By by Billy!

[darbyo]

Billy was, is and always will be a legend in Cork - his only failure ? It was that he tried to do too much - he took the best out of a moderate side - don't forget the hameering they gave Meath a few weeks ago !

Can't agree with that, this is a very talented Cork squad and they have (I won't say underachieved, as that would be wrong) not fulfilled their potential. He has picked the wrong players, put some in the wrong positions and left players on the squad who aren't up to it rather than develop the U21 talent that's there.

[orangeman]

After the semi final demoliton of Meath, he was the best thing since sliced bread - after he lost to Cork he was rubbish - now you're telling us that he picks the wrong players, plays players of position and not picked the right panel Are you serious

And I repeat - Billy will always be a legend in Cork ! Always !

[darbyo]

After the semi final demoliton of Meath, he was the best thing since sliced bread - after he lost to Cork he was rubbish -

Who said that?, not me anyway. On either count.

now you're telling us that he picks the wrong players, plays players of position and not picked the right panel  Are you serious

And I repeat - Billy will always be a legend in Cork ! Always !

Yeah I am serious, this is my opinion and has been for some time, you may not agree with it (which is fair enough) but that doesn't make it any less valid. Cork have had 4 very strong U21 teams and could possibly be going for the 3 in a row next year at that grade, yet Billy is still persisting with older journeymen footballers that haven't made the grade and won't at this stage. Quite simply he hasn't got the best out of Cork's football talent.

[magickingdom]

to be fair Billy is a passionate Cork GAA man
he always seems to do well with the cork team - and nemo

wouldnt criticise him at all.

i might give him credit for that lynchbhoy when (eventually) he retires for the last time 

Cooper - I can't see Billy EVER taking up the Cork reins again - he has been shafted by the County board  - he'll just devote the rest of his coaching life to his beloved Nemo !

the cork county board have been shafting players/selectors/managers since time immemorial. he'll be back... all he knows is cork football and a hatred of kerry beating the crap out of cork.

[orangeman]

Why do good manager always seem to get shafted ?

Darbyo - out of curiosity, who do you think should have been played and who are the journeymen he should have dropped ?

[darbyo]

Well I have a real problem with the overly defensive style of Corks play, they had a very solid back six and a decent midfield, so more attack minded players should have been picked up front. I'd have no place for John Miskella, Conor McCarthy or Brendan Ger .
              They didn't have any real plan for Cussen, so unless they we're going to build a plan around him I wouldn't have him on the team either. Kavanagh is no more an inter county midfielder than myself, possibly full back but not midfield. And not finding a place on the team for Fintan Goold and Daniel Goulding is criminal IMO. Perhaps this one is a bit controversial but I wouldn't have James Masters on my first 15, he just doesn't have the pace. Most of his scores come from placed balls or against the weaker teams and Corks obsession with getting the ball to him renders their other forwards obsolete and makes them easy to shut out.

[orangeman]

But is Cussen the real deal anyway ?

And would not a lot of your ideas be based on the final humiliation to Kerry ?

[darbyo]

Cussen is highly rated by some in Cork but I think he is out of his depth at inter county level. But if you are going to play him then surely he should be used. Cork failed to do so and Morgan must shoulder the blame for this.
             I rate this Cork squad highly but if you knew me you'd know that I have being saying those same things about the team for quite some time. Many football people in Cork reckon Billy has a Nemo bias and there are a few lads on the bench that have no role to play but Billy keeps them on. With all that U-21 talent floating around surely it makes more sense to fill out his squad from 21-30 with the best of the U-21's rather than lads 25-30 who haven't the ability to change the game. He is not developing the younger talent and that is criminal and he hasn't any discernable game plan which is just as bad.

[orangeman]

Cussen is no Donaghy in my opinion - why do you think the board wouldn't allow Billy to pick his own men ( the real reasons ) ?

[dodo]

Cussen is highly rated by some in Cork but I think he is out of his depth at inter county level. But if you are going to play him then surely he should be used. Cork failed to do so and Morgan must shoulder the blame for this.
             I rate this Cork squad highly but if you knew me you'd know that I have being saying those same things about the team for quite some time. Many football people in Cork reckon Billy has a Nemo bias and there are a few lads on the bench that have no role to play but Billy keeps them on. With all that U-21 talent floating around surely it makes more sense to fill out his squad from 21-30 with the best of the U-21's rather than lads 25-30 who haven't the ability to change the game. He is not developing the younger talent and that is criminal and he hasn't any discernable game plan which is just as bad.

Cussen got two high balls into him in first half of the munster championship game with Kerry, scored 2 points off these. He was under utilised to a great extent and Morgan and his game plan had to be questioned regarding this. There is little point in playing Cussen if you don't feed the beast ! IMO too much goes through Masters alright, an interesting view of this was provided when he was out injured and Donnacha O'Connor and others were given more scope and availed of the opportunity. To start Masters again in the AIF was ill advised, when he went off it was always going to be a lift for Kerry ( didn't matter really I suppose as game was long over at this stage anyway ).

[darbyo]

With the Cork County board you can never be sure, but my own guess is that they knew Billy wouldn't stay on unless he could pick his own selectors, so this was a way of getting rid of him.

[darbyo]

IMO too much goes through Masters alright, an interesting view of this was provided when he was out injured and Donnacha O'Connor and others were given more scope and availed of the opportunity. To start Masters again in the AIF was ill advised,

Exactly, O'Connor, McMahon, Gould and Goulding are all better IC footballers than Masters. Yet he is the main man, even when half fit, I spoke to nobody prior to the final that thought Masters should start. Billy couldn't take his Nemo glasses off for even a minute to realise this. In fact I was told (I know, I know) that the selectors and Billy had decided not to start Masters but when the team was named he (Billy) had put Masters in. Cork have the talent to win an AI and if they can get the right man in they could begin to dominate over the next 3-5 years.

[orangeman]

Getting rid of him was a nice reward for getting to the AIF - And by the way, just in case you think I am a relation of Billy's or sometihng, I 'm not - but I would be ana admirer - purely out of his devotion to the game - he is very passionate about his football - do you think he was harshly treated by the board ? Would he have stayed on ? Or do you agree with Tompkins that he should have walked away earlier ?

[orangeman]

I don't believe that Billy would have put Masters in after they had decided otherwise - no way !

[darbyo]

I think he should have walked, though I agree with you about his passion for the game and I think he is a great servant to football. He has almost single handedly kept football alive in Cork city by keeping Nemo and Cork football near the top. He has been disgracefully treated by the Cork county board but I just don't think he has what it takes to win the AI for Cork anymore. Remember Cork have a massive pick and are almost guaranteed a QF spot every year so getting to a SF is no great achievement. They have been hammered by Kerry 3 years in a row now so I couldn't give him a whole lot of credit for what he has achieved the last few years with Cork.