All-Ireland U21 Football Championship 2014

[Syferus]

This will be a very quiet thread by this time next week if Roscommon and Cavan both get beaten on Saturday. I don't recall any contributions here from anyone from Dublin and Cork.

Is there such a thing as a Cork U21 football fan?

Amazed that a county that can produce so many fine footballers can have such poor support. 95% Ros-Cavan support in the stands on Saturday.

[rodney trotter]

Maybe not for you, but its and indicator for the championship giving  belief to a team, Roscommon were tough beaten then when Cavan had a stronger out. Cavan coped well with the dogged Ulster football that year  but when getting out of Ulster has been the problem. Cavan were comfortabe last year against Donegal, I wouldn't say it was a great Cavan performance last year against Cork, last 15 minutes when a few tactical changes were made and they went direcent was when Cavan troubled Cork

[Westside]

It's an indicator, the Championship is the Championship and the real proof of a team is in that game. Are you telling me Cavan were better prepared, more hungry, put out a better side and in general were a more formidable outfit in the Hastings Cup than in the Chamionship?

[rodney trotter]

They started the strongest team available against Roscommon that year, as it was a good test ahead of the championship.. Obviously injuries affected the team in the championship from the hastings cup game, and thats the point i was making

[shark]

This will be a very quiet thread by this time next week if Roscommon and Cavan both get beaten on Saturday. I don't recall any contributions here from anyone from Dublin and Cork.

Is there such a thing as a Cork U21 football fan?

Amazed that a county that can produce so many fine footballers can have such poor support. 95% Ros-Cavan support in the stands on Saturday.

It's a strange one alright. I have a lot of relations down there. They are GAA mad, especially football, but never ever leave the county to watch a game. Killarney would even be seen as a step too far.

[marym]

I am a Corkfan. The club scene in Cork is very active at the moment. I live in area where we have girls and boys club, hurling and football. On any given  weekend we have over 200 kids training on two different days. We try to have one coach for 6 players. Loads of games too  and the county championship started a few weeks ago in Senior and it is nearly over in under 21. That does not stop just because we have Seniors or under 21s in action on the Intercounty scene.

[mylestheslasher]

I am a Corkfan. The club scene in Cork is very active at the moment. I live in area where we have girls and boys club, hurling and football. On any given  weekend we have over 200 kids training on two different days. We try to have one coach for 6 players. Loads of games too  and the county championship started a few weeks ago in Senior and it is nearly over in under 21. That does not stop just because we have Seniors or under 21s in action on the Intercounty scene.

That might be some bit of an excuse but when you compare the population of Cork to Cavan or Ros then I think its a poor one. Last years semi I don't think I even saw a Cork supporter.

[Hound]

This will be a very quiet thread by this time next week if Roscommon and Cavan both get beaten on Saturday. I don't recall any contributions here from anyone from Dublin and Cork.

I'm probably very much in the minority here, but I don't care a whole heap about the U21 competition.

Going out early last year v Longford was, without doubt in my opinion, a good thing for Dublin. It allowed Mannion, McCaffrey and Kilkenny a clear run at building up intercounty experience in the National League. Even without the U21 exertions all 3 probably ran out of steam a bit towards the end of the year, but all made massive contributions during the championship.

I would much prefer the likes of McCaffrey, Mannion and Costello to be giving full exertions to the senior team this year, and free up their spaces in the U21 panel to other promising lads.

Now I will watch them on the telly at the weekend and cheer them on and hope they win while its on. But if they lose it means the better lads will be available for the NFL final. Also it means the first round of the club championship won't be postponed and will go ahead the week after the NFL final, so the cloud will have a couple of silver linings

[Syferus]

This will be a very quiet thread by this time next week if Roscommon and Cavan both get beaten on Saturday. I don't recall any contributions here from anyone from Dublin and Cork.

I'm probably very much in the minority here, but I don't care a whole heap about the U21 competition.

Going out early last year v Longford was, without doubt in my opinion, a good thing for Dublin. It allowed Mannion, McCaffrey and Kilkenny a clear run at building up intercounty experience in the National League. Even without the U21 exertions all 3 probably ran out of steam a bit towards the end of the year, but all made massive contributions during the championship.

I would much prefer the likes of McCaffrey, Mannion and Costello to be giving full exertions to the senior team this year, and free up their spaces in the U21 panel to other promising lads.

Now I will watch them on the telly at the weekend and cheer them on and hope they win while its on. But if they lose it means the better lads will be available for the NFL final. Also it means the first round of the club championship won't be postponed and will go ahead the week after the NFL final, so the cloud will have a couple of silver linings

Without the work at underage and indeed at underage county in particular Dublin would have been the same experts in over-expectation and under-delivery they were between 1996 and 2009 the past three years.

I hope more Dublin people think like you because it will cut the wave of momentum that Dublin have from underneath them. Just because you have a few good prospects now doesn't mean you can think of taking the focus off underage. You'll only set yourself up for more failure at senior, and failure that means a lot more than a league final.

[marym]

Well I was at  two under 21 Games last year. I was at 4 inter county Senior hurling games and 3 Senior football games along with 4 Ladies games.A lot of the football support is deep in West Cork and they would have another 2 to three hours to travel after Cork city . The hurling support is nearer the city and while I follow both most people wouldn't.

[Canalman]

Think Cork people will be very slow to follow Cork footballers until they defeat Kerry in a BIG GAME at Croke Park in the championship.
Having said that those that there were there for the 2010 final made way more noise than the Down fans who greatly outnumbered them.

[Shrewdness]

Hello Marym, do you have a view on this match on Saturday? Do ye in Cork know much about this Roscommon team?

[Zulu]

Well I was at  two under 21 Games last year. I was at 4 inter county Senior hurling games and 3 Senior football games along with 4 Ladies games.A lot of the football support is deep in West Cork and they would have another 2 to three hours to travel after Cork city . The hurling support is nearer the city and while I follow both most people wouldn't.

Most Cork lads I know follow both marym, though generally they prefer one or the other. I think the support the footballers get is a real shame and can't be justified on any grounds. While west Cork is a good trip, there are thousands of Cork folk living in and around Dublin, many of whom will be clamouring for tickets later in the year if Cork meet Dublin in an All Ireland QF or better. I thought Sunday was especially disappointing as this Cork team has been playing great football and just hammered Kerry in Tralee, so a bit of a buzz should be there.

The semi this Saturday should be a great game and I'm looking forward to it more than the second game which I think might end up a poor spectacle for the neutral. I expect the Cork/Ros game to be a cracker though.

[Drummerboy]

I remember a few years ago after my team had beaten a team from Cork down there. I got speaking to a Corkman who congratulated me on the teams success but then qualified his remark by saying ''Sure football is only a game for bad hurlers''.

[Itchy]

Galway are as bad. When we lost to them in 2011 final the support they brought was pathetic. Hard to understand it.