Tailteann Cup 2023

[High Fielder]

I said it before. We haven't 1 player that would get on a Kildare team. It's just where we are. The whole machine is broken. If Billy isn't good enough, and he probably isn't,  then everything else is wrong too.

[Silkyskillssunshinee]

I said it before. We haven't 1 player that would get on a Kildare team. It's just where we are. The whole machine is broken. If Billy isn't good enough, and he probably isn't,  then everything else is wrong too.

Regardless of whether that's true or not, you can't concede 8-16 to a Division 3 outfit in an AI semi. Take away the footballing side of things for a minute. Down were on another level from a fitness point of view. Our lads looked knackered at half time.

[High Fielder]

I can't take footballing ability out of the equation when we're talking about a football team. Granted Down were fitter and stronger, but they were also more skilful. And hungrier. We're putting lads out there like lambs to the slaughter. They are simply not good enough. I hate saying it, but I know it. A lot of them won't go back in and supporters won't bother supporting.  That's already happening. It's hard to see the positives just now

[clonadsane]

The easiest and most basic way to set a team up is to park the bus and stop goals. We don't even have a management team capable of doing that. We were ran ragged also and I believe we have a paid professional in a full time s&c role yet our two senior teams look like two badly conditoned club teams

[High Fielder]

They would have got through anyway. Maybe not to the extent that they did, but certainly enough to give us a hiding. Look back at the lack of contact, space given and inability to tackle. Our fundamental skills are a long way off and our players get exposed against even half decent teams

Our problems are not restricted to this team and Billy Sheehan. It's literally how we do everything, from the moment youngsters go down to their local field. It is very obvious that we are not preparing properly for the challenges that exist today

[Countyminor]

As hurtful as the situation is, some of the comments I see under Laois Today Facebook posts and Laois GAA's posts on Twitter are completely counter productive. Can't believe some people would actually put their name to what they're saying. Absolute cretins.

Say what you will about todays performance and the lads involved with that team, but they were the ones that stuck their hands up in January and wanted to play for Laois. Some of them, naturally, won't be involved going forward. If this was Mark Timmons' last game for Laois then that's a real shame - absolute warrior who would've made it on any Laois team.

As for the game itself, well Down did what Limerick probably ought to have done last week and scored a ton of goals. It was clear to anyone watching last week that we were far too open and soft in the centre and we ultimately paid a heavy price for that today.

[georgedoylesrightleg]

i feer a skutchin on sunday

as I feered. confidense is brittal wit theee lads n has bene since sugrue. tuff on de boys today.

[clonadmad]

As hurtful as the situation is, some of the comments I see under Laois Today Facebook posts and Laois GAA's posts on Twitter are completely counter productive. Can't believe some people would actually put their name to what they're saying. Absolute cretins.

Say what you will about todays performance and the lads involved with that team, but they were the ones that stuck their hands up in January and wanted to play for Laois. Some of them, naturally, won't be involved going forward. If this was Mark Timmons' last game for Laois then that's a real shame - absolute warrior who would've made it on any Laois team.

As for the game itself, well Down did what Limerick probably ought to have done last week and scored a ton of goals. It was clear to anyone watching last week that we were far too open and soft in the centre and we ultimately paid a heavy price for that today.

It just goes to show the level of frustration and anger in the county that people are willing to put their names to the comments

I might not agree with some of what is being said

But I'd take it over apathy

Whether it's just a one day wonder and anything is done is another story

[Joeythelips]

I get people will say we don't have the players, but they deserve to have the best preparation possible. Laois really need to get in a decent management set up asap. I know they also need to do a lot of other things to improve Laois football but the current players deserve to be prepared for senior inter county football. As previous posters have mentioned things fitness levels and basic tactics were not up to the standard required the past two seasons. That has to reflect very poorly on the management set up.

[High Fielder]

Nobody wants this job Joey. They've had the world's worst time getting coaches; in both codes. Brennan said his piece and they got rid. Sugrue bailed prematurely. Who in their right mind would want anything to do with us? Our reputation is shot. We're a root and branch job, not just the branches. Not even sure where you'd start 

[Giovanni]

I get people will say we don't have the players, but they deserve to have the best preparation possible. Laois really need to get in a decent management set up asap. I know they also need to do a lot of other things to improve Laois football but the current players deserve to be prepared for senior inter county football. As previous posters have mentioned things fitness levels and basic tactics were not up to the standard required the past two seasons. That has to reflect very poorly on the management set up.

Fully agree. We start by improving the things we can actually improve. There may be a lot of things wrong and we have to identify them and fix them one step at a time. The senior management set up is one of those things that clearly isn't working. This is a necessary but not sufficient condition for success.

[downtothecore]

Lads heads up. Down have shipped some big beatings over the years. We are only starting to get things moving but it has taken a lot of hard work. Laois just havent done the work that down have done this year and you could see their fitness was not up to the same level so they need to prepare better for these games.

[Andy06]

This could be a blessing in disguise.
An absolute hammering in front of national cameras at prime time hour for GAA. Its impossible to hide this one, unlike the shocking performances against London this year and Wicklow last which only had a few hardy die hards at it.
What would have been far worse in the long run would have been a "gallant" 7 or 8 point defeat and the powers that be decide to stick with Billy for another year rather than go through the hassle and annoyance of doing work to find a replacement. This is on top of the same lads deciding that everything is hunky dorey in our game and to carry on with our road to nowhere.

[Countyminor]

I'll shoot from the hip a bit here, definitely not the right moment but here goes anyways.

I think one of the big reasons behind our demise in recent years is Portlaoise and how we don't take advantage of what we have.

Gaelic football is dead in the town. People are completely apathetic to gaelic football there nowadays. The fact that there is no club actually in the town itself is definitely a contributing factor. A strategic review was carried out in 2017 outlining the requirement for a second juvenile club for Portlaoise. Has this been acted on since? This is an absolute necessity IMO, especially given how the Portlaoise club have not traditionally recruited around the Knockmay/Portlaoise College area of town. Adding a club there in that area alone would increase our footballing population by around 10k I'd say, maybe more given how quickly the town has grown? It's unwise for a small county like Laois not to use fully what we have at our disposal.

Change starts from the bottom up.

[thewobbler]

I know where the rant above is coming from.

But (Dublin aside) football is a rural game. Let the city folk do what city folk do. If you've 1-2 of the willing to work for it like the country boys, it's a bonus. A welcome bonus. But the throbbing heart of Gaelic Games isn't among hundreds of chimney pots.