Antrim need a new manager

[ck]

The fact that Kevin McCourty wouldn't play under for Bradley means very little. McCourty has an opinion of himself and thinks he is the best player in Ireland. Not really a team player, CJ would be no saint either, but he played under Bradley until this year when he got injured in the Mckenna Cup with UUJ and kept him out for a few months. He wasn't selected for the championship as he wasn't fully fit.. It wasn't because Bradley wouldn't pick him/

Read my post again! I never said Bradley wouldnt pick him, I said those players had no interest in playing for Bradley, thats a bigger point in my book. You can talk about the reasons players werent there and the other McGourty being pre madonna all you want. A good manager would have had them there and a they would have wanted to be there!

[rodney trotter]

Eh yeah ok, Just that CJ McCourty the best player of the 4 you mentioned played with Antrim the last 3 years, whatever about the others.

Tomas McCann and Micheal McCann improved alot under Bradley, Those 2 would make any team in Ireland, as would Tony Scullion.

Maybe its a coincidence that the 4 players you mentioned are all St Galls players. Gallagher is from the galls he woud play under Bradley, i don't know what the agenda was with them players...

[Hardy]

The fact that Kevin McCourty wouldn't play under for Bradley means very little. McCourty has an opinion of himself and thinks he is the best player in Ireland. Not really a team player, CJ would be no saint either, but he played under Bradley until this year when he got injured in the Mckenna Cup with UUJ and kept him out for a few months. He wasn't selected for the championship as he wasn't fully fit.. It wasn't because Bradley wouldn't pick him/

Read my post again! I never said Bradley wouldnt pick him, I said those players had no interest in playing for Bradley, thats a bigger point in my book. You can talk about the reasons players werent there and the other McGourty being pre madonna all you want. A good manager would have had them there and a they would have wanted to be there!

Excellent! It was worth getting up today.

[Craigyhill Terror]

I'm noting a slight exageration when it comes to being positive about Bradley. If you collect all the positives and ignore the many negatives then any manager would sound good. How about this?

Bradley got the team promoted before being relegated again. They got to an Ulster final by coming through an easy side of the draw before being hammered in the final itself. The commitment from players was farcical, arguably the worst in the country. Their top scorer goes on holidays before the championship is over, only to be joined by the team captain. (Not the managers fault?) The best players in the county (Sean Kelly, Sean Burke, Kevin McGourty, CJMcGourty) wouldnt play for Bradley. All this before crashing out of another c/ship qualifiers to the mighty Tipperary. Bradley has left Antrim where he found them but has heightened his own profile so he can be considered for the Derry job.
Bradley is detested in his own county and regarded as a loose cannon in his own club.

2 things spring to mind here  -


Donegal are in the all ireland final and only a few years ago, if you met Donegal, they were considered the easy side of the draw ? Amazing.

Getting beaten by 6 points wasn't a hammering compared to what the great Tyrone team inflicted on better teams than Antrim.

Nonsense on both points. Even Donegal people talk about what a shambles they were 3 years ago, players more interested in drinking than playing. Antrim went on to beat a poor Cavan side. Tyrone won by 6 in the final, regardless of the score it was a very one sided final. The score doesnt always reflect.

In 2009 Donegal went on to reach the All-Ireland quarter-final - yes, they were hammered by Cork, but they beat Galway and Derry to get there, so they were hardly a shambles.
Antrim were in Division Four when Bradley started, they went up to Division Two and and are now in Division Three and hadn't won a Championship match in Ulster or the Qualifiers since 2003. So to say he's left them where he found them isn't just nonsense, it's plain wrong.

[Don Johnson]

I know Kevin McGourty is getting on a bit but surely he wasn't born before Madonna? She is 54.

[glens73]

The fact that Kevin McCourty wouldn't play under for Bradley means very little. McCourty has an opinion of himself and thinks he is the best player in Ireland. Not really a team player, CJ would be no saint either, but he played under Bradley until this year when he got injured in the Mckenna Cup with UUJ and kept him out for a few months. He wasn't selected for the championship as he wasn't fully fit.. It wasn't because Bradley wouldn't pick him/

Read my post again! I never said Bradley wouldnt pick him, I said those players had no interest in playing for Bradley, thats a bigger point in my book. You can talk about the reasons players werent there and the other McGourty being pre madonna all you want. A good manager would have had them there and a they would have wanted to be there!

Post of the year!

[whitegoodman]

Eh yeah ok, Just that CJ McCourty the best player of the 4 you mentioned played with Antrim the last 3 years, whatever about the others.

Tomas McCann and Micheal McCann improved alot under Bradley, Those 2 would make any team in Ireland, as would Tony Scullion.
Maybe its a coincidence that the 4 players you mentioned are all St Galls players. Gallagher is from the galls he woud play under Bradley, i don't know what the agenda was with them players...

[rodney trotter]

Or maybe Kevin McCourty, Sean Burke and Sean Kelly were happy to play club football and win the Antrim Senior Championship every year as there doesn't seem to anyone else who can stop them in Antrim.

Lots of counties have problem with players not wanting to play county etc., The last 4/5 years there was 3/4 players from Cavan Gaels who wouldn't play county, not becuase of the manager but because hadn't the interest. F all you can do about that.

I'm sure there is talented players in other counties who would be the same, they might not have the time because of work etc..

[updown9194]

For the love of Christ it's McGourty, not McCourty. You'd think that you'd bother to actually get a name right before talking shite about him. The amount of bollocks talked here by supposed Antrim fans about individual players or managers without any knowledge of the salient facts is shocking.

[rodney trotter]

McGourty my bad, i have no connection with Antrim but I think you wouldn't need to be from Antrim to know Kevin McGourty is all talk, bit like Colm Parkinson.

Why not add some knowledge to the discussion and clear the facts.

[Billys Boots]

The fact that Kevin McCourty wouldn't play under for Bradley means very little. McCourty has an opinion of himself and thinks he is the best player in Ireland. Not really a team player, CJ would be no saint either, but he played under Bradley until this year when he got injured in the Mckenna Cup with UUJ and kept him out for a few months. He wasn't selected for the championship as he wasn't fully fit.. It wasn't because Bradley wouldn't pick him/

Read my post again! I never said Bradley wouldnt pick him, I said those players had no interest in playing for Bradley, thats a bigger point in my book. You can talk about the reasons players werent there and the other McGourty being pre madonna all you want. A good manager would have had them there and a they would have wanted to be there!

Ah now lads, be fair - let's wait for the book and them we can comment.

[updown9194]

i have no connection with Antrim

Sin é.

[CitySlicker11]

Are we against bringing in an inside man for the job?

[Gold]

Are we against bringing in an inside man for the job?

Yes.

No way could we take pandering to the above mentioned 'heroes' who arent playing. An outsider wouldnt have it.
Baker was exactly what a County like Antrim needed. Any f**king about wasnt tolerated.
09 Captain goes on holiday: --dropped
Others who didnt train: dropped.

We'd take Kelly back, there's no side to him and he would put the shoulder to the wheel selflessly (and did do for years). The rest only serve to disrupt and gaunch.

Bradley gave us respect.

We had won the following championship games since 1982:

1. Beat Down 2000
2. Beat Cavan 2003
3. Beat Leitrim in qualifiers around 02 or 04

With Baker:

1. 2009: Beat Donegal, Cavan 09 Ulster finakl defeat--ran Kerry close in qualifiers. Promotion from Div 4 (first promotion in living memory)
2. 2010: Beat by Tyrone. Drew with Kildare away, beat at home in qualifier replay. Promotion from Div 3 to Div 2

3. 2011: Beat by Donegal. Beat Carlow and Westmeath, lost to Down in Qualifier round 3 (Relegated --missing key players)

4. 2012: Beat by Monaghan (and ref). Beat London and Galway. Poor day v Tipp week after in Round 3

6 championship wins and 2 promotions in 4 years for Antrim, an apathetic, county of slabbers is more than a good return for Baker. He organised us, instilled discipline and has been our best manager ever.

We need a McEntee, McNulty or O'Rourke type character to keep it going. Antrim players wont respect anyone from inside the county and the wheels may come off

[imtommygunn]

The fact that Kevin McCourty wouldn't play under for Bradley means very little. McCourty has an opinion of himself and thinks he is the best player in Ireland. Not really a team player, CJ would be no saint either, but he played under Bradley until this year when he got injured in the Mckenna Cup with UUJ and kept him out for a few months. He wasn't selected for the championship as he wasn't fully fit.. It wasn't because Bradley wouldn't pick him/

Read my post again! I never said Bradley wouldnt pick him, I said those players had no interest in playing for Bradley, thats a bigger point in my book. You can talk about the reasons players werent there and the other McGourty being pre madonna all you want. A good manager would have had them there and a they would have wanted to be there!

Managers like Micky Harte wouldn't have them boys near their squad. In modern day football everyone has to pull together.

As has been stated no one can question that baker has advanced, and significantly advanced, us. The facts speak for themselves.

People say about problems from an ulster club game. There are very few ,if any , players from st galls who should have played under him and didn't.  Although this last year maybe something went down there.

Tony scullion would not make any team in ireland... He can run all day but it's best he doesn't kickpass! He has been great for Antrim mind. Loughrey would make most teams mind you and michael McCann too.