20th and 16th best football team in Ireland for a number of years now. We rarely beat anyone in the top 10 these days and usually beat teams in the bottom 10. The gap between us and Dublin is not just a Laois problem. Most counties are miles behind. Dublin changed the game in the last 10 years and have become a professional outfit in terms of their fitness, athleticism, playing structure and skills. This is driven by many things - population, organization, leadership and importantly - money. Money buys you coaches in schools, marketing teams, fitness centres, a pile of physios, etc. etc. The GAA pumped money into Dublin in the late 90s and 2000s as it was on the decline. However, Dublin is now self financing at levels that the GAA could never afford.

Sad to say but we can only realistically expect to be as good as maybe Monaghan or Armagh. Even with a rare group of talented footballers like we had with the minors you can only go so far. Kildare are proof of that and they have alot more resources than us. Football has changed utterly and can't see it ever going backwards. Mayo, Donegal, Kerry, Tyrone, Cork, Galway and Dublin have disproportionate resources in terms of finance and playing populations. Other counties are likely to pass us out too unless we have a big benefactor or the GAA start spending on weaker counties to a much greater extent. They will only do this when it is too little too late as they really don't give a damn about small counties. We don't generate revenue or headlines.

[forward thinking, forward planning]

it's about the CB taking a new approach of forward thinking, forward planning,  that the supports and resources will be there, and will continue to grow, when Eddie Brennan is gone, and when the next manager after him is gone. That's the point here. The CB need to grasp this quick or step aside and let other people drive it on.

You obviously haven't met them finbar. We would all love that but their number one goal is to keep themselves in power. Why? Because they enjoy the power and think they are great lads. Power for power's sake. Same in lots of other amateur organizations and some professional ones (see the FAI for reference).

And for anyone who thinks an email to the CB would achieve anything...you'd be lucky to get a reply as a Club Officer, never mind a random supporter.

You're spot on there Keyser. They ignore well intentioned delegates that try to bring about change to their faces. Emails wouldn't even be read.

Media pressure has worked as it causes embarrassment and forces them to do the minimum. Willie Hyland's epic open letter a few years ago, Cheddar's campaign for support for hurling and now Eddie. Shame the hoors. Only thing that seems to do anything. What's the worse that could happen - they will resign. Not as if it could get much worse.

There are two issues:

- No money
- CB haven't a clue and don't give a f*&k. Never have. Too caught up in their little cliques. They do barely enough to keep the media from their door.

The first is hard for a small county but who here has been asked for any money? I was a member of the supporters club when it existed and I'm sure it was well subscribed. Would happily put my hand in my pocket again. You need an aggressive marketing mindset to raise funds. Are we aggressive with looking for more money - my hole.

On the CB delegates and chairpersons, if they gave a f**k and were doing their best you would forgive them as volunteers. If they are not putting the county board under pressure and driving things forward then they shouldn't be put forward by their clubs or should basically f&@k off. There is a general mantra out there that there is no point in trying to break it up and change the culture but ffs, if we have that attitude then we will never be any good.

Lad's nobody stopping you going forward to change this whole corrupt system.  You seem to have all answers I breathlessly await what your going to do. I don't remember the County Board insulting Eddie Brennan, would you be so forgiving if it was the other way round ?

They wouldn't have the gumption to insult Eddie and unlike them, he gives a damn about how our lads are treated.

I'm a nobody. The names that need to go forward, if they can get over the neanderthals that run some of our clubs, are people with clout and reputation. I will happily put my hand in my pocket and agitate with people who have names in the county but that is about the limits of what I can do.

There are two issues:

- No money
- CB haven't a clue and don't give a f*&k. Never have. Too caught up in their little cliques. They do barely enough to keep the media from their door.

The first is hard for a small county but who here has been asked for any money? I was a member of the supporters club when it existed and I'm sure it was well subscribed. Would happily put my hand in my pocket again. You need an aggressive marketing mindset to raise funds. Are we aggressive with looking for more money - my hole.

On the CB delegates and chairpersons, if they gave a f**k and were doing their best you would forgive them as volunteers. If they are not putting the county board under pressure and driving things forward then they shouldn't be put forward by their clubs or should basically f&@k off. There is a general mantra out there that there is no point in trying to break it up and change the culture but ffs, if we have that attitude then we will never be any good.

I haven't heard the actual recording of the bit at the end but it's very unfortunate. I'm a huge fan of the work that Eddie Brennan has done and clearly he is a bit frutrated (particularly seeing the fine margins that were involved in the Clare game) but I do think it was an error of judgement to vent like that, even if it was off the record.

Giovanni, would recommend you listen to it. It is going around on Whatsapp. It is about 3-4 minutes long. I don't think it was an error of judgement at all. He was dead right. His job is not to placate the county board it is to contrast their support of the senior hurling team setup from what is acceptable, and what is normal in more successful counties. It might be a one sided perspective but it also points to a culture that is not likely to bring success in the future. We really need to do something like what Michael Duignan has done and parachute in someone who cares more about the development of the game than anything else.

Yes, the CB are volunteers that do a lot of good work. Grand, let them look after lights and such things but they should not have the purse strings or decisions on how competitions or run, coaching or on how to develop the games more broadly in the county. Their mediocre performance would suggest they are not up to the job.

Sensational interview. There are always two sides to the story but I'm squarely with Eddie on this. I'm glad it came out as it will put maximum pressure on the county board. Aside from the money stuff, which is a genuine challenge in Laois, there are many things that our county board regularly botch. The running off our championships is one thing pointed out by Eddie which was a cause of frustration for everyone. The general lack of engagement, communication, stakeholder management is very poor. Every hurling manager in Laois except the useless spineless journeymen, and many of our more promenent senior hurlers over the years have said the same thing. County board couldn't give a flying f*&k about the players and the games. It is populated by people who have time on their hands to attend meetings rather than energetic thinkers who can work with people to get things done.

As for the LED lights - great for the environment but at a time when we are full of debt and there isn't a bob for our county teams. What was wrong with the old lights? Hardly an environmental disaster if they are turned on 10 times a year.

Can we bring back Zach like Cork did with Mark Keane!!

We seem determined to slow the ball down in attack. The top teams deal with blanket defences by relentless running and attempting to break tackles. We just stop. You can't try to run through a blanket but you can at least get a little closer, draw them in and create space. The running from deep and the forward movement is fairly non existent and it seems that even if there isn't a blanket defence we give the opposition time to organize one by passing side to side. Not going to be fixed in the next week but needs to be a focus for 2021 if we want to stay in Div. 2. We don't have many marquee players these days but the way we play can compensate for that in some way.

It was great to win the match. No matter what way you look at it and what comes next it was still a championship match that needed to be won.

Honestly, I was surprised we won watching how the game developed. Our side-to-side attack is painfully inept and toothless. The occasional cross ball to the full forward line worked at times but the scoring return wasn't great. Longford and Fermanagh found it fairly easy to defend against us. Hard to see where scores will come from against the Dubs. Similarly, Longford and Fermanagh were able to make better inroads into our disorganized defence. Our tackling and pressure was mostly dreadful. It got better in the second half when the tracking back was better. I thought we were probably fitter than Longford and Fermanagh. They seemed to drift out of the game badly in the last quarter where we got better.

Great effort but just fell short - definitely left it behind.
Too much loose play, overhit passes and cheap frees cost dearly.
But well done to the lads on a very good performance.

The close passing didn't always work but was also the reason we were so dangerous going forward. It put a lot of men in space which resulted in scores or chances and nearly worked.

Happy to eat my words as I thought we would be hammered. Considering we lost Ross King, that neither Kavanagh nor Picky were anywhere near fit and the absentees from 2019 that was some performance. The stick work was very impressive at times. The backs in particular were very sharp. We left it behind us but what a performance.

Longford seem to be missing a number of big players. Looking at the Longford team that played Louth at the weekend I didn't see John Keegan, David or James McGivney or Pádraig McCormack's name and we know that Mickey Quinn is definitely gone for the year. That is the centre back, two midfielders, centre forward and full forward of the last last few years missing for them. If Laois fail to win at the weekend it would be a major disappointment as we are playing a very weakened Longford side.

I predict comfortable Laois win by 5/6 points.

If we play like we did for 68 minutes against Fermanagh even a weakened Longford will cause us problems.